Director, Oncology Research

This leadership position is responsible for expanding and developing Oncology and Neuro-Oncology research activities and projects.

The incumbent will be responsible for creating and revising the vision, strategy, and planning of Oncology research activities along with coaching and team building to foster a motivated and high-performance highly engaged team.

The incumbent will work with relevant functional heads across the organization to oversee design and execution of experimental plans consistent with Codiak's mission to develop transformative exosome-based therapeutics for cancer. Will be responsible for conducting and overseeing scientific presentations and will interact and collaborate with advisors, strategic partners, project teams, peers and management in identifying and achieving R&D goals from both scientific and strategic perspectives.

Essential Functions/Responsibilities

• Apply expertise in Oncology drug discovery and translational biomarkers to influence Research strategy and project progression
• Serve as Oncology Research lead on cross-functional preclinical and clinical project teams; working as a leader or key contributor to design, plan and deliver multiple individual projects via team and matrix management
• Lead and manage a team of scientists to advance candidate drugs from preclinical discovery into early clinical development; Manage performance and development of highly motivated team to maximize success and engagement. Mentor and coach team as needed, including recruiting, managing, mentoring and developing scientific staff
• Direct and oversee strategy for developing exosome-based therapeutics in the Neuro-oncology area by leveraging the natural biodistribution of exosomes in the CNS.
• Manage and drive internal and external collaborations/alliances in Oncology; Oversee the collaboration with JAZZ. Facilitate the development of workplans for new targets
• Develop translational plans for advancing exoSTING in the Leptomeningeal disease
• Oversee automated assay development and high throughput screening of ASO candidates as well as high throughput assays
• Support the effective running of the department by contributing to budget and resource management to ensure portfolio progression and capability builds;
• Author or contribute to clinical study report sections, regulatory submissions and updates (IND/CTDs, NDA/BLA, DSUR etc.) and abstracts/manuscripts for publication. Review assay validation and bioanalytical reports and provide training to internal staff
• Engage the external scientific leaders through publishing and presenting scientific work at key scientific meetings
• Establish and maintain visible and active engagement with key opinion leaders, professional societies, and academic institutions

Requirements

• Ph.D., or equivalent experience, cancer research, I/O, pharmacology/drug discovery and/or associated aspects of immuno-oncology as evidenced by high impact peer-reviewed publications and /or a strong track record in pharmaceutical drug discovery
• Minimum of 10 years of industry experience and a mastery of cell-based and in vivo translational models in oncology and neuro-oncology. The candidate must have experience in progressing programs from early discovery through clinical testing. Use of biomarkers and imaging as well as other techniques for translational application are a critical skill
• Proven history as a senior leader including objective setting and review, individual performance management and team development
• Familiarity with the IND enabling studies and regulatory requirements for non-clinical studies
• Demonstrated experience at reviewing/validating the biology for new therapeutic targets
• Working knowledge of novel therapeutic modalities (e.g., antibodies, protein based therapeutics, cell-based therapies) and their application to drug discovery
• Mastery of cell-based and in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo skills that can be applied to immuno-oncology research including multiparameter flow cytometry, human primary immune cell assays and disease relevant translational models
• Experience in preparing documents and reports for internal governance committees and regulatory agencies, including INDs
• Strong interpersonal, communication, influencing, problem solving and negotiating skills at all levels of the Company including the BOD, together with evidence of having used these to support collaboration(s); both within an organization and/ or external partners