Principal or Senior Principal Scientist, Protein Drug Discovery

Zealand Pharma • Cambridge, MA

13h

About The Position

Does it excite you to lead protein drug discovery for next-generation biologics, and do you have experience building capabilities and teams from early discovery through lead-candidate selection? If this sounds like you, and you are ready to take on a broad area of responsibilities, then you could be our new colleague. Your new position Zealand Pharma is significantly expanding its global R&D capabilities and is establishing new research units in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As part of this expansion, Molecular Platform Development is being created to strengthen and advance diverse drug modality capabilities in metabolic disease. As Principal or Senior Principal Scientist – Protein Drug Discovery, this position will play a leading scientific role in shaping strategy, culture, and capabilities from the ground up, while influencing long-term ambitions to deliver transformative medicines for people living with metabolic diseases. We offer exciting responsibilities:

Requirements

• PhD in Protein Science, Biochemistry, Structural Biology, Biophysics, Bioengineering, or a related field (postdoctoral training preferred)
• 6+ years of relevant post-degree experience (Principal) or 8+ years (Senior Principal) in protein drug discovery
• Demonstrated track record advancing projects from concept to clinical development, evidenced by inventorship on patents and authorship of high-impact peer-reviewed publications
• Deep expertise in protein engineering and structure-informed design across multiple formats (mAbs, bispecifics, VHHs, mini-proteins, fusions, and bioconjugates)
• Experience with high-throughput expression, purification, analytical characterization, and biophysical/biochemical developability assessment
• Hands-on knowledge of hit-finding and affinity maturation approaches (e.g., phage and/or yeast display), plus ability to interpret and apply computational modeling/design insights in experimental decision-making

Responsibilities

• Define and lead protein drug discovery strategy aligned with Zealand Pharma’s metabolic disease portfolio and long-term objectives
• Drive protein discovery programs from idea through lead-candidate selection, partnering closely with cross-functional stakeholders and governance
• Provide scientific leadership across therapeutic protein modalities (e.g., antibodies and bispecifics, VHHs and mini-proteins, as well as fusions, hybrids, and bioconjugates with other proteins, peptides, or synthetic payloads)
• Guide protein engineering, developability assessment, and structure–function optimization to enable high-quality candidate progression
• Establish and grow discovery biologics platform capabilities within Molecular Platform Development center, including fit-for-purpose automation and display technologies to improve reliability, data quality, and throughput
• Build internal and external innovation by mentoring and recruiting talent and by forming strategic collaborations with academic, biotech, and CRO partners

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees