Associate Dir, Protein Sciences

Absci•Vancouver, WA

2d•$185,000 - $215,000

About The Position

The Associate Director, Protein Engineering and Structural Biology, leads a team of specialized scientists supporting Absci’s drug-creation programs at the intersection of antibody engineering, structural biology, and AI-enabled biologics discovery. The role contributes to internal and partnered programs and leads scientific and technical efforts in protein engineering and/or structural biology that advance the pipeline. The position provides scientific leadership across antibody engineering, structural biology, and binding characterization; mentors scientists and research associates; and partners with AI and cross-functional teams to coordinate experimental and computational strategies, timelines, resources, and objectives. It also leads research and platform development for monoclonal and multispecific therapeutics, including molecule design, structural analysis, assay development, protein production and characterization, and support for target biology and mechanism-of-action understanding. Absci is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapeutics using generative AI and synthetic biology. The company is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, with offices in New York City, Switzerland, and Serbia.

Requirements

PhD in life sciences with at least 8 years of experience, including at least 5 years in biopharma or biotech, or an MS with equivalent experience.
Proficiency in protein structure–function analysis and computational modeling, such as Schrödinger, MOE, or Rosetta.
Hands-on experience designing and optimizing bispecific and multispecific antibodies.
Deep understanding of antibody structure–function relationships, sequence optimization, and expression and purification workflows.
Experience in binding and interaction analyses such as BLI or SPR, and/or biophysical characterization techniques such as analytical SEC, DSF, or DLS.
Familiarity with Fc engineering, half-life extension strategies, antibody developability, and immunogenicity assessment.
Demonstrated success progressing one or more biologics programs to lead candidate stage.
Experience managing teams of PhD-level scientists and research associates.
Track record of peer-reviewed publications and/or patent filings.
Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
Legal authorization to work in the United States.
Demonstrated experience leading protein engineering and/or structural biology efforts in programs, technical initiatives, or technology development, and a track record of scientific and technical contributions to pipeline advancement.

Nice To Haves

Experience deploying AI/ML models for protein sequence and structure analysis to enable biologics design and optimization.

Responsibilities

Lead a multidisciplinary team focused on antibody engineering, structural biology, and binding characterization for internal and external drug-creation programs.
Mentor scientists and research associates and support their technical development, scientific excellence, and career growth.
Partner with the AI team to align experimental and computational strategies, including model evaluation and in-silico metrics for de novo design and lead optimization.
Serve as protein engineering lead on cross-functional project teams and coordinate experiments with computational biology, analytical development, and translational teams while maintaining alignment on timelines, resources, and objectives.
Summarize and present data to internal and external stakeholders to support program decisions.
Maintain awareness of emerging technologies and the competitive landscape in biologics discovery.
Lead development and optimization of platforms for monoclonal antibody and multispecific therapeutics, from design through production, testing, and evaluation.
Rationally design molecules and conduct antigen and antibody structural analyses to recommend residue-level changes that improve interaction function, specificity, stability, and manufacturability.
Design and implement binding and biophysical assays to assess the effects of mutations on protein structure and function.
Coordinate with Absci teams to ensure high-quality protein expression, purification, and biophysical characterization of complex biologics and antigens.
Partner with Translational Biology teams to provide mechanistic insight into target biology and antibody–target interactions, supporting target assessment and mechanism-of-action understanding.