Director, Translational Sciences

Century Therapeutics, Inc.•Watertown, MA

just now•$195,000 - $218,000

About The Position

Century Therapeutics is seeking a Director of Translational Sciences to serve as a senior scientific and organizational leader driving translational strategy across our early-phase clinical programs, with a primary focus on Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and CAR-T cell therapies. This is a high-impact leadership role with broad accountability for translational science, biomarker strategy, assay development, CRO oversight, and team growth. Reporting to the Head of Immunology & Translational Sciences, the Director will set and drive the strategic agenda for translational sciences, partner across Early Clinical Development, Computational Biology, Regulatory Affairs, and external CRO networks to ensure translational readiness and scientific rigor across first-in-human and early-phase trials. The Director will operate with significant independence, lead cross-functional decision-making, and serve as the internal and external face of Century’s translational science capabilities. The ideal candidate brings deep scientific expertise, a track record of leading biomarker and translational programs through IND and early-phase clinical milestones, and the leadership presence to build a high-performing team, influence senior stakeholders, and represent Century in industry forums and with regulatory agencies.

Requirements

PhD or other advanced degree in Immunology, Translational Medicine, Cell & Gene Therapy, or a closely related field.
10+ years of relevant industry experience in clinical translational science, biomarker development, or bioanalysis, with substantial leadership experience in early clinical development.
Demonstrated track record of driving translational strategies through IND, first-in-human, and early-phase clinical milestones.
Experience in T1D, autoimmune disease, and/or CAR-T or other cell/gene therapy programs strongly preferred.
Prior experience managing or building a team of scientists in a biotech or pharma setting.
Authoritative knowledge of clinical biomarker development, immune monitoring, and translational data interpretation in clinical trial settings.
Deep expertise in clinical assay development, qualification, and validation, including execution through external CROs at scale.
Mastery of GCP, GLP, and regulatory expectations for clinical biomarker data; experience contributing to regulatory filings preferred.
Broad scientific knowledge spanning immunology, cell therapy biology, and molecular biomarkers relevant to T1D and oncology indications.
Proven ability to operate at a strategic level, setting direction for a function while maintaining hands-on scientific accountability.
Strong track record of cross-functional leadership in a matrixed organization, partnering across development, operations, regulatory, and computational teams.
Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and external stakeholders, including regulatory agencies and scientific advisory board members.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex translational data into clear strategic insights for diverse audiences.
High degree of scientific judgment, comfort with ambiguity, and ability to make and defend rigorous decisions with incomplete data.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting or leading translational science for first-in-human cell or gene therapy trials.
Familiarity with immune monitoring in autoimmune disease, including T1D or related indications.
Contributions to INDs, clinical protocol development, regulatory amendments, or responses from a translational science perspective.
Track record of external scientific contributions: publications, conference presentations, patents, or regulatory interactions.

Responsibilities

Define and drive the translational science strategy across Century’s early clinical pipeline, ensuring alignment with corporate objectives and clinical development priorities.
Serve as the primary scientific owner of translational strategy across T1D and CAR-T programs, integrating biomarker objectives into clinical protocols, sample collection plans, and trial timelines.
Contribute to functional area strategy and company-level decision-making as part of Century’s management team.
Represent translational sciences internally to senior leadership, governance committees, and program teams, and externally at scientific conferences, with regulatory agencies, and in collaboration with academic and industry partners.
Lead development and execution of translational and biomarker strategies to support early-phase clinical trials, including first-in-human studies.
Define clinical biomarker objectives, context of use, and analysis plans aligned with program mechanisms of action and regulatory expectations.
Enable clinical decision-making through expert interpretation of patient-derived translational datasets and integration of insights into program strategy.
Partner with Early Development, Clinical Operations, Regulatory, and Medical to ensure translational readiness at each stage of clinical development.
Oversee and drive development, qualification, and validation of translational assays for treated patient samples, including: Immune phenotyping (flow cytometry), Cytokine and soluble biomarker assays, Functional immune and cell therapy–related assays, ADA-related assays, Molecular biomarkers relevant to T1D and CAR-T therapies.
Ensure all assays are fit-for-purpose, scientifically rigorous, and compliant with GCP/GLP expectations for clinical trials.
Set quality and scientific standards for assay development across internal and external laboratories.
Define and lead Century’s clinical biomarker CRO strategy, including partner selection, scope definition, assay transfer, and ongoing governance.
Establish and maintain high-quality, high-accountability CRO relationships, ensuring delivery of interpretable, high-quality clinical data.
Critically evaluate CRO-generated data and reports, identifying trends, limitations, and implications for clinical programs and regulatory filings.
Identify opportunities for strategic external collaborations and partnerships that advance translational capabilities.
Partner closely with Computational Biology and Data Science to define translational data pipelines, analysis frameworks, and visualization approaches.
Drive integrated interpretation of clinical biomarker datasets that meaningfully informs program strategy and development decisions.
Prepare and present translational findings to senior leadership, governance committees, and external partners with clarity and strategic framing.
Contribute to or lead authorship of clinical study reports, regulatory documents (INDs, protocol amendments), and external scientific communications.
Build, lead, mentor, and develop the Translational Sciences team, establishing scientific direction, prioritization frameworks, and a high-performance culture.
As a recognized leader within Century’s management team, model company values and support cross-functional team effectiveness and talent development.
Actively manage team resources, headcount planning, and budget in partnership with functional area leadership.
Attract top talent, differentiate performance, and create an environment where scientists at all levels can grow and thrive.