Director of Discovery Pharmacology

• Non-clinical team member for discovery-stage programs serving as biology and pharmacology expert in cross-functional discovery projects
• Define biological hypotheses, assay cascades and decision criteria aligned with project goals and medicinal chemistry strategy
• Design and implement robust in vitro and in vivo biological assays to assess disease-related mechanisms, ensuring scientific rigor and suitability for compound screening and characterization
• Develop, validate, and optimize cell-based and biochemical GPCR assays (e.g. signalling, functional, pathway-specific readouts)
• Oversee assay and study execution at CROs, including protocol development, troubleshooting, data quality review and timeline management
• Support compound profiling, selectivity assessment, and mechanism-of-action studies, including pathway bias and functional pharmacology where relevant
• Contribute to the development and execution of tissue-based disease models and in vivo disease models, working together with internal team members and external partners
• Analyse and synthesize complex biological datasets to support compound prioritization and progression decisions
• Contribute biological expertise to interactions with internal non-clinical, clinical, regulatory and IP functions as needed
• Lead translational biomarker strategy and support identification, validation and implementation of pharmacodynamic and disease-relevant biomarkers to enable target engagement assessment and clinical translation
• Integrate translational biomarker data with pharmacology, PK/PD and disease model data to support compound differentiation, patient stratification and dose selection strategies
• Support IP generation through biological data packages, invention disclosures and scientific rationale
• Contribute to biological and pharmacology sections of regulatory documentation (e.g. IND/CTA), including justification of assay relevance and MoA
• Identify and evaluate new targets, assay technologies and therapeutic approaches aligned with company strategy in diseases of interest and support scientific due diligence for external opportunities as needed
• Engage with external experts and CRO scientists to strengthen assay quality and biological insight
• Represent the company at scientific meetings as appropriate
• Proactively flag risks and propose mitigation strategies to keep programs on track

• PhD in pharmacology, biochemistry, cell biology or related discipline
• Strong hands-on background (≥ 15 years) in a biotech or pharmaceutical setting
• Experience in fibrotic disease biology with preference for background in the context of lung and/or kidney disease
• Experience developing and interpreting cell-based and biochemical assays supporting small-molecule programs
• Solid understanding of GPCR signalling, functional pharmacology and assay technologies
• Experience working with CROs and managing outsourced biological work including in vivo study monitoring
• Ability to translate complex biological data into clear project recommendations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Comfortable working in a small, agile, clinical-stage organization with a virtual R&D setting

• Exposure to computational biology, translational data integration or AI-enabled biological analysis is advantageous
• Knowledge of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) is a merit
• Experience with translational biomarker development and interpretation in support of preclinical and early clinical programs is highly desirable

Competitive compensation, benefits, and the opportunity to grow professionally in a collaborative environment where your expertise will be highly valued