Associate Director, Translational Biology

Xencor • Pasadena, CA

17d • Remote

About The Position

Xencor is a public, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company located in the Los Angeles area (Pasadena) and in San Diego. Our focus is developing high-potential XmAb® bispecific T-cell engagers and additional engineered drug candidates that leverage our differentiated technology platforms, and we are advancing our pipeline toward clinical proof-of-concept decisions. Our goal is to create high-impact therapeutics for patients with cancer and other serious diseases. More than 20 XmAb drug candidates engineered with our technology are in clinical development, and three XmAb medicines have been marketed by partners. For more information, please visit www.xencor.com. We have an excellent opportunity for an Associate Director, Translational Biology, to join our team.
This position can be based out of our San Diego or Pasadena, CA. sites and potentially fully remote
Summary:
Responsible for driving the biomarker strategy, companion diagnostic strategy and analysis in clinical biospecimens using Xencor bispecific therapeutics (T cell engagers, immunomodulatory therapeutics).

Requirements

• Position requires an advanced Clinical/Science Degree such as PharmD or PhD, with at least 5 years of relevant experience. Experience required includes with pre-clinical/translational/clinical drug discovery and development and with CD3 engager or ADC in clinical development.
• Strong understanding of complex cellular signaling pathways.
• Ability to analyze the relationship between proteomic data, flow cytometric data , immunohistochemistry data in the context of drug candidate administration, clinical response and safety events.
• Knowledge on clinical biomarker analytical labs and CROs. Ability to provide clear, direct, and professional guidance and oversight with vendor analytic labs.
• Ability to inspire confidence and teambuilding with internal pre-clinical and clinical teams.
• Highly advanced oral, writing and presentations skills Organized and able to set/meet deadlines.
• Knowledge of international regulations pertinent to current clinical development (eg ICH, FDA, EMA). Understanding of immunobiology and eagerness to work with cutting edge clinical immunoncology data.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a team of people with different backgrounds and seniority levels.
• Ability to effectively manage others through coaching and supervision, in accordance with company policies and practices.
• Ability to demonstrate competencies applicable for job based on Xencor’s Leadership Competency Model.
• Ensures employee performance meets the organization’s expectations for conduct, productivity, quality, continuous improvement, and goal accomplishment.
• Occasional travel may be required, including travel between Xencor’s Pasadena and San Diego offices. Work for this position is generally performed at Xencor’s worksite and requires full-time commitment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with companion diagnostic development is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Leads development and execution of biomarker plans in the Xencor portfolio
• Responsible for development of biomarker plans and clinical biomarker data analysis, interpretation, and presentation to internal and external stakeholders
• Acts as an independent scientist responsible for coordinating the analysis of genomics/transcriptomics/immunobiological data for clinical studies
• Partners with colleagues to drive understanding of the biology of Xencor drugs and maximize their safety and efficacy in patients
• Provides ancillary support for clinical biomarkers includes program management assistance and expert internal bioinformatics, including a web-based portal dashboard to analyze all clinical endpoints and biomarkers
• Accountable for the oversight and quality of analysis of immunobiological data (flow cytometry/multiplex immunofluorescence/cytokines) for clinical samples and genomics/transcriptomics data for clinical samples
• Plans, implements and manages biomarker projects with outside laboratories
• Champions analysis of genomics/transcriptomics/proteomics for tumor biopsies and peripheral blood samples
• Participates with preclinical projects that drive potential clinical translation including immunological/ genomic/transcriptomic analysis of cultured cells or tissues/blood from animal models
• Leads contact on high dimensional data sets, e.g., proteomics/transcriptomics of clinical trials
• Ensures that clinical biomarker data is scientifically rigorous and supports clinical development
• Manages a shared bioinformatician with expertise in programming for high dimensional data sets, e.g., transcriptomics/genomics data Present pre-clinical data and the relevant literature at internal meetings
• Manages a shared translational project manager that assists with communication and contracting with vendor analytic labs
• Contributes to publications and presentations
• Represents supported projects at scientific conferences
• Leads interactions with investigators and cooperative groups
• Adheres to all department and company-wide policies regarding conduct, performance and procedures
• Performs other duties as required.

Benefits

• Xencor offers a competitive total rewards package including 401k match, healthcare coverage, ESPP and a broad range of other benefits.
• In addition, this position will be eligible for an annual bonus and equity grant.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree