The RoleAs Director, Biology, you'll serve as a project team lead, providing scientific leadership across the full arc of early drug development - from target and mechanism biology through IND-enabling studies. This is a hands-on, cross-functional role for someone who wants to shape the biological strategy of a program, not just execute against someone else's.
What you'll do:- Lead the biology strategy for one or more drug development programs, partnering closely with translational, DMPK, CMC, and toxicology teams
- Design and oversee assays that characterize how a drug candidate engages its target and produces its intended biological effect
- Contribute to lead profiling and candidate selection - helping decide which molecules move forward and why
- Design translational studies that connect what happens in the lab to what will matter in patients (PK/PD, efficacy, biomarkers)
- Help guide IND-enabling studies (GLP toxicology, safety pharmacology, PK) in partnership with regulatory and CRO/CDMO partners
- Represent the science to company leadership, helping inform portfolio strategy and risk decisions
- Translate complex biology into clear direction for a small, high-trust, fast-moving team
What Makes This DifferentThis is an early-stage company (under 50 people), which means your scientific judgment will directly shape the program - not get filtered through five layers of committee. You'll work alongside founders who have done this exact thing before and succeeded. And the therapeutic focus - modulating inflammation while promoting tissue repair - is a genuinely different approach to IBD than most of the field is pursuing, grounded in mechanism rather than trial and error.
What We're Looking For- Ph.D. in Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Cancer Biology, or a related field, with 10+ years of industry drug discovery/development experience (M.S. with 15+ years also considered)
- Track record contributing meaningfully to drug programs from discovery through IND-enabling studies, ideally across both small molecule and biologics modalities
- Hands-on experience designing assays (biochemical, biophysical, or cell-based) that inform real discovery decisions
- Experience with lead profiling, candidate nomination, and integrating biology with PK and safety data
- Background leading translational research - PK/PD, efficacy models, biomarkers, target engagement
- A collaborative style: someone who brings people along rather than working in isolation, and who's comfortable with the ambiguity and pace of an early-stage company
- Strong communication skills - you'll be presenting to senior leadership and coordinating across a global network of partners and stakeholders
