Associate Director, Translational Research - Immunology

Location: Waltham, MA
Work Arrangement: Hybrid - 3 days per week onsite
Reports to: Senior Director, Translational Research, Immunology
The Opportunity

The Associate Director, Translational Research - Immunology is responsible for the design, execution, and oversight of translational and non-interventional biomarker studies focused on understanding disease mechanisms, target validation, patient segmentation, and biomarker discovery.

This role plays a pivotal part in bridging preclinical research and clinical development by applying scientific expertise to support Immunology Therapeutic Area strategies. The Associate Director provides scientific leadership, strategic input into global research and development initiatives, and cross-functional leadership throughout preclinical and clinical development.

You will collaborate closely with Pre-clinical Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology, Translational Bioinformatics, Clinical Bioanalytics & Biomarkers, Data Science, and Early Clinical Development teams. You will also work with internal laboratory teams and external partners, including academic institutions, clinicians, biobanks, CROs, and biotechnology companies.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and oversee translational and non-interventional biomarker studies, including protocol development, data analysis, and quality assurance.
• Contribute to biomarker strategies for toxicology and early clinical studies by integrating translational evidence from systematic literature reviews, real-world data and evidence, post-hoc analyses, and prospective non-interventional research studies.
• Lead and support mechanism-of-action studies, biomarker discovery and development, and target validation using in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models.
• Partner with internal Mechanistic Pharmacology teams and external organizations, including academic institutions, CROs, and biotechnology companies, to access specialized laboratory capabilities.
• Provide scientific and operational guidance to R&D programs across preclinical and clinical development phases.
• Represent Translational Research on Therapeutic Area Research Core Teams and Research Project Teams, working closely with Research Therapeutic Area Leads to support research strategies.
• Represent Translational Research on global cross-functional teams, including PSTs, NCETs, and BETs, and collaborate closely with Pre-clinical Pharmacology, Clinical Bioanalytics & Biomarkers, Clinical Pharmacology, Data Science, and Early Clinical Development.
• Partner with clinical researchers to develop preclinical studies supporting indication selection, including project proposals, research plans, human ethics applications, and research agreements.
• Contribute scientific expertise to regulatory submissions, Investigator Brochures, Clinical Study Reports, scientific publications, and other documentation supporting program progression.
• Interpret and communicate translational research findings to cross-functional stakeholders and provide scientific recommendations that inform development decisions.
• Supervise and mentor research scientists, including scientists within the internal Mechanistic Pharmacology Unit, ensuring delivery of high-quality research packages aligned with Therapeutic Area objectives.
• Collaborate with internal and external scientific partners to advance strategic translational research initiatives and ensure successful project delivery.
• Represent the Translational Research organization internally and externally, fostering scientific collaboration and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders.

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant scientific discipline, such as Immunology or Cellular Biology.
• Minimum of 15 years of combined academic and industry experience relevant to the Immunology Therapeutic Area.
• Strong track record of developing and conducting high-quality research relevant to immunology and/or immune-mediated diseases.
• Demonstrated experience translating research findings into early clinical development.
• Experience with translational research, biomarker development, target validation, and mechanism-of-action studies.
• Experience working with in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo research models.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary and cross-functional teams.

Key Competencies

• Strong scientific expertise in immunology and immune-mediated diseases.
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex scientific findings into actionable development strategies.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and matrix leadership skills.
• Strategic thinking and ability to connect scientific research with broader Therapeutic Area objectives.
• Strong communication and scientific presentation skills.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities and drive projects through successful execution.
• Demonstrated leadership, mentoring, and relationship-building capabilities.
• Ability to work effectively with both internal teams and external scientific partners.

Leadership & Reporting

The Associate Director reports to the Senior Director, Translational Research, Immunology and provides supervision and mentorship to research scientists as assigned.

Travel Requirements:

• Domestic and international travel to interact with internal CSL and external colleagues and collaborators, and to attend relevant scientific meetings as appropriate

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Our Benefits

For more information on CSL benefits visit How CSL Supports Your Well-being | CSL.