Director, Applied Immunology

How you’ll make an impact:

This leader will bring innovative next generation cell therapy products to patients for the treatment of cancer.  The primary role of this individual is to drive our “bench-to-bedside-to-bench” approach by leading research activities that move programs to IND filing and by applying clinical and translational learnings back to the earliest parts of our novel CART cell therapy discovery process. This is a great opportunity to work in an experienced cell therapy company that is uniquely positioned with a commercial product (AbecmaTM), active clinical trials of novel and impactful new cell therapies and an innovative pipeline that incorporates disruptive technologies, all leading to a rich exchange of new ideas that we bring into the clinic to benefit patients.

About the team:

The Applied Immunology group is a branch of the Oncology Research department that plays a key role in advancing the drug discovery pipeline to IND filing and develops innovations for new cell therapy products based on clinical findings.  This team sits within Applied Immunology and is comprised of 6 highly motivated and experienced PhD and BS/MS scientists. The team executes experimental data sets, compiles and communicates findings to internal and external stakeholders, and writes reports, all in support of Development Candidate selection and IND submission.  In addition, the team executes proof-of-concept studies to support the incorporation of innovations into new programs. In addition to vigorous interactions with the broader Oncology Research group, this team interfaces with cross-functional program team contributors, including in vivo Pharmacology, Non-Clinical Safety, Cell Process and Analytical Development, Data Sciences, and Translational and Clinical Development.

How you’ll spend your time:

• Oversee cell therapy research programs in the Applied Immunology function within Oncology Research
• Provide strong scientific and strategic oversight of ongoing programs ensuring that robust data packages are created to support IND and regulatory filings
• Coordinate bedside-to-bench research scale activities to test hypotheses deriving from analysis of clinical datasets
• Develop innovations to improve the performance of cell therapy products based on hypothesis testing
• Supervise, mentor, and guide the career development of a team of 6 direct and indirect reports including PhD, MS, and BS-level scientists
• Lead cross-functional teams and other key stakeholders to successfully submit INDs
• Manage data review, analysis, identification of trends, and complex problem solving
• Set program and team objectives and manage associated timelines, milestones, resources, and budgets
• Review and approve documents for electronic notebooks, patent applications, and regulatory filings
• Communicate team/program findings to internal management and external stakeholders

Who you are and what you’ve accomplished:

• PhD in immunology, tumor immunology, or a related discipline with relevant post-doctoral training
• 7+ years of biotech/pharma industry experience including the development of cell therapies from discovery through candidate optimization to IND-enabling studies
• 5+ years of experience managing a team of scientists, demonstrating an ability to mentor and flex management tools to help individuals achieve their highest performance
• Must have deep knowledge of the cell therapy field and current trends in immunotherapy
• Experience with applying clinical/translational findings to innovative drug discovery programs is a plus
• Experience with report writing for regulatory submissions a plus
• Independent and self-motivated with critical problem-solving abilities and agility at making informed risk/benefit decisions
• Ability to develop functional strategies to meet corporate objectives and translate them into actionable deliverables
• Capability to lead highly functioning teams within a fast paced, highly matrixed environment to regularly deliver rigorous science to meet deadlines
• Strong interpersonal, communication and effective listening skills with success in achieving results through influence and incorporating multiple points of view
• Experience with resource allocation and budget tracking