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Lead, Antibody Engineering

Do you want to be part of an inclusive team that works to develop innovative therapies for patients? Every day, we are driven to develop and deliver innovative and effective new medicines to patients and physicians. If you want to be part of this exciting work, you belong at Astellas!

Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are committed to turning innovative science into medical solutions that bring value and hope to patients and their families. Keeping our focus on addressing unmet medical needs and conducting our business with ethics and integrity enables us to improve the health of people throughout the world. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.com .

Purpose and Scope:

We are seeking an accomplished and dynamic Principal Scientist or Associate Director candidate to serve as the Lead, Antibody Engineering in our Antibody Engineering team in South San Francisco. This role will spearhead the design and development of next-generation biologics, with a focus on bispecific antibodies, T-cell engagers (TCE), engineered cytokines, multifunctional antibodies, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) / degrader-antibody conjugates (DAC). The successful candidate will drive innovative therapeutic programs, leveraging deep expertise in antibody engineering and oncology to advance our oncology pipeline.

Essential Job Responsibilities:

+ Lead Antibody Engineering Projects: Design, develop, and optimize bispecific antibodies, TCEs, engineered cytokines, and multifunctional antibodies, including protein production / characterization, and assay development in high-throughput as well as larger-scale settings.

+ Team Leadership and Mentorship: Lead and mentor a team of scientists and research associates, fostering a collaborative and innovative research environment to advance platform technologies and support pipeline progression, ensuring timely delivery of milestones and alignment with organizational goals.

+ Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Work closely with AI-ML, cancer biology, translational science, and clinical development and the Tsukuba Biologics teams to advance therapeutic candidates from discovery to preclinical stages.

+ Innovate, Evaluate, Implement Technologies: Stay at the forefront of antibody engineering advancements, evaluating and integrating novel technologies (e.g., computational protein design, high-throughput screening) to enhance biologics discovery and optimization.

+ Data Presentation and Reporting: Present findings to internal stakeholders and at scientific conferences and contribute to publications and patent applications.

Qualifications Required:

+ PhD with 8+ years related industry experience in antibody/protein engineering/biochemistry and molecular biology

+ Demonstrated expertise in designing and developing bispecific antibodies, TCEs, engineered cytokines, and multifunctional antibodies

+ Hands-on experience in display methodologies, protein purification (Akta) and characterization (e.g. Octet, HPLC, BLI, MS, flow-cytometry)

+ Strong understanding of antibody structure/sequence and developability/function relationship

+ Experience with computational tools for antibody design or AI-ML approaches for antibody optimization

+ Strong background in oncology research, with familiarity in tumor-targeting biologics and immunotherapies

+ Experience with CRO project management

+ Familiarity with biologics candidate nomination to IND processes

+ Excellent communication skills with a solid ability to articulate experimental plans, present research findings in meetings

+ Exceptional collaborative mindset to work with global project teams

+ Willingness to take on tasks and responsibilities as needed in a dynamic environment

+ Strong work ethic with a dedicated mindset of proactively identifying and filling gaps

Preferred:

+ Knowledge of with antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) and degrader-antibody conjugates (DAC), including linker chemistry, payload selection, and conjugation techniques

+ Experience supervising direct reports and with managing projects and teams

+ Track record of publications or patents in antibody engineering in oncology

**Salary Range:** $140,000 - $200,000 (NOTE: Final salary could be more or less, based on experience)

Benefits:

+ Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

+ Generous Paid Time Off options, including Vacation, Sick time, plus national holidays including Heritage Days, and Summer and Winter Breaks

+ 401(k) match and annual company contribution

+ Company paid life insurance

+ Annual Corporate Bonus and Quarterly Sales Incentive for eligible positions

+ Long Term Incentive Plan for eligible positions

+ Referral bonus program

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Category Xyphos Biosciences

Astellas is committed to equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment.

EOE including Disability/Protected Veterans