About the Role
If you want to be part of a collaborative and focused team with a mission to build GSK's new therapeutic oligo platform, please apply! We're seeking an experienced Head of Platform Biology to join the RNA therapeutic team within GSK's Medicines Design. The successful candidate will build GSK's therapeutic oligo biology capability and lead its implementation to deliver on GSK's therapeutic oligo portfolio. You will be responsible for establishing the technologies required to identify, characterize and optimize compounds in drug discovery programs along with the infrastructure, and internal expertise necessary to realize GSK's future RNA therapeutic ambitions. This role requires in-depth knowledge of RNA therapeutic drug development methods from Target Validation to Candidate Selection.

The responsibilities for this role are the following:

• Lead the identification and mechanistic profiling and optimization of lead oligonucleotide compounds.
• Support portfolio projects throughout lead discovery to candidate selection. Work with teams to identify core risks to the delivery of an therapeutic oligo asset and assist with mitigation planning.
• Represent RNA therapeutics as a technical/scientific lead on cross-functional research teams that include discovery and development organizations.
• Drive the evaluation of external and internal capabilities and facilitate collaborations with external partners.
• Work with subject matter experts to develop a plan to deliver on the medicine vision.
• Contribute to the decision / inflection points that enable data driven project decision-making.

Why you?Basic Qualifications:
We are looking for professionals with these required skills to achieve our goals:

• A PhD in life sciences or related field with at least five years of experience in RNA drug discovery within or intersecting with the pharmaceutical or biotech industry.
• Deep knowledge of RNA biology and function
• Experience with identifying oligonucleotides that modulate RNA function (splicing, editing, silencing)
• Experience with assay development and screening technologies.
• Track record of successful leadership, including training, developing, and managing talent.
• Proven ability to build, motivate and inspire high performing teams, as well as effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams.
• Demonstrated effective organizational skills, including ability to set, prioritize and achieve research goals.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills:

If you have the following characteristics, it would be a plus:

• Expertise in RNA therapeutic drug development process.
• Experience with high content screening technologies (i.e. RNAseq, imaging)
• Knowledge and application of automation technologies
• Ability to work in a matrix team of multi-discipline experts including biology, chemistry, safety assessment, computational sciences, clinical scientists, translational scientists, and others.

• First-hand experience of all phases of early drug discovery from target validation to candidate selection. Understands the entirety of R&D across discovery and development.
• Demonstrated effective communication and negotiation skills for a wide variety of audiences, including laboratory analysts and senior management.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a special purpose - to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together - so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns - as an organisation where people can thrive. Getting ahead means preventing disease as well as treating it, and we aim to impact the health of 2.5 billion people around the world in the next 10 years.

Our success absolutely depends on our people. While getting ahead of disease together is about our ambition for patients and shareholders, it's also about making GSK a place where people can thrive. We want GSK to be a workplace where everyone can feel a sense of belonging and thrive as set out in our Equal and Inclusive Treatment of Employees policy. We're committed to being more proactive at all levels so that our workforce reflects the communities we work and hire in, and our GSK leadership reflects our GSK workforce.

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Summary

• Location: USA - Massachusetts - Cambridge
• Type: Full time