Principal Research Associate, Antibody Lead Optimization

Principal Research Associate, Antibody Lead Optimization

Waltham, MA 

The Company

We are Alloy Therapeutics—a biotechnology ecosystem company empowering the global scientific community to make better medicines together. Through a community of partners, we democratize access to pre-competitive tools, technologies, services, and company creation capabilities that are foundational for discovering and developing therapeutic biologics. The company facilitates affordable, non-exclusive access to the entire drug discovery community from academic scientists, small and medium biotech, to the largest biopharma. At Alloy, we believe our industry should compete on getting the best drugs to patients as quickly as possible, not exclusive access to the best platforms. As a reflection of our relentless commitment to the scientific community, we reinvest 100% of its revenue in innovation and access to innovation. MAY THE BEST DRUG WIN.

Alloy is headquartered in Waltham, MA with additional labs in Cambridge, UK; Basel, CH; San Francisco, CA; and Athens, GA. Successful members thrive in our shared culture of accountability, deliberate trust, and open communication. As a team we aspire to work together to exceed expectations and collectively contribute across the global organization to always maintain our nimble, startup culture. Come thrive at Alloy!

The Team 

The Lead Optimization Group employs cutting edge protein engineering approaches for multi-parameter optimization of therapeutic antibodies and related molecules. We work collaboratively with Alloy’s Antibody Discovery Services and Keway TCR Teams to deliver high quality therapeutic molecules to our ecosystem of partners and 82VS companies.

The Role 

As an Antibody Lead Optimization Principal Research Associate you will work to support multi-factor optimization of antibody-based therapeutics. Your principal responsibilities will include carrying out display library based antibody engineering projects and collaborating across functional teams for efficient data and material handoffs to ensure timely project completion. This role requires past experience and success in executing antibody discovery and engineering campaigns. 

 This role will report to the Associate Director of Lead Optimization Platforms with autonomy owning various stakeholders, projects, and tasks in a dynamic start-up environment while keeping up the pace of Alloy. This is you! 

How You’ll Drive Impact 

• Support: Carry out antibody optimization campaigns to support Alloy’s ecosystem of partners  
• Execute: Execute wet lab molecular biology, protein biochemistry, and protein engineering techniques including but not limited to display library construction, library panning/sorting, NGS sample preparation, protein purification, ELISA, and kinetic binding assays (e.g. Octet)
• Collaboration: Collaborate with other individuals and teams in Alloy’s matrixed scientific environment; work closely with the informatics team to apply cutting edge bioinformatics and machine learning workflows to complex antibody engineering problems
• Self-start: Exemplify continuous self-learning/improvement 
• Innovation: Investigate novel ideas, techniques, and instrumentation to enable continuous improvement of lead optimization workflows

Why We Value You 

• You hold a BS or MS in Biological or Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Structural Biology or a related discipline with 3+ years biotech industry experience working in antibody discovery and engineering 
• You are skilled in standard molecular biology techniques e.g. PCR, primer design, Gibson cloning etc.
• You are skilled in bio-display techniques for antibody discovery and engineering (e.g. phage, yeast or mammalian display)
• You have experience or understanding of the generation and analysis of NGS and other high-content biological datasets
• You have an understanding of protein sequence-structure-function relationships
• You maintain high quality written records (e.g. electronic lab notebook) 
• You present data for review, group discussions, and company meetings
• You are self-directed, can work both independently and collaboratively
• You have the ability to multitask and accomplish goals under project and team timelines
• You have an independent sense of urgency, persistence, and integrity 

Desired Multipliers  

• Proficiency in coding languages for biologics data processing and analysis (e.g. R, Python)
• Ability to work across various US and international time zones 
• Accommodate occasional travel as needed (<5%) 

We support the individuality of what people need to do outside of work to empower them to do their best at work. While you focus on making better medicine together, we focus on programs and benefits that support a diverse and growing team. Whether you’re single, in a growing family, or nearing retirement, Alloy offers a variety of comprehensive and competitive benefits starting from day one.  

Compensation

• Competitive base and equity compensation
• 401(k) company match and financial planning
• Unlimited PTO (paid time off) and flexible schedules

Health & Family

• Generous personal and family medical, dental and vision benefits with 90% of premiums and deductibles covered
• Company-paid disability (STD, LTD) and life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Family planning support up to $50,000 (e.g. IVF/PGT, adoption, surrogacy, egg retrieval)

Unique Perks

• Flexible work schedule built around our team-driven philosophy
• Annual stipend for continuing education with commitment to your career through individualized professional development plan
• Extensive Employee Assistance Program (EAP) including resources for mental wellness
• International travel insurance

Here at Alloy, we democratize capabilities for discovering and developing therapeutic biologics. So, being diverse and inclusive isn’t just something we strive for, it is who we are, and part of what we do each and every single day. We want to ensure that as an employee, you feel Alloy is a place where, no matter who you are, you feel safe, included, and that you have the opportunity to bring your unique self to work. 

Alloy Therapeutics is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.  If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at recruiting@alloytx.com. We will make every effort to respond to your request for disability assistance as soon as possible.