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Associate Scientific Director : Cell Engager Therapies and Next Generation COBRAs

Employer
Takeda Pharmaceutical
Location
Avon, New York, US
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
Jan 15, 2022

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Sector
Academic / Research
Field
Conservation science
Discipline
Adaptive Management
Salary Type
Salary
Employment Type
Full time
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Job Description

Are you looking for a patient-focused, innovation-driven company that will inspire you and empower you to shine?

At Takeda, we are transforming the pharmaceutical industry through our R&D-driven market leadership and being a values-led company. To do this, we empower our people to realize their potential through life-changing work. Certified as a Global Top Employer, we offer stimulating careers, encourage innovation, and strive for excellence in everything we do. We foster an inclusive, collaborative workplace, in which our global teams are united by an unwavering commitment to deliver Better Health and a Brighter Future to people around the world.

Here, you will be a vital contributor to our inspiring, bold mission.

Takeda is proud in its commitment to creating a diverse workforce and providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, national origin, age, disability, citizenship status, genetic information or characteristics, marital status, status as a Vietnam era veteran, special disabled veteran, or other protected veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, and any other characteristic protected by law.

OBJECTIVES /PURPOSE

The Cell Engager team of the Oncology DDU is looking for a Associate Scientific Director with demonstrated skills in designing novel immune engager molecules. You should have deep subject-matter experience developing and advancing Immunobiologics for Oncology, expertise in program/project leadership, target validation, ideation and interrogation of immune cell function and screening of therapeutic candidates. As an essential member of the team, you will assess therapeutic concepts and strategy, various immune engager molecules and advancing novel research molecules towards development candidates and IND. You will require you to be hands-on including mentoring of junior colleagues. You will work very closely with Global Biologics for the execution of molecular design strategy and will demonstrate effective communication and documentation of results and collaboration with additional important partners in ODDU (IOI, C2H), GB, DSRE, DMPK, Translational teams, CTI.

ACCOUNTABILITIES
  • Provide technical and scientific expertise in efforts to understanding drug -dependent innate and/or adaptive immune responses against cancer
  • Scientific driver for research strategy that includes ideation and lead design strategy and implementation of new immune engager concepts (may not be limited to T cells alone) with an initial focus on COBRA iterations as a T cell engager to impact pipeline
  • Oversee various aspects of COBRA iterations: assay design, optimization, validation and implementation as it relates to T cell activation, co-stimulation and related cancer cell targeting and cytotoxicity
  • In collaboration with Global Biologics design implementation of new COBRA concepts, including relevant pharmacology assays
  • Play a leading scientific role on project teams as PTL and leads a project from concept through validation in collaboration with important partners as part of a working team with rigor of thought.
  • Characterize therapeutic candidates in vitro as part of the lead selection process, including tumor target antigen expression, T cell immunophenotyping, T cell dependent cytotoxicity and cytokine release assays.
  • Provide scientific contributions which have significant impact on portfolio progress or development of technical capabilities, based on benchmarking industry best practices.
  • Development and implementation of program strategy, including xenograft models, toxicology, and translational strategies with key stakeholders to support regulatory filings
  • Participate in discussions for prioritization of tumor antigens for immuno-oncology bispecific therapeutics aligned with new engager designs
  • Lead from the bench by providing guidance and mentoring to junior level scientist and Research associates.
  • Support or identifies BD and academic collaboration opportunities to enhance project progression or functional capability expansion aligned with portfolio needs.
  • Outlines clear development opportunities for direct reports
  • Will contribute to strategic discussions and goal setting with team
  • Execute experiments and deliver comprehensive high quality data sets to help decision making
  • Identify state of the art experimental protocols and relevant IO assays
  • Keep up with published literature centered around cancer targets and IO therapies relevant to Takeda's CE strategy
  • Identify, plans and execute well defined scientific projects and communicate program strategy and timelines to management.
  • Use relevant information, technology and resources, contributing to complex team problem resolution and goals
  • Interpret results of complex experiments
  • Prepares and presents comprehensive technical or project reports and formal presentations / posters to full range of internal/external audiences and stakeholders.
  • Maintain laboratory notebooks and follow laboratory practices in compliance with Takeda guidelines
  • Demonstrate theoretical knowledge of cell engager platforms
  • Keep current with latest trends in immune cell engagers for application in cancer therapy
  • Able to clarify requests and provide suggestions and put data into context especially in context of assay design and quality of data
  • Demonstrate in-depth technical knowledge within various assay development platforms
  • Independently investigate new immunological techniques, that can be applied to team projects
  • Serve as the in vitro immunobiology lead on projects providing essential scientific feedback to advance programs in a matrixed environment.
  • Develop junior staff
  • Independently manage own workload
  • Scientifically independent
  • Provide information to project teams to influence direction, align with departmental goals and business
  • Conduct scientific presentations to internal audiences
  • Collaborate with others across sites, and acts as scientific resource for in vitro pharmacology
  • Participate in and supervise external interactions and collaborations with companies and academic research groups and potential collaborators
  • Expected to participate in new target identification / validation process as well as novel approaches for immune cell engagers
  • Strive towards expanding scientific knowledge in immunology
  • Receive high level instructions on work; determine methods on new assignments; demonstrated greater independence; may manage interns


