Director, Bioscience

AstraZeneca•Boston, MA

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

At AstraZeneca, we put patients first and strive to meet their unmet needs worldwide. Working here means being entrepreneurial, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality. If you are swift to action, confident to lead, willing to collaborate, and curious about what science can do, then you’re our kind of person. Recognizing the importance of individualized flexibility, our ways of working allow employees to balance personal and work commitments while ensuring we continue to create a strong culture of collaboration and teamwork by engaging face-to-face in our offices 3 days a week. Our head office is purposely designed with collaboration in mind, providing space where teams can come together to strategize, brainstorm and connect on key projects. Our dedication to sustainability is also central to our culture and part of what makes AstraZeneca a great place to work. We know the health of people, the planet and our business are interconnected which is why we’re taking ambitious action to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time, from climate change to access to healthcare and disease prevention. The Director, Bioscience is recognized as an expert in cancer immunology and leads a research team.

Requirements

PhD or equivalent degree
5 years Experience in Drug Development. Significant experience in the pharmaceutical industry and drug discovery process
Well-developed understanding of molecular and cellular biology, immunological assays, pharmacokinetics and in vivo modeling
Extensive experience developing immunotherapies
Demonstrated know-how in pre-clinical combination strategy evaluation to improve the therapeutic index of immune-therapies and combination therapies
Experience with preclinical pharmacology and pharmacodynamics of multiple drug modalities (e.g. antibodies and recombinant proteins, immunocytokines, small molecules, antibody drug conjugates) a plus
Expertise within a rare cancer including brain cancer

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in a relevant field i.e. immunology, cancer biology
Some experience with 3-dimensional tumor models, such as tumoroid, organoid, and/or tissue slice culture
Experience in the development of genetically modified mouse models, humanized mouse models, immunocompetent syngeneic tumor models, and various immunodeficient mouse models relevant to rare oncology such as brain cancers.
Extensive experience reflected in high quality publications, patents, developing pipeline projects in a pharmaceutical or biotechnology setting

Responsibilities

Supports the development of the Rare Cancer Discovery function by contributing to the leadership and direction of the Unit as well as leading project groups focused on immuno-oncology and combination therapies
Leads the delivery of drug discovery projects through matrixed project management or by providing technical expertise on a specific topic
Oversees the development of innovative projects or contributes significantly to the practical delivery of project goals by providing expert advice and interpreting complex data to resolve issues and make high level recommendations
Leads and champions new innovations within own subject area which will aid the unit to meet overall strategic objectives
Designs and implements improvements in technologies and scientific approaches across area of responsibility to improve the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of projects
Serves as a resource for others by sharing expertise, within and beyond the rare cancer function, in own area of expertise or defines and communicates important initiatives to own team
Collaborates effectively with other functions and ensures communication between teams
Makes decisions about whether the activity of a drug project can be optimized through rational and effective combination strategies and develops adequate models to test those strategies
Expected to manage the performance of team members, helping to set goals and objectives and overseeing their professional development
Ensures own work, and work of team, is aligned with Good Laboratory Practice, Safety, Health and Environment standards and all other relevant internal AstraZeneca standards and external regulation