Director-Senior Director, In Vivo Pharmacology – Immunology

Key Responsibilities

Scientific Leadership

• Lead and oversee in vivo pharmacology programs supporting antibody discovery and development in immunology (e.g., autoimmunity, inflammation, fibrosis and immune modulation).

• Design and implement robust animal models to evaluate efficacy, PK, target engagement (eg, receptor occupancy), PD, and mechanism of action.

• Drive translational strategies linking preclinical data to clinical endpoints, including biomarker identification and patient stratification.

• Provide scientific direction on dose selection, MoA validation, and differentiation strategies.

Translational Science & Biomarkers

• Establish and lead translational frameworks to bridge preclinical and clinical development.

• Identify and validate predictive biomarkers, pharmacodynamic markers, and translational endpoints.

• Collaborate with clinical and biomarker teams to support first-in-human (FIH) and early clinical studies.

Program Leadership

• Serve as a core member of project teams, influencing strategy, timelines, and decision-making.

• Contribute to target selection, candidate optimization, PCC nomination and IND-enabling studies.

• Develop and present clear data packages for governance committees and external stakeholders.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with:

o Discovery biology & antibody engineering

o DMPK, toxicology, and bioanalytical teams

o Clinical development and regulatory groups

• Ensure seamless integration across R&D functions to accelerate pipeline progression.

External Engagement

• Manage and oversee CRO services, collaborations and academic partnerships.

• Stay at the forefront of emerging immunology and antibody technologies, incorporating innovation into programs.

• Support and ensure delivery of key programs with MNCs and other strategic partnerships.

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Qualifications & Experience

Education

• Ph.D. or equivalent in Immunology, Pharmacology, Biomedical Sciences, or related discipline.

Experience

• Director: ~10–15+ years within industry/biotech/biopharma for drug discovery

• Senior Director: ~15–20+ years within industry/biotech/biopharma for drug discovery

• Significant experience in development of therapeutic antibody and antibody-based modalities (biologics preferred).

Scientific Expertise

• Strong background in immunology and inflammatory disease biology in TA such as GI, respiratory, rheumatological and fibrotic diseases etc.

• Extensive hands-on experience with in vivo disease model design, workflow, setup, assessment, optimization and troubleshooting to provide robust readouts for measuring target immunology (e.g., TDAR, GvHD, AD, EAE, CIA/CAIA, Colitis, Asthma, SLE, COPD, and IPF etc.).

• Expert in humanized mouse models (NSG/NOG with human PBMC/CD34+ HSC engraftment) and human target knock-in mouse models (eg. Cytokine, receptor, immune checkpoint, and FcR etc.).

• Familiar with antigen-dependent mouse models for biologics testing including but not limited to T-cell transfer, OVA (OT-I/OT-II), TNBS/Oxazolone, AIC, and DTH.

• Extensive experience in working with internal project teams and external CROs to manage projects and deliver in vivo efficacy data packages of lead candidates from therapeutic antibody pipeline.

• Superb skills in attention to details, planning, self-discipline, time management and organisation.

• Experience of quality control and solving technical problems in animal model development to achieve key project objectives and adhere to timelines.

• Ability to read, understand and act on published scientific information and translate this into in vivo experiments to support our projects.

• Adaptability to changing business needs and learning new techniques

• Passionate, flexible, self-driven, dedicated, inclusive, open-minded, collaborative and forward-thinking.

• Ability to work independently, yet co-operatively with others in a dynamic fast paced environment; genuine desire to be a part of a team and contribute to organizational and team goals

• Deep understanding of:

o PK/PD (rodent and Cyno) and exposure-response relationships

o Translational science principles

o Biomarker development and validation

• Proven success advancing programs into clinical development (IND/CTA).

Leadership & Collaboration

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence decision-making.

• Experience managing scientific teams and external partners in a matrix environment.

• Strong communication skills in English with the ability to present complex data clearly to senior leadership and external stakeholders.

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Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with immune-modulating biologics (e.g., checkpoint modulators, cytokine/receptor targeting antibodies, bi-specifics and multi-specifics).

• Knowledge of humanized models, translational PK/PD modeling, or systems immunology approaches.

• Track record of publications/patents in immunology or translational pharmacology.

• Experience contributing to regulatory filings (IND, IB, briefing documents).

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Success Profile

• Strategic thinker who connects biology, pharmacology, and clinical relevance.

• Data-driven decision maker with strong scientific rigor.

• Collaborative leader with a hands-on mindset when needed.

• Passionate about translating scientific discoveries into impactful therapies for patients.

• Therapeutic focus (e.g., autoimmunity, chronic inflammation, and fibrosis)

• Modalities (e.g., mAb, BsAb, BpAb, TsAb, TCE, in vivo CAR-T, and Fc engineering)

• Geographic scope or global responsibilities

• Matrix and line management responsibility