Director / Senior Director, Antibody Therapeutics

Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc.

$160K — $200K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • PhD in immunology, molecular biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, or related life-science discipline.
  • 12+ years of experience in biotechnology or pharmaceuticals, with leadership in antibody therapeutics.
  • Experience in advancing antibody programs toward IND-enabling and early clinical development.
  • Expertise in immunology, antibody mechanisms, and characterization methods.
  • Ability to lead teams and manage CROs in a matrixed environment.
  • Experience in regulatory submissions and development documentation.
  • Self-starter with strategic thinking and a focus on innovation.

Responsibilities

  • Provide leadership for antibody programs in immunology and immune-mediated diseases.
  • Define testing cascades and candidate selection criteria for programs.
  • Oversee antibody characterization and functional assays to support decision-making.
  • Design and guide IND-enabling plans, including pharmacology and regulatory documentation.
  • Lead decision making, risk assessment, and go/no-go recommendations based on evidence.
  • Recruit and mentor high-performing scientific teams with accountability.
  • Coordinate cross-functional activities across various departments and stakeholders.

Benefits

  • Collaborative work environment in a laboratory and casual office setting.
  • Opportunities for professional development and team mentoring.
  • Engagement in cutting-edge antibody therapeutic advancements.
Full Job Description
Description

The Director / Senior Director, Antibody Therapeutics will provide scientific, strategic, and organizational leadership for antibody-based therapeutic programs from discovery through IND-enabling development and early clinical translation. This position requires deep expertise in antibody biology, immunology, translational pharmacology, regulatory strategy, and cross-functional program execution. The successful candidate will be responsible for defining program strategy, leading scientific teams, guiding IND-enabling activities, and partnering with internal and external stakeholders to advance high-quality biologics candidates toward clinical development.

What You'll Do

  • Provide scientific and strategic leadership for antibody and engineered biologics programs in immunology, inflammation, and related immune-mediated diseases.
  • Define testing cascades, and candidate-selection criteria.
  • Oversee antibody characterization, functional assays, and related analytical approaches to support program decisions.
  • Design and guide IND-enabling plans, including pharmacology, PK/PD, regulatory documentation, and supporting technical inputs.
  • Lead stage-gate decision making, risk assessment, and go/no-go recommendations based on scientific, translational, regulatory, and technical evidence.
  • Recruit, lead, mentor, and develop high-performing scientific teams while establishing clear priorities, accountability, and development expectations.
  • Lead cross-functional program teams and coordinate internal and external activities across discovery, pharmacology, toxicology, regulatory, clinical, intellectual property, business development, and technical operations.
  • Manage CROs, consultants, academic collaborators, budgets, timelines, scopes of work, and milestone-driven execution plans.
  • Communicate program objectives, risks, decisions, and recommendations to executive leadership, collaborators, and external partners.


Requirements

What You Bring
  • PhD in immunology, molecular biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, or a related life-science discipline.
  • Minimum of 12 years of biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry experience, with significant leadership responsibility in antibody therapeutics or engineered biologics.
  • Demonstrated experience advancing antibody-based programs from discovery toward IND-enabling or early clinical development.
  • Deep expertise in immunology, antibody mechanism of action, translational pharmacology, and relevant antibody characterization methods.
  • Proven ability to lead scientific teams, mentor scientists, manage CROs, and coordinate cross-functional work in a matrixed environment.
  • Experience contributing to regulatory submissions, briefing documents, IND-enabling reports, or equivalent development documentation.
  • Self-starter and strategic thinker with demonstrated ability to drive innovation and address high-impact project issues.
  • Team oriented, highly motivated, execution focused, and able to communicate complex scientific concepts to internal and external stakeholders.

Work Environment
  • Laboratory and casual office setting.

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