Director, Cell Engineering
San Francisco, CA
Our client’s mission is to enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to bring more cell and gene therapies to patients.
Responsibilities
- Lead integration of new technologies and emerging practices to both drive innovation and develop improved workflows.
- Support resource management and project planning across the broader Biology team.
- Aid in building and managing the Cell Engineering team through recruiting, mentoring, and retaining a multidisciplinary team of world-class scientists.
- Direct, manage, and provide technical direction to multiple scientists working on various projects to reliably meet project deadlines.
- Guide the troubleshooting of complex cell engineering challenges within the Cell Engineering team and on the broader Biology team, through the application of industry best practices.
- Collaborate regularly with other teams on experimental design, interpretation of data, and rigorous tracking and recalibration of project timelines and goals.
- Design, execute and oversee experimental efforts for projects in the Cell Engineering team. This is a hybrid role that will include both bench work and management / mentorship.
- Communicate experimental and project progress to leadership.
- Collaborate with the Operations team and other teams to secure experimental resources to complete experiments in a timely manner.
- Influence and support overall direction as a company as well as its evolving needs and company culture, as needed.
About You
- PhD in synthetic biology, molecular biology, bioengineering, cell biology or related field.
- 12+ years of experience across academia and industry, engineering genomes and mammalian cell lines.
- Proven track record of mentoring and leading scientists to meet project goals and deadlines.
- Excellent project management and organizational skills, with the ability to systematically oversee / advance multiple projects simultaneously.
- Demonstrated ability to successfully communicate and collaborate with cross-functional and interdisciplinary teams.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey project plans and complex technical information to a wide range of internal teams and leadership.
- Deep expertise and experience with the engineering of mammalian systems (e.g., CHO, HEK293).
- Deep expertise and experience with assays, methods and accompanying data formats used in molecular biology and mammalian synthetic biology.
- Ability to context-switch between big picture / project planning and deep technical discussions, in a flexible and adaptable manner.
- Ability to work with teams in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.
- Very strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate with a wide array of personalities, backgrounds, and work styles.
- Detail oriented.
Preferred
- Familiarity with laboratory automation.
- Familiarity with data analysis platforms (e.g., Python, R).