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Septerna

Senior Staff Scientist/Associate Director, Disease Biology (In Vitro/Ex Vivo Pha

Septerna, South San Francisco, California, us, 94083


THE ROLE

We are seeking an experienced drug development scientist and dynamic leader. Reporting to the VP, Disease Biology & Translational Science, this individual will be responsible for helping to establish and expand the company’s capabilities for preclinical in vitro and clinical ex vivo disease pathobiology establishing in vitro/ex vivo models to interrogate complex disease models to rank and screen our therapeutic candidates and establish the drug’s mechanism of action for multiple indications. The Senior Staff Scientist will lead cell based therapeutic characterization and development efforts defining the compounds mechanism of action and efficacy in complex in vitro models of disease. They will lead from the bench managing internal scientists as well as external CROs to execute strategies and be responsible for the development and conduct of

in vitro

and/or

ex vivo

studies to support and advance Septerna’s drug discovery pipeline. They will work both independently and collaboratively as part of a matrixed inter-disciplinary team to establish the therapeutic mechanism of action of Septerna’s novel and differentiated drug candidates. The successful candidate will be responsible for writing and reviewing reports as well as regulatory documents. They will establish pharmacodynamic and efficacy relationships as appropriate to determine the potential clinical impact of Septerna drugs. The successful candidate will serve as the Disease Biology lead on cross-functional research and development teams and have opportunities to lead programs from discovery through early development. They will have the opportunity to demonstrate their scientific leadership within the R&D organization, contributing biological, disease area, and clinical insights to projects as well as ideas for new therapeutic programs.

The position is based in South San Francisco, CA. Title and compensation commensurate with experience.

Key Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Design and execute

in vitro

and

ex vivo

studies to advance therapeutic programs

Generate, analyze, and interpret complex data to establish functional PK/PD and efficacy relationships and elucidate therapeutic mechanism of action for leads drug.

Serve as Disease Biology lead on multiple project teams, conduct and trouble-shoot experiments, analyze and interpret data and work cross functionally with colleagues to identify and mitigate risks and effectively advance therapeutic programs

Help build complex in vitro and ex vivo research and development capabilities

Author and review protocols, study reports, and regulatory documents to enable IND and other regulatory filings

Follow all company policies/practices, and maintain accurate records and notebooks

REQUIRED EDUCATION, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

PhD Endocrinology, Physiology, Diabetes/Obesity, Immunology / Inflammation, or Metabolic Disease, or related biological science (MSc/BSs with relevant years of experience)

At least 8 years direct hands-on experience in therapeutic development leveraging indication specific functional disease models in biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries (MSc with at least 12 years, BSc with at least 14 years)

Experience with cell-based assays, ELISA, MSD, qPCR, RNA-seq, microscopy, histology/pathology (e.g. IF/IHC/ISH), and/or flow cytometry

Ability to be hands-on and work in the lab, manage scientists, write protocols, execute studies leveraging Septerna in house capabilities or working with CROs

Direct experimental experience with complex disease biology of diabetes, obesity or other metabolic disease

Demonstrated expertise in building PK/PD and efficacy relationships with complex 2D/3D functional cell-based and tissue-based assays

Leverage complex data sets to characterize therapeutic leads and establish a drug’s therapeutic mechanisms of action

Experience working on/leading project teams with functional responsibility to propose strategy, analyze, interpret, and present complex data to inform decisions

Ability to collaborate in writing protocols, reports, and regulatory documents

Experience working with vendors and CROs to execute studies, analyze data, and generate reports in a timely manner

Experience authoring study protocols, reports, and/or regulatory documents including IBs, IND filings, CSRs, and/or NDAs

Outstanding communication skills with demonstrated ability to make effective presentations in a broad range of settings

Detail-oriented and organized, with strong interpersonal skills for clear and effective communication

PREFERRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Experience with therapeutics programs which have yielded drugs entering clinical development in one or more of the following therapeutic areas: endocrinology, diabetes / obesity, immunology / inflammation, or metabolic disease

Experience with microscopy, confocal imaging, or similar a plus

Experience working as a subject matter expert with complex cell-based 2D/3D culture systems or

ex vivo

tissue models or patient derived samples a plus

Ability to generate, analyze and interpret multi-omic data sets

Establish workflows, use Jupyter notebook or other platform to perform bioinformatics analysis and interpret and visualize complex data sets a plus

Previous work leading a program in therapeutic discovery/development

Strong statistical analysis skills and an ability to articulate findings and make recommendations from complex study results

Experience mentoring scientists, leading cross-functional project teams, and a track record of successful management of external teams

The anticipated salary range for candidates who will work in South San Francisco, CA is $175,000 - $200,000. Individual pay may vary based on additional factors, including, and without limitation, job-related skills, experience, work location and relevant education or training. Septerna's compensation package also includes benefits, stock options, and annual target bonus for full-time positions.

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