Director, Immuno-Oncology Discovery

About the position

The Director of Immuno-Oncology Discovery candidate requires a strong scientific background in the field of immune-oncology (I/O) and in early phase drug discovery. Primary responsibilities will be joining a team of basic, bioinformatics, and translational scientists engaged in evaluating innovative therapeutic targets and help design and develop new avenues for I/O drug discovery using the novel artificial intelligence platforms available at Immuneering. The ideal candidate will provide vision and leadership for identifying new targets, combination approaches and development strategies for supporting novel I/O drug development, biomarker discover, and input on the development of new clinical I/O agents for translation into clinical trials. The candidate will provide scientific leadership to internal research teams and laboratory efforts at Immuneering and across external CROs and academic institutions, to enable the rapid translation of novel immune-oncology therapeutics.

We are seeking a highly motivated individual to provide strong scientific guidance and translational direction to our expanding immune-oncology drug programs. An essential component to the position is the ability to direct multiple drug programs and contribute to advancing early clinical translation in a fast-paced, team-oriented biotechnology environment. As a Leader in the I/O area, the candidate must have in-depth knowledge of tumor immunology, molecular and cellular biology relating to drug discovery, and development of in vitro and in vivo cancer pharmacology and therapeutics, as evidenced by previous research emphasis, industry experience and/or publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Immuneering I/O drug development spans the entire preclinical drug discovery spectrum, including Target Identification (TI), Target Validation (TV), Hit Identification (Hit-ID), Hit-to-Lead (HtL), Lead Optimization (LO), Preclinical DMPK, ADME-Tox, In Vivo Pharmacology, and contributing to the preclinical and CMC, contribution to IND applications, clinical biomarker development and assessment.

Responsibilities

• Works with the I/O Team and leads the Discovery group to develop and execute on strategies to evaluate new drug targets, activity and mechanism, and accurately record, analyze, and present data to team and company leadership
• Develop and coordinate internal I/O laboratory research within Immuneering with a focus on immune assay developments, establishing pre-clinical standard operating procedures and maintaining data integrity policies and procedures
• Interact with external CROs and academic institutions, as appropriate, to identify technologies that support I/O drug pathway targeting and support clinical development of novel agents and combination regimens
• Effectively communicate progress with internal and external key stakeholders
• Organize and develop IND-enabling pre-clinical pharmacology, toxicology and therapeutic studies; assists in preparation of in vitro and in vivo immunology studies for regulatory applications
• Generate and document program technical and experimental reports, including oversight for assay validation
• Establish and maintain quality control and data integrity, in compliance with all company and federal policies
• Be able to present data at internal and selected external meetings and seminars
• Other relevant tasks in support of company-wide activities

Job Requirements
Required Competencies for Director of Immuno-Oncology:

• Demonstrated ability to lead tumor immunology and drug development teams in oncology, preferentially with a focus on tumor immunology/microenvironment, advanced oncology models and pre-clinical drug development and clinical biomarker development
• Demonstrated history of being a good team player, able to drive forward own initiatives while contributing to the initiatives of others
• Hands on experience with a wide variety of cell and molecular biology techniques and demonstrated ability to lead lab-based teams and personnel while working side-by-side with company leadership
• Previous supervisory experience of PhD level and non-PhD-level scientists is desirable
• Initiate, implement, plan, direct and execute scientific research
• Independent and creative thinker; Entrepreneurial mindset
• Maintain high level of scientific expertise through review of literature and other scientific and clinical sources
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Candidate has 5-7 years of industry or related biotechnology experience

Education

M.S. (5-10+ years) or PhD (3-5+ years) tumor immunology and/or drug development experience

Experience

Must have broad background experience in academia, pharma and/or biotech drug
discovery. Evidence of contributions by via scientific posters and publications is a plus.
Preference to candidates who have demonstrated history of interdisciplinary
team engagement with diverse drug development expertise (e.g., chemistry, bioinformatics, molecular and cellular biology, translational science, toxicology and clinical biomarkers). Expertise/focus in immunology or other relevant discipline(s) with a specialization in oncology, immune-oncology, drug development and/or tumor microenvironment.

Additional Notes

• Strategic thinker within and outside area of specialization
• Emerging leader and strong team mindset as evidenced by mentoring, project team acumen and business project performance
• Through collaboration with executive management, candidate will expand business opportunities for the company and development opportunities for leadership
• Position located in Cambridge, MA

To apply, contact careers@immuneering.com ATTN: Immuno-Oncology Hiring Manager