Senior Director, Immunology

Title: Senior Director, Immunology 

Manager: Vice President, Immunology 

Type: Onsite  

About Sail:

The Role:

We are seeking an accomplished Senior Director to lead immunology research & translation efforts. The candidate will drive the advancement and expansion of Sail’s existing and growing immunology pipeline of RNA-based in vivo reprogramming drug candidates towards clinical testing. The ideal candidate will bring extensive expertise in immunology across autoimmune and/or immuno-oncology fields, established drug discovery experience and team leadership, and a proven track record of guiding successfully multidisciplinary teams from early discovery through IND and early clinical development. This leadership and managerial role offers an attractive opportunity for individuals seeking a fast-paced and innovative research environment providing high growth potential and potential to make a significant impact on our therapeutic programs and shape the scientific direction of our company. This is an onsite position, with in office expectations tailored to the specific needs of the team, ensuring that responsibilities align with the team's requirements.

Responsibilities:

• As part of the existing immunology leadership team, provide strategic & scientific leadership for Sail's immunology research organization & programs, contributing to developing scientific and therapeutic vision and direction 

• As an effective leader in extensively matrixed team, the candidate will directly lead a team of immunologists to spearhead program strategy and experimental plans, including through new program/target ideation and identification of innovative preclinical testing approaches. 

• Collaborate with functional teams across eRNA sciences, LNP formulation, PD, TDO, and biomarker/clinical to effectively advance programs towards drug candidate nomination and development, including through IND-enabling studies. As part of advancing drug candidates, participate to the development and implementation of innovative approaches to characterize pharmacodynamic and disease biomarkers. 

• Effectively interact with company senior and executive leadership team to effectively support and guide teams. Contribute to and manage team budget.  

• Other responsibilities include contribution to patent applications, regulatory submissions, scientific publications; the individual will also be expected to manage external academic and/or industry collaborations/partnerships, participate in business development activities and represent the company at scientific conferences. 

Qualifications:  

• PhD in Immunology or closely-related field;  

• Minimum 12+ years of pharmaceutical/biotech industry experience with at least 5 years in leadership roles 

• Deep expertise in cellular and molecular immunology with emphasis on T cell biology, innate immunity, or tumor immunology; prior experience with CAR therapeutics and/or in vivo RNA therapeutics is preferred but not required. 

• Strong understanding of drug development process from discovery through clinical proof-of-concept and demonstrated success leading research programs that have advanced to IND and early clinical development are required.  

• Experience with various immunotherapeutic modalities and especially RNA, antibodies and/or cell therapies is preferred. 

• Strong publication record in high-impact journals and history of presentations at major scientific conferences 

• Proven ability to build, grow and lead high-performing scientific teams 

• Excellent communication skills with ability to clearly articulate complex scientific concepts