Executive Director, Cancer Immunology

The Opportunity:

This role represents a unique opportunity to serve as a senior scientific and strategic leader within Cancer Immunology, with primary responsibility for driving the discovery and advancement of novel immuno-oncology targets and therapeutic modalities. We are seeking an accomplished leader who combines deep scientific expertise with strong people leadership to shape strategy, guide portfolio decisions, and advance high-impact discovery programs.

The successful candidate will lead a multidisciplinary team to progress innovative immuno-oncology programs from early discovery through Development Candidate nomination, while providing senior oversight of scientific integration across Discovery and Translational Cancer Immunology. This role reports to the Vice President and Head of Cancer Immunology and partners closely with Research and Development leadership to support portfolio prioritization and governance. Key aspects of the role include:

• Discovery Program Leadership & Protfolio Oversight: Provide executive-level leadership of Cancer Immunology discovery programs from project qualification through Development Candidate nomination. Drive the identification and validation of novel immuno-oncology targets, ensuring seamless progression of programs into Translational Cancer Immunology.

• Scientific Strategy & Platform Leadership: Define and evolve the scientific vision and long-term strategy for Cancer Immunology discovery. Provide senior oversight of the development and optimization of experimental platforms, including in vitro and in vivo models, phenotypic screening, and advanced assay toolkits. Champion the exploration and implementation of new therapeutic modalities, such as TCEs, ADCs, and bispecifics.

• Scientific Integration & Operational Excellence: Provide senior oversight of scientific integration across Discovery and Translational Cancer Immunology, ensuring operational rigor, platform support, and alignment of resources. Leverage enabling functions and data-driven insights to enhance experimental design, reproducibility, and program execution. Promote the development and deployment of modern data systems and analytics to advance scientific and operational excellence, enabling the establishment of a digitally empowered Cancer Immunology team within the broader organization.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Act as a key partner to Research Leadership to support advancement of programs from early discovery into the clinical development portfolio. Foster collaboration across multidisciplinary teams to ensure that discovery efforts, platform capabilities including data platforms, and translational priorities are coordinated and integrated.

• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Lead, mentor, and inspire a multidisciplinary team of PhD and non-PhD scientists. Cultivate a culture of scientific excellence, innovation, and collaboration.

• External Engagement: Spearhead collaborations with academic partners and external organizations. Partner with key stakeholders to define publication strategies and support advancement of the company’s scientific reputation in the field.

Required Skills, Experience, and Education:

• Education & Scientific Expertise: Ph.D. in immunology, cancer biology, or a related discipline, with deep expertise in tumor immunology, immune-evasive oncogenic signaling pathways, and/or immunotherapy. Demonstrated track record of excellence in research, evidenced by high-impact publications.

• Industry Experience: 20+ years of post-PhD experience in biomedical research and oncology drug discovery, including substantial experience in biotech or pharmaceutical settings. Demonstrated leadership in oncology drug discovery and development, including experience with antibody-directed therapies such as T cell engagers, ADCs, or bispecific antibodies, is required. Experience setting early discovery strategy is highly desirable.

• Senior Leadership & Organizational Impact: Proven ability to lead complex, multidisciplinary organizations and influence across functions and levels. Demonstrated experience in portfolio decision-making, program governance, and developing scientific leaders.

• Strategic & Analytical Thinking: Enterprise-level strategic thinker capable of prioritizing initiatives, anticipating challenges, and executing effectively in a dynamic, high-energy environment. Rigorous, quantitative, and detail-oriented experimentalist.

• Collaboration & Communication: Thrives in a collaborative, interdisciplinary team setting. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with chemistry-based therapies, including small molecules or ADC payloads.

• Familiarity with bioinformatics-driven discovery and integrating computational insights into experimental design.

• Demonstrated proficiency with modern data platforms, machine learning approaches, and advanced analytics to support Cancer Immunology research and decision-making.

• Prior experience as a Program Team Leader, with a track record of driving cross-functional strategy and execution across discovery and development stages.

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