Senior Scientist, In Vitro Pharmacology

Company Summary:

Founded by Flagship Pioneering in 2021, Metaphore aims to unlock breakthroughs that outperform today’s drugs for maximum patient impact, We adapted this idea to drug discovery. MIMIC™, our computationally driven bioplatform that couples machine learning with molecular mimicry, engineers therapeutics to trigger a desired biological response. Our MIMIC platform opens the possibility to develop engineered medicines with specific features to access a range of targets, including those that were previously intractable. Flagship and Metaphore have also just announced a $600M research collaboration with Novo Nordisk to develop up to two next-generation therapeutics for obesity management.

Flagship Pioneering is a biotechnology company that invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health or sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in more than $90 billion in aggregate value. Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture.  Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies, and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Learn more about Flagship at www.flagshippioneering.com.

Position Summary:

Metaphore is seeking a creative, resourceful, and highly collaborative multidisciplinary Senior Scientist to join our dynamic team to lead biology and in vitro pharmacology activities within our Translational Sciences team. The ideal candidate should have previous industry experience with a strong multidisciplinary background backed by a solid track record of developing and implementing novel assays for varied biological activity and translational science applications. Additionally, experience in developing biologics such as monoclonal antibodies and other complex antibody modalities, as well as experience in metabolic, autoimmune, and/or immunologic disease areas is required. In this role, the candidate will be accountable for ideating, developing and implementing research plans to validate target biology, support phenotypic discovery screenings,characterize MoAs to advance therapeutics within the portfolio. The ideal candidate will have the ability to excel in a collaborative multidisciplinary environment and manage direct reports. We are looking for adaptive and scientifically curious individuals that will thrive in an ecosystem that encourages collaboration, growth, and learning.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead biology, assay development and in vitro pharmacology activities, serving as a pivotal functional representative on program teams and spearheading platform development initiatives.
• Develop and implement research plans to validate new targets and drive discovery programs
• Develop and validate assays for functional and phenotypic screenings supporting our discovery pipeline, implementing quantitative medium-throughput ligand-binding and cell-based assays that will enable functional validation and hit characterization.
• Pioneer the exploration, design, and implementation of in vitro and ex vivo assays to elucidate mechanisms of action and characterize therapeutic responses in in vitro and ex vivo settings.
• Design and source custom critical reagents, ranging from recombinant proteins to cell lines, ensuring the highest quality of inputs for experimental success.
• Collaborate closely with the Discovery and Computational Biology teams to analyze and interpret large datasets that characterize complex biological responses, thereby guiding Metaphore's innovative discovery platform.
• Prepare and present comprehensive data packages and incisive analyses pivotal in driving program progression and strategic decision-making.
• Manage direct report/s and external CROs.

Basic Qualifications:

• PhD. with 5+ years of experience in biochemistry, biology, pharmacology, immunology or related field. Prior industry experience in drug discovery or preclinical development is required, and focus on immunology, metabolism and antibody development is required.
• Technical expertise with in vitro and ex vivo assays, mammalian tissue culture, reporter cell lines (including custom generation of reporter systems), and primary human cell cultures.
• Proficiency in a variety of bioanalytical techniques including, but not limited to, ELISA, MSD, HTRF, flow cytometry, qPCR, NGS, mass spectrometry, and cellular imaging techniques.
• Understanding of DOE and assay validation for screening methods and preclinical biomarkers.
• Proven expertise in assay design and optimization, and interpretation of results from a diverse array of assays.
• Working understanding of the therapeutic discovery process from early discovery to IND-enabling studies
• Excellent communication skills, ability to clearly convey complex messages across multidisciplinary teams and commitment to collaboration.
• Ability to manage, lead, and mentor direct reports and junior peers.
• Scientific excellence, execution rigor, creative resourcefulness, critical thinking, attention to detail, great organization skills, and proven track-record of achievement, as evidenced by publications in peer-reviewed journals, and contributions to the development of research and preclinical programs.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Molecular biology and protein biochemistry skills.
• Experience managing CROs.

Values and Behaviors

We are seeking individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit, strong communication skills, and comfort working in and contributing to a dynamic and cross-functional team environment. The level of the role will be commensurate with the education and years of experience of the identified candidate.

At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies:  Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates.  The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team.   Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.