Director Oncology Safety Science

AstraZeneca is a leader in Oncology with a global footprint and ability to deliver best in class medicines, both small and large molecules, to the market. We are committed to advancing the science of Oncology to deliver life-changing medicines to patients, and ultimately eliminate cancer as a cause of death.

Responsibilities 

• Establish and lead an investigative toxicology and safety science Lab at our Gaithersburg site.
• Establish and lead a team of safety scientists applying predictive toxicology and safety assessment to support our large molecule Oncology project portfolio.
• Evaluate project-specific investigational and mechanistic safety through in vitro and in vivo experimental capabilities e.g., primary cells screens, cytokine release assays, tumour models.
• Contribute to decision making process to ensure that project teams can make the right decisions regarding safety risks associated with Immune Cell Engagers, Bispecific Antibody Circuits and Next Generation Immuno-Oncology Therapeutics.
• Use evaluative judgements to support the generation and review of project reports and presentations that facilitate timelines and regulatory submissions.
• Maintain proficiency with regulatory requirements for Immuno-Oncology therapeutics and awareness of industry trends.
• Use technical expertise to develop innovative solutions and research proposals to pursue groundbreaking cell therapy science and technologies in line with business needs versus safety and efficacy and influence their adoption within AstraZeneca.
• Make a significant contribution to Next Generation Immuno-Oncology, Bispecific Antibody Circuits, and Immune Cell Engager projects within and outside AstraZeneca including outside conferences, workshops, and committees.
• Provide local support for Oncology safety scientists evaluating other modalities such as CAR T cells and antibody drug conjugates.
• Publish in high quality, peer-reviewed journals, present at scientific meetings and engage with academic collaborators and regulators.

Essential Requirements

• PhD in immunology, pharmacology, toxicology, oncology, or related field with a strong scientific track record with experience of independent research (>5 years post-PhD and high-quality publications).
• A solid understanding of drug discovery and development, and a track record of impactful contributions to pharmaceutical research, preferably in industry, regulatory or academic setting, working with relevant immuno-therapeutics.
• Experience of leading a group of investigative scientists with lab management.
• A proven understanding of immunology is required, with T cell and Myeloid cell background preferred.
• Experience with the design and execution of experimental strategies to determine the effects of immuno-oncology therapeutics on biological systems, with line of sight to human safety risk understanding.
• Experience with multi-colour flow cytometry, multiplex cytokine measurements, in vitro functional assays, e.g., cytotoxicity, proliferation, activation.
• A collaborative, team-oriented approach, able to solve problems in a goal-focused fashion with capacity to coordinate tasks across multiple projects.
• Excellent communication, presentation, interpersonal and influencing skills across levels/subject areas.