Director, Protein & Cell Sciences

Location: Somerville, MA USA

Department: Research/Discovery

Position Summary

Metaphore Bio, a generative AI drug design company focused on creating a new class of functional antibodies, is seeking a leader with strong scientific and technical skills to enable the delivery of high-quality therapeutic proteins.

The Director of Protein & Cell Sciences at Metaphore will lead a focused team responsible for high-throughput production and characterization of antibodies and related proteins, and for cell culture, engineering, and scale-up of antibody/protein production up to the multi-gram scale to support research activities. Responsibilities include delivering high-quality antibodies and protein reagents for multiple simultaneous biologics discovery programs, enabling discovery platform optimization, managing a team of direct and indirect reports, and coordinating both in-house and outsourced protein expression, purification, and characterization activities.

As a member of the Biotherapeutics & Enabling Technologies leadership team, this scientific leader will work closely with the head of the unit to establish and maintain a Protein & Cell Sciences function that maximizes the ability the potential for Metaphore’s platform to deliver transformative therapeutics to patients.

Responsibilities

Scientific and Functional Leadership

• Lead an engaged and entrepreneurial team of 4-5 scientists that contributes significantly to the advancement of the internal and partnered portfolio, develops novel platforms and techniques, and delivers well-characterized, high-quality development candidates.
• Establish, maintain, and communicate best practices for biochemistry and cell biology techniques including expression, production, purification, and analytical and functional characterization of antibodies and related therapeutic proteins.
• Ensure high quality data management including the use of electronic laboratory environments/LIMS for data storage and retrieval, to maximize the potential of AI/ML methods to deliver high-quality leads.
• Partner with research informatics and laboratory automation teams to identify and implement opportunities for improved workflows, more efficient protein production and characterization, and parallelized therapeutic discovery.
• Make highly impactful contributions to programs as a scientific leader and expert on protein therapeutics.

Strategy and Execution

• Implement and manage outsourced protein production and characterization work with CROs that complements internal resourcing.
• Serve as a major interface with downstream CMC functions and external CDMOs to enable seamless progression of molecules into and through DC nomination, process development, and early manufacturing.
• Accountable for resourcing decisions for programs within the HTPP function.
• Partner with peers on the Biotherapeutics leadership team to manage resources, budgets, and operations.

Team Building and External Engagement

• Recruit, mentor, and develop a high-performing HTPP unit.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and accountability by partnering with other functions within the Biotherapeutics unit and across Metaphore.
• Partner with external collaborators, CROs, and technology providers to expand capabilities and accelerate timelines.
• As a member of the Biotherapeutics leadership team, facilitate group operations and strategic decisions, contribute to the development of the culture and people within the group, and contribute to broader company-wide strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• PhD in Protein Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, Structural Biology, or a related discipline, or non-PhD with appropriate skills and experience.
• 10+ years of experience in biologics drug discovery and development.
• Deep knowledge of antibody expression, purification, and characterization workflows, including the implementation of automation solutions to enable high-throughput protein production.
• Experience managing biologics CROs to expand protein production/characterization capabilities and capacity.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with an established track record of leading and developing people and teams in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial biotech environment.

Values and Behaviors

We are seeking individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit, strong communication skills, and comfort working in and contributing to a dynamic and cross-functional team environment. The level of the role will be commensurate with the education and years of experience of the identified candidate.

At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.

The salary range for this role is $183,000 - $231,000. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Metaphore Biotechnologies, Inc. currently offers healthcare coverage, annual incentive program, retirement benefits and a broad range of other benefits. Compensation and benefits information is based on Metaphore Biotechnologies, Inc.'s good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.