Director, Discovery Biology

Theseus Pharmaceuticals is passionately committed to improving the lives of cancer patients by working to outsmart cancer resistance. Led by a team of targeted oncology pioneers with a proven track record developing and commercializing cancer therapeutics, we are developing the next generation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs): “pan-variant” targeted therapies that address all known drug-resistant mutations. We believe a pan-variant approach is the only way to address cancer resistance. Our lead program, THE-630, is a pan-variant KIT inhibitor for patients with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), whose cancer has developed resistance to earlier lines of kinase inhibitor therapy. We are also developing a fourth-generation, selective epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor to address C797S-mediated resistance to first- or later-line osimertinib treatment in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

For more information, visit theseusrx.com .

Role: Director, Discovery Biology

We are looking for an experienced and passionate Director, Discovery Biology who is excited to leverage the latest advances in biology, chemistry, and computation to discover promising new cancer drugs. The ideal candidate has an extensive track record in drug discovery, including successful application of high-throughput screening (HTS) approaches, coupled with a deep knowledge of cancer biology. You will have primary oversight over all biology/pharmacology activities leading to clinical candidate selection – from target selection through establishment and validation of all assays required for hit identification and lead optimization. You will carry out all these responsibilities overseeing a small team of talented internal scientists and a large team of external scientists across a broad array of CROs.

Who are we looking for?

• A driven leader who knows how to work and contribute to an ever-changing working environment
• An individual who enjoys working in close collaboration with colleagues in the research, development, clinical, finance, and administrative areas of the company, as well as Theseus’s external partners, vendors, and consultants
• A willingness to learn new things, adapt to new ways and go with the flow

What are we looking for?

• You are an energetic and passionate R&D professional who is strategic, likes to think outside of the box, challenge the norm, and is passionate about the company’s mission of discovering and developing new medications
• You are a resourceful self-starter, take a hands on approach, and are a team player with a strong results-based orientation
• You can develop trusting relationships to gain support and achieve results at all levels of the organization

What are we offering?

• Membership within a growing, CARING, and collegial organization
• Being part of passionate, involved, and cutting-edge Discovery Team
• Exposure to pioneering science and the discovery of drugs to help treat patients with cancer

What you will do:

• You will be a critical member of the Discovery leadership team, creating and executing research strategies for multiple discovery programs with clear go-no/go decisions
• Direct, manage, develop, and empower a team of internal and external scientists in biology and pharmacology; outline and communicate research goals, design key studies, and analyze data
• Together with your Team, manage and interact directly with external CROs focusing on preclinical mechanism of action studies, compound screening, in vivo efficacy experiments, reagent generation, assay development / validation and computational biology activities
• Collaborate with translational and clinical scientists to identify and validate biomarkers and indication selection for clinical development
• Leverage a network of external scientific advisors and consultants to develop and execute research activities
• Overall, you will have a very hands-on role with respect to your direct contributions to our Discovery efforts, while being an outstanding leader and collaborator, a creative problem-solver, and a role model for your reports and across the organization

What you will bring:

• Ph.D. and post-doctoral fellowship in relevant field of biomedical research and 10+ years of relevant industry experience
• Strong background in oncology/cancer research, with a thorough understanding of signaling pathways implicated in disease and the mechanism of action of targeted therapies
• Experience developing kinase inhibitors is a plus, as is experience across multiple therapeutic modalities
• A very high level of motivation and a proven record of accomplishment (eg, a strong publication record in top-tier journals)
• Experience leading one or more drug discovery programs from early stages through to IND, or experience at multiple stages and the clear readiness to lead efforts across all stages
• Track-record of adopting highly innovative approaches to answer complex biological questions
• Experience performing and analyzing a broad array of molecular and cell biology experiments
• Experience working extensively with external CROs to accomplish drug discovery objectives
• Excellent interpersonal skills, leadership abilities, and oral and written communication

Our values:

Transparency: We work with honesty, openness, and integrity.

Community: We collaborate and thrive together.

Patient-Focused: We are committed to finding new medicines for patients.

Resolve: We never give up on our mission.

When You Join Theseus Pharmaceuticals You Will Have:

• Location reachable by public transportation (Red Line)
• Customized and competitive health coverage, including medical offered through BCBS (HMO/PPO), dental, and vision
• Health Savings Account for medical expenses
• Eligible from the first day for 401K with 100% match of the first 5%
• A robust package of Theseus-paid insurance coverage, including life insurance, short-term and long-term disability
• Unlimited time off and 11 Holidays
• Winter Break: Theseus is closed for a Winter Break between Christmas and New Year

Location: Cambridge (Kendall Square), MA

Candidates should be aware that Theseus Pharmaceuticals requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Newly hired employees must be vaccinated prior to their employment start date. Theseus is an equal opportunity employer and will provide reasonable accommodation to those unable to be vaccinated where it is not an undue hardship to the company to do so as provided under federal, state, and local law.

Theseus Pharmaceuticals is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any applicant because of race, creed, color, age, national origin, ancestry, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, veteran status, military status, application for military service or any other class protected by state or federal law.

TO ALL AGENCIES: Please, no phone calls or emails to any employee of Theseus about our openings. All resumes submitted by search firms/employment agencies to any employee at Theseus via email, the internet or in any form and/or method will be deemed the sole property of Theseus unless such search firms/employment agencies were engaged by Theseus for this position and a valid agreement with Theseus is in place. In the event a candidate who was submitted outside of the Theseus agency engagement process is hired, no fee or payment of any kind will be paid.