Senior Director, Immunology / Immuno-oncology Discovery Research

Company Summary:

Founded in 2017 within Flagship Labs, Cellarity’s new approach to drug discovery is based on the computational modeling of cell behavior, leading to a more complete understanding of system and network biology to uncover cell-behavior-targeted medicines for a wide variety of diseases. Cellarity recently raised $123 million in Series B financing. The round included contributions from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, The Baupost Group, Banque Pictet on behalf of their clients and eight other investors alongside Flagship Pioneering.

Cellarity is generating unprecedented biological insights by combining its unique expertise in network biology, high-resolution data, and machine learning. The result is a new understanding of the cell’s trajectory from health to disease, and how cells relate to one another in tissues. Because the cell and its network of transcripts and proteins offer a more complete view of the complexity of human biology than any individual molecular target, Cellarity’s approach allows for more efficient drug discovery and is designed to drive higher rates of clinical success. Already, the company has seven drug discovery programs underway in diverse therapeutic areas that range from metabolic disease to immuno-oncology.

The successful Series B financing round validates the strength of Cellarity’s science and its potential to redefine drug discovery through its cell-centric approach.

Position Summary:

Cellarity is seeking a talented and highly motivated Senior Director in Immunology/Immuno-oncology Discovery Research to play a vital role in the company’s efforts to progress small molecule candidates to IND and early clinical studies. The candidate will lead all drug discovery research activities from lead generation to IND and contribute to early clinical studies related to the programs, providing strategic, scientific, and technical leadership. S/he will contribute deep scientific know-how and expertise in immunology and will develop strategies, formulate and explore hypotheses and interpret results from integrated analyses of molecular, clinical and pathological data in collaboration with AI teams. The successful candidate will work closely with the Cellarity leadership team and scientists to rapidly advance the drug discovery programs. S/he will be comfortable working in and contributing to a highly dynamic and cross-functional team environment. The ideal candidate must be independent, open-minded, goal-oriented, have excellent communication skills and work in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• The Senior Director in Immunology/Immuno-oncology Research will lead all drug discovery research activities from lead generation to IND and contribute to early clinical studies related to the programs
• Play a leading role in selecting new indications in this space for exploratory work (in addition to driving existing projects)
• Work cross functionally towards a continuous output of development compounds which address the unmet medical need in various disease indications within the Immunology/Immuno-oncology area
• Build and manage an attractive program portfolio and help to establish Cellarity as a recognized and competitive company in the Immunology/Immuno-oncology area
• Actively support and pursue necessary external collaborations
• Lead and manage initially 3-4 direct reports and grow the team to appropriately resource a growing program pipeline
• The PL will be expected to interface with various teams at Cellarity: Medicinal Chemistry, AI, Technology, Exploratory Biology, Development (DMPK, Preclinical Drug Safety, Clinical Pharmacology, Regulatory and Medicine) and with the Cellarity leadership team

Qualifications:

• PhD scientist in biology/pharmacology fields with profound knowledge of Immunology/Immuno-oncology across multiple indications
• Previous relevant experience in pharma or biotech drug discovery for at least 10 years, as well as a comprehensive understanding of drug development in this space
• Ideally strong experience in Pharmacology and Physiology
• Scientific curiosity and ability to think beyond a particular disease indication
• Openness to embrace new technologies and digital approaches in drug discovery
• Led at least 2 small mol programs from early discovery to IND in Immunology/Immuno-oncology -experience with IND enabling studies and compiling regulatory study reports for IND submission
• Proven track record in driving collaborative approaches in drug discovery with internal as well as external partners
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong leadership experience with both line management and matrix environment

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