Director, Scientific Research-Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital • Memphis, TN

7d

About The Position

St Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a private, not-for-profit institute that is internationally recognized for its commitment to providing state of the art clinical services, while performing innovative scientific and patient-directed research. St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. We are looking for a talented and enthusiastic Scientific Director for the Immune Monitoring Core (IMC) of the in the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cellular Therapy (BMTCT). The IMC performs immune monitoring studies for clinical transplant, cell therapy, and gene therapy studies conducted in the BMTCT department. In addition, it serves as resource for research staff and investigators within the translational research laboratories of the BMTCT department. The core works closely together with BMTCT’s flow cytometry and cell sorting core and interacts with the Center for Translational Immunology and Immunotherapy (CeTI2) on a regular basis. The Scientific Director will join a highly cooperative research team that strives to build and maintain a culture of respect and collaboration. Likewise, the BMTCT department cares deeply about the success and professional growth of its research staff. Applicants with experience in molecular biology, functional evaluation of human immune cells, and research team management are strongly encouraged to apply.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant scientific discipline is required.
• 10+ years of experience in relevant technical field (industry or academia) is required.
• 8+ years of experience in relevant technical field is required with a Master’s degree.
• 5+ years of experience in relevant technical field is required with a PHD.
• Significant experience in a research functional area with experience managing mid-large teams in a leadership capacity with focus on both achievement of objectives as well as critical skill-building preferred.
• Experience having led large-scale projects/processes through to implementation preferred.
• Experience with operational mgmt., budget planning, & stakeholder and resource management preferred.
• Prior experience in building external connections with peers, emerging technology communities, and expert networks preferred.
• Experience driving research objectives across area through collaboration with internal and external stakeholders preferred.
• Proven performance in earlier role/comparable role.

Responsibilities

• Leads and directs the operation of the IMC which consists of three members and currently conducts the following tasks/assays: PBMC isolation, qPCR and dPCR assays, vector integration site analysis, TREC analysis, TCR Vbeta spectratyping, multiplex analysis (Luminex, Olink), and ELISPOT assays.
• Oversees the IMC’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and databases.
• Reviews assay results, performs data analysis, prepares reports, and communicates results to investigators and research teams.
• Proposes innovative and differentiating technologies/assays, oversees their adoption and implementation (including SOP development).
• Drives and manages scope, schedule, and resources of the core to ensure that assays are performed in line with the needs of investigators and research teams.
• Prepares presentations and supports manuscript, grant submissions, FDA responses, and IND submissions.
• Collaborates with other cores and research teams (e.g., BMTCT’s flow cytometry and cell sorting core, CeTI2, Center of Excellence for Pediatric Immuno-Oncology).
• Actively guides budget development, implementation of strategic initiatives and ongoing fiscal review of the core.
• With departmental leadership, actively drives processes for team management, including hiring, goal setting, performance, training and development, and engagement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees