Director, Antibody Discovery

Position Summary:

Quotient is seeking a Director or Senior Director of Antibody Discovery. This role will define and lead Quotient’s antibody discovery strategy; leading the delivery of therapeutic antibody projects in addition to Quotient’s antibody drug discovery platform build through the deployment of cutting-edge technologies. This role will require close involvement in the end-to-end process of translating Somatic Genomics screening outputs (i.e. candidate genes and potential drug targets) into initiation of drug discovery programs. This role will also involve senior project leadership, steering drug discovery matrix teams from early conception through to key inflection points such as development candidate nomination and IND submission.

Responsibilities: 

• Provide balanced expert advice on the feasibility of antibody tractable targets and the conception of high-value drug molecules
• Present antibody discovery strategies to internal R&D committees to justify capital commitment in new programs
• Drive decision making on construct design, format and developability for new antibody programs according to Target Product Profile specifications
• Independently carry out lead sequence and format optimizations utilizing rational, structure-based and in silico/AI/ML design approaches
• Drive rapid optimization of novel antibody and protein therapeutics through iterative design, build, test, and learn cycles
• As a drug discovery project leader, develop efficient and balanced project plans for one or more biologic drug discovery programs and lead a cross-functional team to execute through lead generation, development candidate nomination and IND submission
• Model best matrix leadership behaviours and support an emphasis on enterprise leadership across the company
• Identify, select, and manage external CROs/vendors, consultants, and academic collaborators to deliver a virtual/outsourced state-of-the-art drug antibody discovery platform for the identification of high-quality mAb molecules at pace
• Build and maintain networks of external experts to pressure-test hypotheses and refine strategies
• Serve as a specialist antibody discovery expert within Quotient’s drug discovery team and across the company.
• Contribute to broader corporate strategy, BD evaluations, and exploratory platform initiatives

Qualifications:

Essential

• Proven experience advancing protein therapeutics through drug discovery phases to development.
• Expertise in structure-based protein engineering and design of antibodies including (multispecifics, Fc engineering, fusion proteins etc)
• Skilled in antibody engineering, including use of in silico, structure-based, and AI/ML approaches to sequence/CDR design, use of display technologies, humanization techniques, sequence liability remediation, analytics, and developability (biophysical) assessment and improvement
• Project leadership experience in pharmaceutical industry R&D environment across multiple therapeutic areas, with a deep understanding of lead identification and optimization through preclinical development of antibody therapeutics
• Track record of advocating for acquisition or creation of new technologies for accelerated antibody design, expression, and characterization

Desirable

• Experience in early-stage or start-up biotech environments
• Experience working with genetic and genomics platform-driven drug target discovery
• Broader understanding of protein sciences (expression, developability, and analytical purification and analysis)
• Experience managing the design and validation of cellular assays for the functional characterization of engineered biologics

Values and Behaviors:

• Encourage respectful disagreement and cultivate open-minded, ego-free interactions to continuously push each other towards excellence
• Seek out diverse perspectives; practice active listening and genuine curiosity to ensure all contributions are valued, regardless of source
• Recognize the impact of your behavior, language and attitudes, and strive for balanced, meaningful exchanges that enhance mutual growth and understanding in all interactions
• Use a company-first mindset