Associate Director, Translational Medicine Lead

AstraZeneca•Gaithersburg, CA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director, Translational Medicine Lead will direct translational strategy for assigned B-cell malignancy programs and trials across B-ALL, B-CLL, and NHL. The role connects disease biology and clinical development across modalities including T-cell-engaging bispecifics, antibody-drug conjugates, small molecules, and cell therapies. The successful candidate will shape biomarker strategies that inform dose and schedule selection, patient selection, and combination choices from first-in-human studies through pivotal development. This role is the single point of accountability for translational strategy on assigned programs and trials. It partners with discovery scientists, clinicians, diagnostics experts, biosamples and precision diagnostics teams, external laboratories, and cross-functional program teams to develop and deploy fit-for-purpose assays and data readouts. The work includes linking human genetics, expression, clinical data, pharmacodynamics, resistance biology, tumor microenvironment features, and patient samples to clinical decisions and program recommendations. The role also contributes to protocols, sample manuals, statistical plans, governance materials, study reports, health authority interactions, and filings. The position is based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, or South San Francisco, California. The company expects employees to work from the office an average of at least three days per week, with individual flexibility.

Requirements

PhD in a relevant biological science, such as hematology-oncology, immunology, oncology, molecular biology, or a related field.
Postdoctoral and/or industry experience.
0–3+ years of experience with T-cell-engaging bispecifics, such as CD3-targeting bispecifics or BiTEs, in an oncology or hematology development context.
Demonstrated experience with antibody-drug conjugates in a hematology or oncology development context.
Experience contributing to early-phase oncology clinical trials, including biomarker plan development, protocol input, and sample analysis.
Expertise in relevant biomarker technologies, such as flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, molecular profiling, NGS, ctDNA, MRD assessment, cytokine/immune profiling, and other omics-based approaches.
Knowledge of B-cell malignancy biology spanning B-ALL, B-CLL, and NHL, including disease pathogenesis, standard-of-care landscape, and therapeutic resistance mechanisms.
In-depth understanding of immunology and the tumor microenvironment in B-cell cancers, and ability to apply this knowledge to translational strategy and biomarker design.
Emerging understanding of end-to-end clinical development, from dose escalation through registration, and the strategic role of biomarkers at each stage.
Ability to work independently and deliver translational programs with regular managerial support, exercising sound scientific judgment and prioritization without close oversight.
Ability to demonstrate scientific leadership and work effectively on cross-functional teams in a matrixed pharmaceutical or biotechnology environment.
Understanding of the roles of Clinical, Ops, Project Management, and HBS Clinical functions in delivering translational work.
Ability to present and integrate scientific data into a cohesive program narrative and articulate implications for Go/No-Go decisions, including risks and caveats.
Excellent communication and presentation skills for internal stakeholders and emerging external scientific audiences, including comfort representing Translational Medicine in governance settings.
Emerging awareness of Regulatory, Medical, and Commercial functions and how Translational Medicine outputs inform those stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Exposure to Phase 3 trial biomarker strategies.
Experience with small-molecule hematology therapeutics in B-cell malignancies, such as BTK inhibitors or BCL-2 inhibitors, and familiarity with combination treatment strategies.
Exposure to cell therapy programs, such as CAR-T or other engineered cell therapies, in B-cell leukemia or lymphoma.
Familiarity with MRD methodologies using flow cytometry and/or NGS in leukemia or lymphoma clinical development.
Experience integrating multi-omic biomarker data, including flow cytometry, ctDNA, cytokine panels, and transcriptomics, to support clinical decisions across combination regimens.
Familiarity with regulatory expectations for biomarker analytical validation and companion diagnostic development.
Early experience mentoring junior scientists and interest in contributing to team capability development.

Responsibilities

Own and execute end-to-end translational strategies for assigned B-cell malignancy programs from preclinical through Phase 1/2 and, as needed, Phase 3, with decision points tied to dose, schedule, and patient selection.
Integrate human genetics, expression, and clinical data to define indications, stratify patients, and refine target populations for monotherapy and combination treatments.
Design and interpret target-engagement and pharmacodynamic biomarker readouts to support data-driven dose selection and early proof of mechanism across concurrent studies.
Define and investigate resistance mechanisms using longitudinal and relapse samples to inform next-line strategies and combination hypotheses.
Analyze B-cell tumor biology, pathway interactions, and tumor microenvironment features in patient samples to guide combination design and strengthen translational rationale.
Lead development, validation, and deployment of fit-for-purpose assays, including flow cytometry, IHC/IF, molecular assays, and MRD-adjacent panels, internally and with external laboratories or CROs.
Embed biomarker strategies and endpoints into protocols, sample manuals, and statistical plans.
Partner with biosamples and precision diagnostics teams to support sample collection and traceability and, where relevant, companion diagnostic path alignment.
Represent Translational Medicine on cross-functional teams and connect insights across the B-cell portfolio to inform indication expansion and combinations.
Contribute to governance materials, study reports, and Go/No-Go recommendations.
Contribute translational and biomarker content for health authority interactions and filings, build scientific narratives, and present internally and in external forums.