Associate Director, Translational Research and Non-Clinical Lead Translational Sciences Location: Branford, CT - Onsite
We're hiring an
Associate Director, Translational Research and Non-Clinical Lead to join our collaborative Translational Sciences team to lead the translational research and non-clinical development for our rapidly advancing EVOLVE project portfolio. The successful candidate will develop and implement the strategy for translational and non-clinical safety/pharmacology assessments to support the clinical positioning and IND-enablement of our development candidates. The successful candidate will work with patient-derived tissue samples and organoids to generate insights into the differentiation and mode of action of our emerging assets. The candidate will oversee junior laboratory scientists supporting translational research as well as generation of data for non-clinical in vitro assays such MABEL and in vitro safety assays. Experience with bioinformatics is a plus. Strong collaboration and communication skills, leadership in supervising and mentoring junior scientists, and a track record of scientific and project achievements in biopharma, are required.
What You'll Work On- Establish organoids/primary cell systems to evaluate drug responses in complex human tissues
- Evaluate target expression including development of IHC assay
- Define and execute the non-clinical safety, pharmacology and toxicology strategy for each program including overseeing dose modeling, establishing exposure response and determining efficacious and FiH doses
- Lead efforts to plan and execute in-house and external IND enabling studies with adherence to GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) and other regulatory guidelines where appropriate
- Manages CRO partnerships, study design, monitoring, and data reporting
- Partner with the Immunobiology, Biotherapeutics teams to facilitate the progression of programs from discovery to clinical development
- Partner with Regulatory, CMC and Clinical Development teams to support IND
- Prepare documentation for regulatory submissions, including INDs
- Mentor our scientific team and support individual career development for team members
- Contribute to our company's communication strategy to drive the visibility and recognition of our scientific strategy and company milestones in presentations to our Board of Directors, investors, collaboration partners, and through presentations at external scientific conferences
- Work with project management to develop timelines and budgets, and ensure deliverables are achieved in a timely fashion
- Ensure compliance with all health and safety protocols
What You Bring- PhD in Immunology or related field with at least 5 years of relevant industry experience
- Experience in working with primary human tissues/model, oncology biologic drug safety, pharmacology and toxicology assessments and successful submissions of regulatory documents (INTERACT/pre-IND) and non-clinical study packages to FDA
- Proven ability to manage complex projects to achieve milestones in a timely manner, including managing internal work, collaborations with external consultants and CROs
- Strong verbal and written communication and presentation skills
- Track record of success as defined by publication, patent and/or drug development record
What You'll Gain- A hands-on, high-impact role shaping the design of next-generation immunotherapies
- Opportunity to see your work move rapidly from concept to clinic
- A visible position within the Translational Science team, contributing directly to platform and pipeline innovation
- A chance to collaborate across disciplines and influence key program decisions
- Professional growth through exposure to diverse scientific challenges and cross-functional projects
- Mentorship opportunities and the ability to help shape a growing discovery organization
- A mission-driven, fast-paced biotech environment that values bold thinking and scientific excellence
- A supportive, open culture built on collaboration, trust, and shared purpose
Additional Info- This is a full-time, onsite position based in Branford, CT
- EvolveImmune requires COVID-19 vaccination; medical and religious accommodations will be considered
- We offer competitive salary, benefits, equity, and paid time off
