Associate Director, Hit Discovery

The Role:

Life Edit is seeking an experienced scientific leader with direct industry experience in therapeutic hit discovery.  The selected candidate will report to the Director, Gene Editing and lead a group of scientists to perform target exploration within the Gene Editing team. 

Here’s What You’ll Do:

• Lead a diverse scientific team to devise gene editing strategies for targets of interest, execute editing screening campaigns, and perform hit-to-lead activities including in vitro proof-of-concept and mechanism of action studies
• Work closely with Corporate Development to help identify novel therapeutic targets, taking into account multiple factors including technical feasibility, commercial opportunity, and business strategy
• Collaborate with the Computational Biology, Technology Development, and Preclinical teams to deploy Life Edit’s array of genome editing systems and move lead editing compositions into animal models
• Ensure hit discovery and optimization activities meet key milestones in a timely manner
• Critically summarize and present data internally to interdisciplinary teams and leadership, as well as externally
• Write reports summarizing hit discovery and optimization activities suitable for inclusion in regulatory documents

Requirements:

• Ph.D. in biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, or a related field with 10+ years of relevant experience
• Direct experience with hit discovery and hit-to-lead activities in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology sectors, industry experience preferred
• Experience leading a scientific team, preferably in an industry setting
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate in a cross functional, team-oriented environment
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills
• Relevant technical skills for data analysis, electronic lab notebook documentation, and presentations
• Direct experience in the gene editing field is strongly preferred
• A broad background in a variety of areas in biology and human therapeutics is advantageous

We’re committed to finding the best ways to support our teams so they can do their best work. We take care of our employees, right from the start.

Health & Wellness

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance covered at 90%
• Low deductible, no co-insurance and no copays for mental health visits (for in-network care)
• Annual fitness reimbursement
• Employer paid for access to wellness apps and programs like Task Human

Financial

• Competitive compensation
• 401(k) retirement plans with a 4% employer match and no vesting period
• Employer-paid life insurance and short- and long-term disability insurance
• Employer-sponsored flexible spending accounts (FSA) and dependent care account (DCA)
• Access to a 1-on-1 financial advisor
• Commuter reimbursement benefit
• Monthly cell phone stipend

Time Off & Flexibility

• Unlimited paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, family leave, personal days, and bereavement
• 18 paid company holidays, plus an end-of-year holiday shut down
• 12 weeks of parental leave
• Federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML), administered by Unum

Development Journey

• Insights Discovery training for every employee to make the most of workplace relationships
• Ongoing professional development, including manager training
• Access to LinkedIn Leaning, a self-guided online education platform