Pioneering Medicines: Director / Senior Director, Metabolic Disease

Flagship Pioneering, Inc.•Cambridge, MA

About The Position

Pioneering Medicines, Flagship Pioneering’s in-house drug development unit, is dedicated to conceiving and developing a broad portfolio of life-changing treatments for patients built from Flagship’s innovative platforms. Harnessing the drug development expertise of its team together with the power of Flagship's multiple scientific platforms, Pioneering Medicines explores and identifies new product concepts which are then advanced jointly with Flagship’s bioplatform companies. Within Flagship’s Innovation Supply Chain partnerships, Pioneering Medicines works with external collaborators to apply its unique approach to partners’ R&D priorities. These partnerships are highly co-creative strategic alliances that accelerate therapeutic innovation by bringing together partners spanning the full spectrum of drug discovery, development, and production. Pioneering Medicines is seeking an ambitious, innovative and highly collaborative leader (Director or Senior Director level) to join our Metabolic Diseases Research team. The candidate should demonstrate depth and breadth of experience in delivering impactful biology data that shapes the direction of drug discovery and/or early clinical programs. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of laboratory techniques and assays, biology/translational sciences expertise, and strong leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills to be able to lead cross-functional Program teams, typically in collaboration with one or more companies. In this role, the candidate will manage a Research team and partner across Pioneering Medicines providing therapeutic area expertise in obesity, diabetes, liver disease, and related metabolic diseases. The candidate will also be expected to lead a Program team at various stages from Target ID/validation through clinical candidate delivery and preclinical development. The ideal candidate will have recognized expertise in laboratory techniques and assays, significant experience in target ID/validation, as well as a strong understanding of the intricacies of early drug development. Affinity for technologies leading to the discovery of new medicines is also essential (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics, network/systems biology, and/or machine learning).

Requirements

PhD or MD/PhD with experience in the prescribed scientific areas
Metabolic disease expertise with a focus on obesity, diabetes, and liver disease
12+ years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and/or academia
Experience in drug discovery/early development through oversight of multiple programs.
Proven track record of providing scientific expertise and developing strategies to address unmet needs
Recognized expert in relevant biology, with an impeccable scientific pedigree
Strong interpersonal communication skills with ability to inspire, build, and develop high-performing teams of scientists
Exhibit strong drive for achievement and success while showcasing respect and care of people
Demonstrate sound business judgment with an ability to evaluate alternatives, establish priorities, and apply resources effectively
Track record of working seamlessly and building relationships with other functions across the organization

Nice To Haves

Inflammation or Cardiovascular expertise desired, not required
Experience with modalities like peptides and antibodies is highly desired.
Affinity for technologies leading to the discovery of new medicines is also essential (e.g., genomics, transcriptomics, network/systems biology, and/or machine learning).

Responsibilities

Provide therapeutic expertise to guide research strategy, experimental design, and translational approaches across metabolic disease programs
Bring visionary scientific thought and leadership to PM to enable the company to progress with its innovative approaches
Serve as Program Leader or Research Leader in advancing specific drug discovery and development Programs at various stages from Target ID through delivery of a clinical candidate and preclinical development
As Program leader, serve as the single point of accountability to Program stakeholders, including Senior Leaders at PM and Flagship collaborating companies, and Pharma partners for guiding research project strategy and progress
Lead early drug projects in the metabolic disease space, propose and champion new targets and novel approaches for disease treatment
Design and execute in vitro and in vivo research plans to evaluate targets modulating pathways in the broad area of metabolic diseases
Guide assay development and implementation of new technologies to enable the delivery of high-quality data packages for project go/no-go decisions in portfolio transitions
Collaborate with other scientists in the PM/Flagship ecosystem in a global matrixed environment fostering innovation to advance project activities. Develop and maintain external relationships/contacts