Associate Director, Attribute Sciences/Product Sciences

About Us:

We are a startup biotechnology company dedicated to the development of novel cell therapies to cure cancers. The company was founded on pioneering work carried out in the laboratories of Dr. Carl June and Dr. Andy Minn (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Kole Roybal (UCSF), and Dr. Christopher Garcia (Stanford University). We are using viral vectors, universal targets, and novel cytokine biology to enhance CAR T activity in solid tumors. Our therapeutic approach has potential to be used across multiple tumor types, enabling us to treat significant numbers of cancer patients.

At our company, you would become one of our early team members where you would help to engineer a universal treatment across solid tumors, be a vital part of building our culture, and help create a world where all cancer patients can be cured. We are determined to deliver with urgency to discover new solutions and we always stay dedicated to scientific rigor; we have an ownership mindset because each and every one of us is integral to our success. Collaboration is core for us because we believe that by bringing people together with diverse perspectives, we make a stronger whole. And, we show we care about our work and each other by sharing feedback - ultimately in service of our vision to empower people to continue forward with their lives – cancer free.

Role:

Reporting to the Head of Analytical & Product Sciences, the Associate Director will be responsible for the establishment of a Product Attribute Sciences capability and for leading the development and execution product knowledge strategies that support the development of Dispatch’s product portfolio. This dynamic, scientifically motivated and highly collaborative role will be a key leader in the technical development organization and play an important role in interfacing with Research, Translational and Clinical teams, linking product understanding to mechanism of action and therapeutic effect. This individual will be responsible for leading the team to leverage current and emerging concepts and analytical technologies to generate product understanding and for defining and establishing product quality control strategies based on product design and intended mechanism of action. The Associate Director will define new, innovative approaches and improve existing capabilities while actively problem-solving, adapting to new inputs, and overcoming barriers to drive value and success in a collaborative and highly visible environment. In this role, the individual will be able to leverage their technical expertise in characterization of vectors, viruses, and cells through independent hypothesis testing and productive experimental design within and across scientific matrixes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build Attribute Sciences function, define and lead execution of product knowledge generation strategy and application of product understanding to enable all aspects of CMC and clinical development.
• Contribute to the development of overall analytical strategy for viral vectors and therapeutic viruses, supporting a preclinical portfolio of viral/CAR T cell combination product-based drugs.
• Lead and collaboratively contribute to the development, optimization, qualification and implementation of characterization assays/systems intended to meaningfully interrogate characteristics and properties of complex active ingredients (viruses, cells) testing for viral vectors and therapeutic virus.
• Facilitate use of product/process understanding as a key input to development and justification of phase-appropriate, mechanistically relevant control strategies for release, stability, and process control.
• Drive innovative thinking for novel methods for characterization of viral particles to quantitate and improve understanding of strength, purity, function/potency, identity, and impurities.
• Support effective and collaborative analytical support to cross-functional teams including process development, candidate development, and platform research teams and contribute as a critical scientific voice to overall candidate and product development strategy as part of a company-wide scientific community.
• Communicate scientific data and information effectively through presentations, protocols, test methods and reports, and where appropriate, through external presentation/publication in scientific and technical forums.
• Lead authoring and internal review of regulatory submissions and engage in dialogue with health authorities supporting regulatory review of IND/CTA/IMPD/CTN applications for first-in-human clinical studies and associated internal source documents.
• Directly supervise scientific team members to deliver on functional technical development objectives by providing scientific leadership and technical oversight for multiple projects while contributing to growth and professional development. Provide mentorship and guidance to additional team members and contribute to establishing and growing a strong, engaged culture within technical development, built on scientific competency and technical excellence, collaboration, and effective communication.

Required Experience & Skills:

• Ph.D. in Immunology, Cell/Molecular Biology or related discipline with at least 8 years of relevant industry experience or Master’s or Bachelor’s Degree with at least 10 years of experience supporting development of cell/gene therapy products or complex biologics in an industry setting.
• Demonstrated experience building product knowledge strategies, using understanding to enable and drive CMC development
• Experience directly managing and/or indirectly mentoring scientific talent at various stages (early, intermediate career) with diverse educational/experiential backgrounds
• Strong scientific competency in terms of understanding scientific principles, translating existing knowledge/data into new hypotheses with efficient and holistic experimental design; Capability for sophisticated analysis and interpretation of multiple dimension datasets, with ability to clearly, concisely, and productively communicate observation, conclusions, and future directions
• Familiarity with an array of bio-analytical, bio-physical, and bioassay-based analytical methods for analytical testing of viral and cell-based materials including those applied to structural, molecular, phenotypic, and functional attributes
• Excellent oral and written communication skills complemented by focusing on attention-to-detail, clarity, accuracy, conciseness, with the ability to effectively communicate complex concepts and strategy

Preferred Experience & Skills:

• Experience with project management and effective resource and time management skills is highly preferred
• Familiarity with foundational concepts of pharmaceutical CMC development including the principles of “Quality by Design”, attribute criticality, specification development, integrated control strategy, life-cycle management are highly preferred

What we Value:

At our company, we hire for values first, followed by capabilities and skills. Our values guide everything we do…

Determined to Deliver:

By working with focus and passion, we can provide patients with the solutions they need.

Own Every Outcome:

We can reach new heights when we stay centered on our shared success.

Collaboration at the Core:

When we band together, our work is better.

Feedback is Fundamental:

Constructive and authentic positive feedback may be difficult to master but it is vital to our success.

Working Here:

• We offer a highly competitive compensation package with meaningful ownership through equity
• Excellent coverage for medical, vision, dental
• 401(k) with generous contribution
• Life insurance
• Flexible PTO policy
• Additional substantial benefits

We are an equal opportunity employer.

We are committed to inclusion and diversity, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, color, marital status, veteran status, disability status, national origin, or any characteristic protected under applicable law.