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Director, Discovery Biology

Cambridge, MA 02142

Posted: 02/15/2023 Employment Type: Direct Hire/Perm Job Category: Scientific Job Number: 546344 Is job remote?: No Country: United States

Job Description

Role: Director, Discovery Biology 

We are looking for an experienced and passionate Director, Discovery Biology who is excited to leverage the latest advances in biology, chemistry, and computation to discover promising new cancer drugs. The ideal candidate has an extensive track record in drug discovery, including successful application of high-throughput screening (HTS) approaches, coupled with a deep knowledge of cancer biology. You will have primary oversight over all biology/pharmacology activities leading to clinical candidate selection – from target selection through establishment and validation of all assays required for hit identification and lead optimization. You will carry out all these responsibilities overseeing a small team of talented internal scientists and a large team of external scientists across a broad array of CROs.


Who are we looking for?
  • A driven leader who knows how to work and contribute to an ever-changing working environment
  • An individual who enjoys working in close collaboration with colleagues in the research, development, clinical, finance, and administrative areas of the company, as well as external partners, vendors, and consultants
  • A willingness to learn new things, adapt to new ways and go with the flow
What are we looking for?
  • You are an energetic and passionate R&D professional who is strategic, likes to think outside of the box, challenge the norm, and is passionate about the company’s mission of discovering and developing new medications
  • You are a resourceful self-starter, take a hands on approach, and are a team player with a strong results-based orientation
  • You can develop trusting relationships to gain support and achieve results at all levels of the organization
What you will do:
  • You will be a critical member of the Discovery leadership team, creating and executing research strategies for multiple discovery programs with clear go-no/go decisions
  • Direct, manage, develop, and empower a team of internal and external scientists in biology and pharmacology; outline and communicate research goals, design key studies, and analyze data
  • Together with your Team, manage and interact directly with external CROs focusing on preclinical mechanism of action studies, compound screening, in vivo efficacy experiments, reagent generation, assay development / validation and computational biology activities
  • Collaborate with translational and clinical scientists to identify and validate biomarkers and indication selection for clinical development
  • Leverage a network of external scientific advisors and consultants to develop and execute research activities
  • Overall, you will have a very hands-on role with respect to your direct contributions to our Discovery efforts, while being an outstanding leader and collaborator, a creative problem-solver, and a role model for your reports and across the organization
 
What you will bring:
  • Ph.D. and post-doctoral fellowship in relevant field of biomedical research and 10+ years of relevant industry experience
  • Strong background in oncology/cancer research, with a thorough understanding of signaling pathways implicated in disease and the mechanism of action of targeted therapies
  • Experience developing kinase inhibitors is a plus, as is experience across multiple therapeutic modalities
  • A very high level of motivation and a proven record of accomplishment (eg, a strong publication record in top-tier journals)
  • Experience leading one or more drug discovery programs from early stages through to IND, or experience at multiple stages and the clear readiness to lead efforts across all stages
  • Track-record of adopting highly innovative approaches to answer complex biological questions
  • Experience performing and analyzing a broad array of molecular and cell biology experiments
  • Experience working extensively with external CROs to accomplish drug discovery objectives
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, leadership abilities, and oral and written communication


 

The staffing industry has seen an increase in people falsely representing themselves as recruiters to gather personal information from job seekers. For your safety, do not provide sensitive data to anyone you have not spoken with thoroughly and never provide banking information during the application process. Candidate safety is a top priority at Planet Pharma.

Planet Pharma and The Planet Group of Companies are equal opportunity employers. It is our practice not to discriminate against any employee or applicant based on any criteria, condition or basis protected by laws or regulations in the locations where we do business. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply. We celebrate diversity and are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect. We believe that diversity, equity and inclusion enable us to better meet our mission and values while serving our clients across the globe. If you have a disability or handicap and would like us to accommodate you in any reasonable way, please inform your recruiter, or contact us, so that we can discuss the appropriate alternatives available.

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Although this hasn't been an issue at The Planet Group, the staffing industry has seen an increase in people falsely representing themselves as recruiters to gather personal information from job seekers. For your safety, do not provide sensitive data to anyone you have not spoken with thoroughly and never provide banking information during the application process. Candidate safety is a top priority at The Planet Group.

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