Principal Scientist, Protein Therapeutics

Gilead Sciences • Foster City, CA

1d

About The Position

At Gilead, we’re creating a healthier world for all people. For more than 35 years, we’ve tackled diseases such as HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19 and cancer – working relentlessly to develop therapies that help improve lives and to ensure access to these therapies across the globe. We continue to fight against the world’s biggest health challenges, and our mission requires collaboration, determination and a relentless drive to make a difference. Every member of Gilead’s team plays a critical role in the discovery and development of life-changing scientific innovations. Our employees are our greatest asset as we work to achieve our bold ambitions, and we’re looking for the next wave of passionate and ambitious people ready to make a direct impact. We believe every employee deserves a great leader. People Leaders are the cornerstone to the employee experience at Gilead and Kite. As a people leader now or in the future, you are the key driver in evolving our culture and creating an environment where every employee feels included, developed and empowered to fulfil their aspirations. Join Gilead and help create possible, together. Job Description The Biologics Engineering group is a specialized team within the Protein Therapeutics department that is responsible for the optimization and engineering of large molecule drug candidates. We seek a highly motivated Principal Scientist to contribute to the engineering of Multispecific formats, novel antibody binding domains, fusion proteins (e.g. cytokines), as well as to the development of new, cutting-edge technologies. The successful candidate will independently oversee biologics projects from protein design to lead optimization, manage multiple discovery projects, and advance engineering technologies to enable large molecule drug development. Gilead Sciences Inc. is a highly matrixed organization. Effective collaboration across multiple function groups is an important attribute of this role.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in biochemistry, structural biology or a related field with 6+ years (postdoctoral training preferred) OR M.S. with 8+ years (16+ years preferred) OR B.S. with 10+ years (18+ years preferred) of additional experience in an academic or industrial setting and a record of accomplishments in the form of high impact publications or patents

Nice To Haves

• Extensive experience advancing protein therapeutics from discovery to development and stays abreast with emerging protein engineering platforms and technologies
• Expertise in structure-based protein engineering and design of multispecifics, immunocytokines, Fc engineering, and fusion proteins
• Skilled practitioner in antibody engineering, including humanization, sequence liability remediation, and/or biophysical property improvement
• Project leadership experience in Research across multiple therapeutic areas, with deep understanding of hit-to-lead selection through preclinical development of therapeutic candidates
• Presentation and high impact publication record with demonstrable protein engineering expertise
• Proficient in various molecular biology and/or library building techniques (e.g. PCR fragment assembly, vector design, site-directed mutagenesis, Gibson assembly, and/or Golden gate cloning), as well as hands-on experience (preferred) with mammalian cell culture, protein expression, purification, and characterization; in vitro and in vivo antibody discovery approaches is a plus
• Experience with computational design tools preferred (e.g. Rosetta, MOE, or DiscoveryStudio)
• Team player with strong collaboration, communication, organizational skills, and excellent problem-solving skills

Responsibilities

• Lead a small team of protein engineers to help design and engineer innovative protein therapeutics to address unmet medical needs through differentiated mechanisms of action
• Drive rapid optimization of novel antibody and protein therapeutics through iterative design, build, test, and learn cycles
• Represent the Protein Therapeutics department on interdisciplinary project teams and guide preclinical development of large molecule therapeutics
• Independently carry out lead sequence optimization of large molecules utilizing rational and in silico design approaches, as well as design of multispecifics, immunocytokines, and fusion proteins
• Communicate transparently and timely to key stakeholders to build strong partnership and collaboration experiences
• Thrive in a fast paced, data-driven, and scientifically rigorous environment
• Maintain compliance with company policies and record keeping

Benefits

• This position may also be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus, discretionary stock-based long-term incentives (eligibility may vary based on role), paid time off, and a benefits package.
• Benefits include company-sponsored medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans.
• For additional benefits information, visit: https://www.gilead.com/careers/compensation-benefits-and-wellbeing
• Eligible employees may participate in benefit plans, subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees