Associate Director/Director, Translational Biology

BridgeBio Pharma•San Carlos, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

In 2015, we pioneered a “moneyball for biotech” approach, pooling projects and promising early-stage research from academia together under one financial umbrella to reduce risk and unleash innovation. This model allows science and small teams of experts to lead the way. We build bridges to groundbreaking advancements in rare disease, and develop life-changing medicines for patients with unmet needs as fast as humanly possible. Together we define white space, push boundaries and empower people to solve problems. If you're someone who defies convention, join us and work alongside some of the most respected minds in the industry. Together, we'll ask "why not?" and help reengineer the future of biopharma. At BridgeBio, we value curiosity and experimentation—including the ethical & thoughtful use of AI to improve clarity, speed, and quality of work. The Associate Director of Biomarker Science will be leading assay development, validation, and translational biomarker strategies across BridgeBio affiliate programs. This role requires a hands-on scientific leader who can design and validate assays, integrate biomarkers into clinical development, manage vendor partnerships, and communicate results to internal and external stakeholders. The successful candidate will operate at the intersection of discovery, preclinical development and clinical operations- providing scientific leadership and operational rigor to accelerate program decision-making. This position includes supervisory responsibilities: you will both lead scientific work and manage a team of scientists and technical staff, providing coaching, career development, resource planning and performance management.

Requirements

M.S. or Ph.D. in Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology or a related discipline.
Minimum 10 years of industry experience in translational science, biomarker development, or related roles supporting clinical development.
Demonstrated track record developing and validating cell-based and biochemical assays for clinical use; experience with ELISA, multiplex immunoassays, Western blotting and protein characterization methods.
Hands-on experience with assay transfer to CRO labs, vendor qualification, and supporting regulatory filings.
Strong understanding of clinical study design, GCP, and regulatory expectations for biomarker data.
Experience writing scientific and regulatory documents and collaborating with cross-functional teams including biostatistics.
Strong scientific judgment and experimental design skills; ability to interpret complex datasets and provide clear, actionable recommendations.
Excellent written and oral communication; experience presenting to scientific and business audiences.
Proven leadership and mentorship skills; collaborative, proactive and team-oriented approach.
Detail-oriented with strong project management abilities and a commitment to high quality data and documentation.

Responsibilities

Define the biology strategy to support target validation, mechanism-of-action studies, and medicinal chemistry optimization
Design and execute in vitro and in vivo experiments that demonstrate target engagement, functional pharmacology and disease-relevant biology to inform med chem SAR and lead optimization
Coordinate with medicinal chemistry, structural biology and pharmacology teams to prioritize compounds, define target product profiles, and support lead selection
Translate discovery findings into criteria and experimental plans that feed into IND-enabling studies and inform go/no-go decision points
Lead design, development and validation of biomarker and pharmacodynamic assays (cell-based, biochemical, ELISA/multiplex immunoassays, Western blotting, biophysical protein characterization, etc.) to support translational and clinical programs
Set assay performance criteria and qualification/validation plans; author SOPs and validation reports; implement QA/QC practices to ensure reproducible assay performance
Translate preclinical biomarker findings into clinical biomarker strategies and practical assay deployment plans
Collaborate with clinical operations, sample management and biostatistics to design sample collection, processing, storage and chain-of-custody procedures
Oversee incorporation of biomarker testing into Phase 1–3 protocols, including sample handling, endpoint definitions and analysis plans
Identify, qualify and manage relationships with external vendors, CROs and CLIA laboratories for assay development, transfer and routine execution
Lead vendor qualification, technology transfer, assay bridging and vendor audits to ensure regulatory readiness and data quality
Ensure biomarker assays and data collection comply with applicable regulatory standards (GCP/GLP where applicable)
Contribute clinical assay sections and assay validation summaries for regulatory submissions (INDs, briefing packages, NDAs) and support responses to regulatory questions
Partner with biostatistics to develop statistical analysis plans, define analytical endpoints and produce tables, listings and figures for decision-making and regulatory documents
Oversee rigorous data capture, QC and reporting for clinical biomarker datasets and preclinical/clinical study reports
Contribute to statistical analysis plans and the design of tables, listings, and figures
Prepare and present scientific reports, publications and conference abstracts; engage with key opinion leaders to inform biomarker strategy
Present translational data to program teams and senior leadership; mentor and develop early-career scientists
Support internal initiatives to capture lessons learned, propagate best practices and continuously improve biomarker workflows
Collaborate with drug discovery, clinical development, and regulatory affairs teams to integrate biomarker strategies
Present data to the broader MLBio team, including scientific, clinical, and business leaders

Benefits

Market leading compensation
401K with 100% employer match on first 3% & 50% on the next 2%
Employee stock purchase program
Pre-tax commuter benefits
Referral program with $2,500 award for hired referrals
Comprehensive health care with 100% premiums covered - no cost to you and dependents
Mental health support via Spring Health (6 therapy sessions & 6 coaching sessions)
Hybrid work model - employees have the autonomy in where and how they do their work
Unlimited flexible paid time off - take the time that you need
Paid parental leave - 4 months for birthing parents & 2 months for non-birthing parents
Flex spending accounts & company-provided group term life & disability
Subsidized lunch via Forkable on days worked from our office
People are part of our growth and success story - from discovery to active drug trials and FDA pipelines, there are endless opportunities for skill development and internal mobility
We provide career pathing through regular feedback, continuous education and professional development programs via LinkedIn Learning, LifeLabs, Spring Health & BetterUp Coaching
We celebrate strong performance with financial rewards, peer-to-peer recognition, and growth opportunities