Director, Next-Generation Sequencing - Biologics Engineering

Job Title: Director Next-Generation Sequencing - Biologics Engineering
Location: Gaithersburg, MD

Recognizing the importance of individualized flexibility, our ways of working allow employees to balance personal and work commitments while ensuring we continue to create a strong culture of collaboration and teamwork by engaging face-to-face in our offices 3 days a week. Our head office is purposely designed with collaboration in mind, providing space where teams can come together to strategize, brainstorm and connect on key projects. 

Introduction to Role

You will lead the transformation of NGS capabilities within AstraZeneca's Biologics Engineering department, positioning our organization as the global leader in AI-driven antibody discovery and engineering. This is a high-visibility, strategic role where you will build a world-class NGS platform that seamlessly integrates with our cutting-edge AI/ML initiatives, directly enabling breakthrough therapeutics in oncology and beyond.

In this role, you'll architect the future of data generation for drug discovery. You'll oversee the implementation of advanced sequencing technologies, design custom bioinformatics workflows optimized for antibody discovery, and lead a high-performing team of scientists and bioinformaticians. Your strategic vision will directly impact how AstraZeneca discovers and engineers the next generation of therapeutic antibodies.

What You'll Accomplish in Your First Year

First 30 Days

• Establish relationships with key stakeholders across Biologics Engineering, Bioinformatics, AI teams, Cambridge UK, and Therapeutic Areas in R&D
• Assess current NGS capabilities, infrastructure, team composition, pain points and bottlenecks
• Align with your team on strategic priorities and quick-win opportunities
• Understand data processing, requirements and integration challenges with AI pipelines

First 90 Days

• Develop a comprehensive NGS strategy that aligns with AI/ML requirements for antibody discovery workflows
• Evaluate emerging NGS platforms (long-read sequencing, advanced single-cell technologies) and recommend adoption roadmap
• Establish governance and data standards to ensure NGS outputs seamlessly integrate with AI algorithms
• Launch one high-impact project demonstrating improved NGS-to-AI data pipeline efficiency

First 180 Days

• Deploy advanced bioinformatics pipelines for antibody repertoire analysis, lineage tracing, and affinity maturation studies
• Implement automation improvements in sample preparation and library construction, increasing throughput by 30%+
• Establish AstraZeneca as a thought leader, publish or present at major conferences on NGS-AI integration for antibody discovery
• Define the global NGS strategy in collaboration with Cambridge and establish governance for technology standardization across sites

Your Key Responsibilities

Strategic Vision & Leadership You will develop and execute the comprehensive NGS strategy for Biologics Engineering, with specific focus on antibody discovery, antibody engineering, and supporting Therapeutic Areas across our global R&D organization. You will drive the integration of NGS data generation into AI/ML pipelines, ensuring that sequencing workflows are optimized for machine learning applications. You will establish AstraZeneca as the world leader in NGS applications for biologics discovery.

Team Leadership & Development You will lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of 4 scientists, fostering a culture of scientific innovation that bridges traditional NGS approaches with emerging AI technologies. You will build strong internal partnerships, and create an environment where team members grow into future leaders.

Technology & Innovation You will spearhead evaluation and adoption of emerging sequencing technologies—including long-read platforms, advanced single-cell approaches, and spatial genomics—to enhance AstraZeneca's research capabilities. You will collaborate closely with Discovery and AI teams to understand experimental and data requirements and ensure NGS data processing and outputs are structured and formatted to seamlessly integrate with clustering, down selection and machine learning models. You will develop advanced bioinformatics pipelines specifically designed for antibody sequence analysis, including repertoire analysis, lineage tracing, and affinity maturation studies. You will drive automation in sample preparation, library construction, and NGS workflows to increase efficiency, reproducibility, and throughput.

Data Strategy & Bioinformatics You will design and implement ro