Principal Research Scientist/Associate Director, Translational Science

IDEAYA Biosciences (NASDAQ: IDYA) is a public, clinical-stage synthetic lethality-focused precision medicine oncology company committed to the discovery and development of targeted therapeutics for patient populations selected using DNA sequencing and other molecular diagnostics. Our approach integrates extensive capabilities in identifying and validating translational biomarkers with small molecule drug discovery to select patient populations most likely to benefit from the therapies we are developing. We are applying these capabilities across multiple classes of precision medicine, including direct targeting of oncogenic pathways and synthetic lethality – which represents an emerging class of precision medicine targets. We believe this diversified approach will enable us to deliver the right medicine to the right patient to drive a more robust clinical response.
 
IDEAYA has an industry leading platform and pipeline in Synthetic Lethality. IDEAYA has established strategic collaborations with Amgen and Pfizer supporting its pipeline programs, and also has wholly-owned or controlled clinical and preclinical programs. For more information, please see www.ideayabio.com.

Position Summary

·         Drive biomarker discovery using a deep biological understanding of mechanisms of action, clinical genetics and cancer biology to support pre-clinical and clinical programs
·         Lead and provide strategic vision to discovery of pharmacodynamic and predictive biomarkers in support of both Discovery and clinical-stage programs
·         Build and lead a team of translational scientists supporting biomarker discovery for both pre-clinical and clinical stage programs
·         Lead translational science efforts in collaboration with Biology leads on pre-clinical stage programs focused on discovery of predictive, pharmacodynamic and prognostic biomarkers informing drug discovery programs
·         Oversee development and execution of clinical biomarker assays including companion diagnostic assays using various platforms and sample types either in-house or at external analytical labs, CROs or vendors to support biomarker assay development and implementation in the clinic
·         Support clinical biomarker data analysis in collaboration with other translational scientists, bioinformatics scientists and data management teams
·         Work closely with other Translational scientists, Clinical Biomarker Operations, Clinical Operations and Clinical teams to implement and interpret data from established and novel biomarker analyses in clinical samples for clinical-stage programs
·         Support drafting and amendment of biomarker-related sections in clinical study-related and regulatory documents (ie. clinical protocols, ICFs, INDs, IBs, clinical study reports)

What you’ll do

• Oversee and lead interpretation of pathway biomarker data in clinical and pre-clinical samples from targeted (including flow cytometry, qPCR, ELISA, IHC) and untargeted (proteomic, metabolomics and transcriptomic) techniques
• The successful candidate will lead and build a team of translational scientists who extensively work on critical evaluation of both pre-clinical and clinical findings to validate and identify novel biomarkers, potential indications, drug combinations and patient stratification strategies for our pipeline programs
• Working with, setting up, and/or managing collaborations and regulatory document amendments in support of clinical programs
• Will work closely with bioinformatics team to evaluate external databases and data analysis to support development of novel hypotheses from existing pre-clinical and clinical data
• Establish connections with a network of CROs to support translational work and clinical biomarker assay development efforts within a collaborative multidisciplinary environment
• Oversee companion diagnostic assay development in collaborations with diagnostic partners 
• Present and mentor scientists to present results and interpretation to scientific, company and leadership teams in the company 

Requirements

• PhD in Cell or Molecular Biology (or a related discipline) with 6 to 8+ years industry experience in the field of Oncology Translational science. Experience in cancer biology, oncology biomarkers or related field with demonstrable value-building achievements required 
• Experience in performing and critically analyzing and interpreting both pre-clinical and clinical data using different transcriptomic and proteomic techniques is required 
• Experience with development and implementation of Companion Diagnostic assays or other clinical biomarker assays is a plus
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively and to thrive in a highly dynamic and matrix environment with a data-driven mindset to decision making 
• Flexible and with prior experience in managing junior scientists
• Proven track-record of achievement, as evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed journals, authorship of patents, and internal and/or external scientific presentations
• Proven ability to work in cross-functional team settings, with demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and resolve issues in a productive and efficient manner 
• Possess a high level of critical scientific thinking, motivation, and a strong desire to learn new concepts and to develop as a leader in the organization 
• Ability to balance execution of tasks required to accomplish goals while creating an environment of scientific curiosity and open exchange of ideas
• Display good attitude to team members, the drive to innovate and think creatively with courage, integrity and respect

The Company complies with all laws respecting equal employment opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants with regard to any protected characteristic as defined by federal, state, and local law. This position requires you to work onsite at the Company’s facilities, with partial work-from-home flexibility,  and the Company requires that all employees working in its facilities be fully vaccinated (except as required by applicable law). Therefore, this position requires you to be fully vaccinated from COVID-19, subject to reasonable accommodations for medical or religious reasons, and/or as otherwise required by applicable law. The Company considers you fully vaccinated once 14 days have passed since you received either the second dose in a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine series or a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine must have been FDA approved, have emergency use authorization from the FDA, or, for persons fully vaccinated outside of the U.S., be listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization.

Benefits
When you're at IDEAYA, you will be in the midst of brilliant minds working on precision medicine therapies to help cancer patients. We are passionate and committed about being on the forefront of oncology medicine, which means we all have a high internal drive that is at the very core of every person at IDEAYA. We are inquisitive, ask deep questions, and are data-driven innovators who like to collaborate and use team work to move science forward.

IDEAYA is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with applicable law, IDEAYA does not discriminate in hiring or otherwise in employment based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital or veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status. EOE/AA/Vets.

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