Associate Director, Translational Medicine

Atrium Therapeutics•San Diego, CA

3d•$4,810,000 - $5,330,000

About The Position

Atrium is a biopharmaceutical company pioneering delivery of RNA therapeutics to the heart to transform the standard of care for people living with cardiomyopathies. Our proprietary technology leverages the targeted RNA delivery platform initially designed at Avidity, which combines the tissue selectivity of mAbs and other targeted delivery ligands with the precision of oligonucleotides. This unique combination is designed to allow selective targeting of the underlying genetic drivers of disease that were previously undruggable. Through targeted, non-viral delivery of siRNA to cardiac tissues, our approach has the potential to overcome key limitations of nonspecific viral and nanoparticle-based delivery systems, including challenges related to tissue specificity, immunogenicity, and redosing. We are seeking an experienced, strategic Associate Director to lead Atrium's Translational Medicine function, spanning both clinical biomarker strategy and bioinformatics. This is a newly created position that will be accountable for all aspects of biomarker strategy and execution, including, biomarker identification, assay development, validation, and clinical execution to inform target engagement, mechanism of action, and disease-progression endpoints across our genetically defined cardiomyopathy pipeline, including PRKAG2 syndrome and PLN cardiomyopathy. The Associate Director also oversees the bioinformatics function, which supports computational and data-analysis needs across the broader R&D organization. The Associate Director represents Translational Medicine on cross-functional clinical project teams and manages a growing team of biomarker and bioinformatics scientists.

Requirements

PhD in Cardiovascular Biology, Molecular Biology, Physiology, or a related field
8+ years of relevant biopharma/biotech experience in biomarker development, including significant experience leading clinical biomarker strategy and operations; cardiovascular and/or rare genetic disease experience highly preferred
Prior experience managing and developing junior scientific staff; demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives in a matrixed organization
Deep expertise in biomarker assay development and fit-for-purpose/analytical validation (e.g., high-sensitivity ELISA, MSD, Simoa, qPCR/ddPCR, LC-MS, Olink); experience overseeing CRO-based assay transfer and validation for clinical use
Experience contributing biomarker content to clinical study protocols, ICFs, CSRs, or other regulatory documents; working knowledge of GCP/GCLP and clinical sample-handling requirements
Strong publication record with experience developing publication plans and conference presentation strategy
Highly adaptable to a small-company/startup environment, comfortable with ambiguity, and a proactive, hands-on problem-solver

Responsibilities

Define, develop and lead the clinical biomarker strategy across Atrium's cardiomyopathy programs; oversee execution, interpretation, and incorporation of biomarker endpoints into overall clinical development plans
Direct the discovery and development of tissue and circulating biomarkers (protein, nucleic acid, and metabolic) supporting target engagement, mechanism of action, and translational endpoints from pilot stage through clinical readiness
Oversee development, optimization, and fit-for-purpose/analytical validation of clinical biomarker assays; manage transfer and validation of lead assays at CRO partners for clinical trial implementation
Accountable for clinical biomarker operations, including sample logistics, data quality, analysis, and interpretation across clinical studies; partner with biostatistics and bioinformatics to translate complex, multi-modal datasets into actionable insight for program teams
Serve as the Translational Medicine representative on clinical project teams, ensuring biomarker strategy aligns with clinical study design, patient selection, and overall program development plans
Contribute biomarker strategy, rationale, and data to clinical study protocols, informed consent forms (ICFs), clinical study reports (CSRs), and other regulatory submission documents
Lead the publication plan and conference presentation strategy for translational and biomarker data, in collaboration with Medical Affairs and Clinical Development
Oversee the bioinformatics function supporting biomarker data analysis and interpretation, as well as broader computational needs across the R&D organization; ensure rigorous, reproducible analytical standards
Manage, mentor, and develop junior scientists within the Translational Medicine function, building team capability and a collaborative, high-performing culture