Director Discovery

Contenido de trabajo

ATB Therapeutics is a Biotech company developing a cutting-edge technology to produce a new kind of targeted therapy designed to treat cancers and auto-immune diseases. ATB Therapeutics has two Belgian R&D sites located in the Novalis Science Park (Marche-en-Famenne) and the VIB incubator (Ghent).

As Director Discovery, you will lead our discovery research efforts, playing a critical role in shaping our research strategy, driving the discovery of novel therapeutics, and leading a team of talented scientists. You and your team will contribute to the development of our current pipeline candidates and leverage the potential of ATB’s technology to discover novel drug candidates.

Your Role

You will build and lead a team focusing on antibody discovery and protein engineering, followed by their expression, production, and characterisation with a high throughput perspective. In your role you will be responsible for integrating industry leading technologies into the ATB platform and engineering as well as managing external collaborations including CRO management. You will closely collaborate with the senior R&D staff and management, ensuring alignment with the company’s overall goals and objectives. You will work under the direction of the Chief Scientific Officer.

As Director of discovery, you will have to exert senior leadership and management of a team to be reinforced. You will be deeply involved in further structuring and recruiting the team.

Here’s in more detail what you will be working on:

• Contribute to discovery strategy and coordinate operations related to candidate screening and engineering as well as ensuring proper characterisation and R&D production.
• Oversee and guide the discovery research programs, focusing on identifying and validating novel drug candidates, and advancing early-stage therapeutic candidates.
• Manage, mentor, and inspire a multidisciplinary team of scientists, fostering a collaborative and innovative research environment.
• Stay abreast of the latest scientific advancements and technologies in the field and incorporate them into the discovery research strategy.
• Oversee resource allocation, budgeting, and project prioritization to ensure efficient and effective research operations.
• Attending and representing the company at relevant academic conferences.

Requirements

For a successful fulfilment of this position, we are interested in candidates meeting the following requirements:

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, or a related field, with at least 10 years of experience in drug discovery and early-stage research, preferably in the field of antibody development.
• Proven track record of leading successful discovery programs, from target identification to preclinical candidate engineering.
• Proven expertise in antibody and/or protein engineering (specific expertise in enzyme engineering via high throughput library screening would be a bonus).
• Strong leadership skills, with experience managing and developing high-performing scientific teams.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to drive innovation and translate scientific insights into actionable research strategies.
• Solid communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment.
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Fluency in English, both in speech and in writing.

Our offer

Besides becoming part of a driven and growing, close-knit team, we offer a competitive salary with 32 holidays, a permanent contract, health insurance and meal vouchers, as well as several fun team events per year.