EDUCATION, BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS:
  • PhD with 10+ experience, MS with 14+ BS with 16+ years experience (industry experience preferred), Cellular Immunology, Immuno-oncology, bio-engineering.
  • Current knowledge of oncology research, drug discovery and development with an emphasis on immune cell activation, checkpoint blockade, exhaustion pathways as well as markers for anti-tumor efficacy
  • Lead cross-functional program teams for functional antibody, immunooncology, and CD3 bispecific programs
  • Experience with Molecular Design as it pertains to bispecific immune engager molecules
  • Experience or the ability to innovate in novel preclinical in vitro , in vivo and ex vivo oncology model development and functional screens that enables bridging from tumor biology to host immunity
  • Experience with biologics is a must (Antibodies, ADCs, Cell therapies etc)
  • Experience designing multi-specific molecules with a deep understanding of molecular biology techniques.
  • Familiarity with preclinical models of immuno-oncology
  • Hands on basic experience with multi-color flow cytometry, molecular biology techniques (PCR, Gibson assembly, cloning etc), ELISA, MSD and other standard cell based and non-cell based biochemical assays
  • Experience with mammalian cell culture with best practices in tissue culture is required
  • Experience with cell engineering and gene editing
  • Experience in the design and construction of mammalian expression vectors and cell transfection and viral-mediated cell transduction of primary immune cells
  • Knowledge of drug discovery process and pharmacology.
  • Use of scientific databases and application for data management and data analysis


LOCATION & TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:
  • This role is considered a hybrid position and you must be able to work onsite in Cambridge, MA on average 2-3 days per week.


WHAT TAKEDA CAN OFFER YOU:
  • 401(k) with company match and Annual Retirement Contribution Plan
  • Tuition reimbursement Company match of charitable contributions
  • Health & Wellness programs including onsite flu shots and health screenings
  • Generous time off for vacation and the option to purchase additional vacation days
  • Community Outreach Programs


Effective November 1, 2021, absent an approved religious or medical reason, all US office-based and lab-based Takeda employees who work fully on-site or in a hybrid model (as determined by Takeda) must be fully vaccinated to work at a Takeda site or to engage with Takeda colleagues or anyone else on behalf of Takeda. As of the same date, absent an approved religious or medical reason, US field-based employees, employees must be fully vaccinated in order to continue in their current roles. US employees who work at a Takeda manufacturing facility, and those who work at a BioLife center or BioLife lab, may be subject to different guidelines. Candidates are encouraged to speak with their recruiter to seek further information on the applicable guidelines for the Business Unit/Function for which they have applied.

Empowering Our People to Shine

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In accordance with the CO Equal Pay Act, Colorado Applicants Are Not Permitted to Apply.

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EEO Statement

Takeda is proud in its commitment to creating a diverse workforce and providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, national origin, age, disability, citizenship status, genetic information or characteristics, marital status, status as a Vietnam era veteran, special disabled veteran, or other protected veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, and any other characteristic protected by law.

Locations

Boston, MA

Worker Type

Employee

Worker Sub-Type

Regular

Time Type

Full time

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