Associate Director, Immunobiology

Do you want to be part of an inclusive team that works to develop innovative therapies for patients? Every day, we are driven to develop and deliver innovative and effective new medicines to patients and physicians. If you want to be part of this exciting work, you belong at Astellas!

Astellas Pharma Inc is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are committed to turning innovative science into medical solutions that bring value and hope to patients and their families. Keeping our focus on addressing unmet medical needs and conducting our business with ethics and integrity enables us to improve the health of people throughout the world. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.com.

Mitobridge is an affiliate of Astellas. At Mitobridge, we are passionate about developing novel therapeutics that improve mitochondrial function to treat devastating human diseases. Mitochondrial dysfunction is increasingly linked to disease pathologies and we believe that 'normalizing' mitochondrial function can ameliorate or reverse disease states.

Astellas is announcing an Associate Director, Immunobiology opportunity at their Mitobridge site in Cambridge, MA.

Essential Job Responsibilities:

* Lead and/or participate multiple immuno-biology focused projects within discovery, provide scientific expertise, guidance and strategy to successfully bringing programs to IND submission.
* Propose, plan and manage and execute studies to characterize the company's drug candidates and their mechanism of action to move programs from discovery to clinical development in immune related indications.
* Plan and implement translational research including investigation of pharmacodynamics markers of target engagement, markers predictive of or correlating with clinical efficacy and disease biology
* Responsible for preparation of study reports, regulatory filings and project presentations
* Manage a portfolio of targets related to immunobiology, oversee strategic execution of discovery research and preclinical activities to enable robust, timely and compliant IND submissions with clear development paths
* Provide expert level guidance in designing and implementing cell biology, in vivo pharmacology and biomarker related studies
* Partner with additional immunology experts to integrate mitochondria / metabolism focused programs with other immune related programs in the pipeline
* Interface with external partners, clinical and academic collaborators, and CROs
* Provide high-level updates and advice to senior management, including evaluation of data and their potential impact on drug programs and clinical/regulatory strategy
* Lead (directly & indirectly through projects) the immuno-biology aspects of ongoing and future projects. Provide development opportunities and mentoring to direct reports.
* Keep abreast of emerging developments regarding research and development in the fields of immune related disorders, emerging new biology and new modalities that could facilitate identification of new targets or development of new therapeutics
Qualifications:
Required

* Ph.D. with 8 + years, MS with 10 + years or BS with 15 + years of highly relevant immunobiology experience in a biopharmaceutical setting
* Direct hands-on experience co-leading drug discovery projects from target validation to IND-enabling studies in the immunology field
* Demonstrated creativity and novel approaches to solving scientific problems
* Knowledge of preclinical and clinical biomarker discovery and development
* Good understanding of preclinical PK/PD/efficacy relationships and their translation to the clinic
* Strong leadership, interpersonal and communication skills with an enthusiasm for participating in a fast-paced environment characterized by rigorous science and innovative thinking
* Demonstrated application of expertise to drug discovery in the immunology therapeutic area
* Significant experience as a team member and/or leading multi-disciplinary teams focused on small molecule drug discovery
* Experience with engaging and managing external efforts with contract research organizations and academic collaborators
* At home in a results-driven, highly accountable environment where you can make a clear impact
* A team player and mentor, who listens effectively and invites response and discussion. A collaborator who communicates in an open, clear, complete, timely and consistent manner
Preferred

* Ph.D. with 10+ years highly relevant immunobiology experience in a biopharmaceutical setting
* Experience in immunobiology, mitochondrial biology, small molecule pharmacology.
* Broad disease related experience with firsthand knowledge in either immuno-oncology and/or autoimmune diseases
* Experience working within large pharma organizations and/or biotech/start up environment
* Deep understanding and experience of immunology experimental models from rodents to non-human primates and human disease samples
Benefits:

* Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
* Generous Paid Time Off options, including Vacation and Sick time, plus national holidays including year-end shut down
* 401(k) match and annual company contribution
* Company paid life insurance
* Annual Corporate Bonus and Quarterly Sales Incentive for eligible positions
* Long Term Incentive Plan for eligible positions
* Referral bonus program
Astellas is committed to equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment. EOE including Disability/Protected Veterans

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Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Protected Veterans/Disabled