Director, Antibody Engineering and Discovery

iBio•San Diego, CA

12h•$184,040 - $243,960•Onsite

About The Position

iBio is an AI-driven innovator developing therapies for cardiometabolic, obesity, and cardiopulmonary diseases. The Director, Antibody Engineering and Discovery will lead the Antibody Engineering and Discovery team and oversee protein expression, purification, molecular engineering, characterization, and functional screening. The role advances antibodies and other molecules emerging from iBio’s discovery platform through lead optimization and prepares well-characterized molecules for in vivo proof-of-concept studies with the translational team. It combines team management with direct scientific problem-solving across conventional and emerging biologic formats, with particular emphasis on multispecific antibodies, antibody-peptide fusions, and peptide conjugates. The role is based onsite in San Diego, California, and reports to the Vice President, Research and Early Development. The position leads teams and programs from initial antibody characterization through engineering and lead selection, establishing decision criteria and managing scientific and technical risks. It oversees molecular design and production, cell-based assay development and execution, developability assessment, and preparation of study-ready material. The director also collaborates with platform, computational, structural biology, translational, CMC, and early development colleagues, and manages staff, external partners, budgets, capacity, and timelines. The expected annual base salary range is $184,040 to $243,960, plus a potential discretionary annual bonus, equity, and benefits. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance options; flexible time off; seven designated holidays each calendar year; a 401(k) with Company match; life insurance; and short- and long-term disability insurance.

Requirements

BS/BA with 15+ years, MS/MA with 13+ years, or PhD with 8+ years of relevant biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry experience in protein engineering, biochemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, or a related field; a PhD is preferred.
Track record advancing therapeutic antibodies from discovery hits through engineering and lead optimization to molecules suitable for in vivo proof of concept.
Substantial experience designing and optimizing multispecific antibodies, with direct experience in antibody-peptide fusions and/or peptide conjugates and the ability to lead both formats.
Technical leadership in protein expression, purification, analytical characterization, and cell-based screening within antibody discovery programs.
Experience leading and developing scientific teams, managing external partners, and driving cross-functional decisions in a matrixed biotechnology or pharmaceutical environment.
Deep expertise in antibody engineering, including sequence optimization, affinity and specificity tuning, humanization, Fc engineering, and design and troubleshooting of multispecific architectures.
Strong understanding of peptide fusion and conjugation approaches, including attachment sites, linkers, conjugation stoichiometry, payload accessibility, stability, and preservation of antibody and peptide function.
Expertise in mammalian protein expression, chromatography-based purification, and analytical methods for identity, purity, integrity, aggregation, and stability, such as SEC, CE-SDS, and mass spectrometry.
Expertise in designing, troubleshooting, and interpreting cell-based assays for screening and discovery; ability to select cell systems, establish controls, interpret concentration-response relationships, and distinguish target-mediated activity from assay artifacts.
Working knowledge of binding and kinetic assays such as SPR or BLI, and ability to integrate biochemical, biophysical, and cellular data into lead-selection decisions.
Broad understanding of biologics drug discovery, including mechanism of action, target biology, translational relevance, early PK/PD considerations, and tradeoffs among potency, selectivity, exposure, and developability.
Sound scientific judgment, effective people leadership, and clear communication.
Ability to prioritize experiments, manage risk and resources, and work with urgency in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates, targeted delivery approaches, or other nontraditional antibody formats, including assessment of conjugate integrity, cellular uptake, and functional delivery.
Experience engineering receptor agonists or antibody-peptide therapeutics for obesity, cardiometabolic disease, cardiopulmonary disease, or related indications.
Experience with primary cells or physiologically relevant cellular models, assay miniaturization, automation, and high-throughput screening workflows.
Familiarity with structure-guided and computational protein design, strategies to reduce immunogenicity risk, and early CMC considerations for complex biologics.
Experience in a small biotechnology company and a record of contributing to patents, publications, or development candidate selection.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop the Antibody Engineering and Discovery team, setting priorities, roles, objectives, and accountability across protein production, engineering, and screening.
Advance platform-derived antibodies from initial characterization through engineering and lead selection to readiness for in vivo proof-of-concept studies.
Define stage-appropriate decision criteria and address scientific and technical risks.
Lead the design and optimization of antibody-peptide fusions and peptide conjugates, selecting molecular architectures, attachment sites, and linkers based on function, stability, exposure, and developability.
Advance monoclonal antibodies, multispecifics, and other complex formats as program priorities require.
Oversee construct design, mammalian expression, purification, and production of research-grade molecules; troubleshoot yield, chain pairing, aggregation, fragmentation, and other product-related impurities.
Develop and execute cell-based assays for antibody screening, hit confirmation, and lead optimization, including binding, receptor signaling, agonism or antagonism, and disease-relevant functional readouts.
Integrate binding kinetics, potency, selectivity, epitope information, and biophysical data to guide molecule selection.
Assess developability, including solubility, aggregation, thermal and storage stability, and peptide or linker integrity.
Partner with platform, computational, and structural biology teams to turn sequence and structural insights into testable engineering hypotheses and efficient design-build-test cycles.
Work with the translational team to define species cross-reactivity, surrogate needs, functional benchmarks, and material requirements for in vivo studies.
Establish handoffs supported by reproducible potency, identity, purity, stability, endotoxin control, and compatibility with dosing conditions.
Collaborate with CMC and early development colleagues to identify manufacturability and downstream development risks and support transfer of constructs, methods, and characterization data.
Recruit, coach, and retain scientific talent; manage external laboratories, CROs, and specialized chemistry partners; and plan budgets, capacity, and timelines across programs.
Present data, program updates, and recommendations to senior leadership.
Maintain rigorous documentation and data integrity, contribute to intellectual property, and perform other duties consistent with the role.