Director, Head of Muscle Biology

Director, Head of Muscle Biology at Fulcrum Therapeutics

* Fulcrum requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This requirement is a condition of employment at Fulcrum, and it applies regardless of whether or not the position is located onsite at Fulcrum's headquarters in Cambridge, MA. If you are unable to receive the vaccine due to a serious medical condition, or because it is prohibited as a result of your sincerely held religious beliefs, you will have an opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation.

Company Overview

Fulcrum Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving the lives of patients with genetically defined rare diseases in areas of high unmet medical need. Fulcrum's two lead programs in clinical development are losmapimod, a small molecule for the treatment of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) and FTX-6058, a small molecule designed to increase expression of fetal hemoglobin for the treatment of sickle cell disease and other hemoglobinopathies, including beta-thalassemia. The company's proprietary product engine, FulcrumSeekTM, identifies drug targets that can modulate gene expression to treat the known root cause of gene mis-expression.

Description

Reporting to our Chief Scientific Officer, the Director of Muscle Biology will be a highly driven scientific leader who is dedicated to performing great science that transforms patients' lives. They are a dedicated drug hunter, and will lead the development of our Muscle Franchise strategy and portfolio. The successful candidate will partner with colleagues in FulcrumSeek™, medicinal chemistry, DMPK and in vivo pharmacology to translate this team's scientific discoveries into new medicines. This is a forward-facing leadership role, requiring cross-functional collaboration, establishing liaisons with KOLs, and routine interface with members of the Executive Team. As a highly experienced scientist, the Director of Muscle Biology is expected to play a large role in the mentorship and development of their team, teaching what "good" looks like in drug discovery. They should maintain a strategically focused lab and should be able to lead by example.

Responsibilities

• Perform scientific research with the goal of discovering transformative first-in-class medicines
• Lead, mentor, and coach your team of direct reports in the art and science of drug discovery
• Work cross-functionally with colleagues in FulcrumSeek™, our patient-focused product engine designed to systematically identify high-value, de-risked targets, collaborating in the design of work streams focused on elucidating new target biology for rare muscle and neuromuscular diseases
• Leverage disease biology and drug discovery expertise to validate targets and build pharmacological relationships across a diversity of fit-for-purpose pre-clinical models, building robust in vitro and in vivo pharmacology data packages
• In-source capability and out-source capacity by establishing strategic and highly productive partnerships with leading CROs; teach your team how to lead in the absence of a line reporting relationship through your effective management of these relationships
• Collaborate with stakeholders in clinical development and commercial to set long-term strategy and establish new opportunities for the Muscle Therapeutic Area
• Implement a translational biology strategy for neuromuscular diseases including but not limited to PK/PD and therapeutic biomarkers
• Work with Business Development team to generate content for partnership discussions and perform due diligence for on-strategy in-licensing opportunities
• Interface with internal and external KOL networks for input on target hypotheses, models, and technologies
• Participate as an active thought partner in the overall company strategy; periodically present to the Executive Team and the Board

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in biology, physiology, molecular and/or cellular biology with 10+ years of industry experience
• Proven track record of performing research with the goal of discovering new medicines; has served as a project team leader or co-leader for a drug discovery program that successfully identified a development candidate
• Experience and effectiveness working in a multidisciplinary team environment with common goals, and operating in a matrixed environment is essential
• Experienced team leader who effectively manages external collaborations and service providers with the ability to bring a pragmatic business-minded approach to balancing internal and external capabilities
• Experience managing PhD-level reports
• Ability to provide novel, innovative solutions to challenging problems and identify key gaps; responds to stress with humor and professionalism
• Desire to learn and tackle new challenges and initiatives
• Possesses a high degree of scientific discretion, intuition and integrity
• High attention to detail, strong written and verbal communication skills, and ability to effectively collaborate across groups at all stages of projects
• Ability to communicate effectively to non-technical audiences