Director / VP of R&D

About Us:

We are a biotech startup based in San Francisco, CA. We have developed a proprietary single-cell platform that enables functional studies of immune cells at unprecedented selectivity and throughput, unlocking a key bottleneck in immunotherapy. We utilize the platform to functionally profile immune cells and use this knowledge to develop effective cell therapies against solid tumors. We are an interdisciplinary team of experienced engineers and scientists who are dedicated to creating effective therapies to improve human health. Our scientific advisory board consists of leading professors in immunotherapy from Harvard, UPenn, UCSF, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and Weill Cornell Medicine.

The Role:

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Director/VP of Research is an accomplished scientific leader, who can professionally and effectively execute the research initiatives towards Shennon Bio’s vision and strategy. This role will lead the R&D function on the therapeutics side and play a critical part in developing biopharma partnerships. An ideal candidate will be an R&D leader with a passion for immuno-oncology, immune cell profiling, and cell therapy. Together with the platform team, the candidate will help change the way immunotherapies are discovered and developed.

This person will maintain professional and productive relationships with internal colleagues and external collaborators with an entrepreneurial & go-to-market mindset. Shennon Bio’s vision of this candidate is an organized leader that has a self-starter attitude and a strong background in immune-oncology and cell therapy.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the CEO, the platform team and various advisors to scale and refine the receptor discovery pipeline such that TCRs and antibodies can be identified and characterized for both external partnerships and in-house therapeutic programs.
• Establish a strategic roadmap by analyzing and forecasting the immunotherapy landscape to present key data-driven updates to the organization that impact pipeline milestones and company objectives.
• Lead efforts to scale the organization in the way of scientific talent, and capital equipment.
• Establish & maintain new relationships with external collaborators such as targeted clinicians, biotech and pharma leadership, and key opinion leaders in the field of immuno-oncology and immunotherapy.
• Organize the strategic communications with each partner and with the internal team, tailored specifically to ShennonBio’s growth strategy and vision.
• Promote strong scientific excellence and foster an open culture of ideation, innovation, and deep scientific rigor.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Ph.D. in a field related to immuno-oncology and 10+ years of industry experience in designing, managing, and leading R&D programs required.
• Domain expertise in cell therapy & immunology/immuno-oncology
• Deep Expertise in directing cell therapies programs into the clinic
• Experience with TCR discovery and validation
• Proven ability in TCR target evaluation from early-stage discovery to IND
• Adaptability and experience scaling an early-stage company to commercial success while maximizing resources to achieve successful outcomes.
• Ability to plan decisions with discipline and possess an entrepreneurial mindset.
• Pre-established relationships with pharma companies and partners.
• Ability to present clearly and concisely to the executive team, board members, and external stakeholders as a thought leader and trusted advisor.
• Articulate and thoughtful communicator who effectively communicates across all levels of the organization.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and situational awareness, with the ability to exert influence and rally a team effectively
• Passionate about the startup environment, able to work from the ground zero to help develop the team and grow junior people
• Awareness of one’s own strength and weaknesses, knows when and where to get assistance when needed. Low ego with a growth mindset.
• Ability to gauge each team member’s strengths and weaknesses and know how to get the best out of each person in the team.
• Team player who can maintain professional and productive relationships with internal colleagues and external collaborators.

Company Culture:
Collaboration, Ownership and Authenticity.

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