GSK
Senior Director Neurodegeneration, Translational Sciences
GSK, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, United States, 19426
Senior Director Neurodegeneration, Translational Sciences
At GSK, we have bold ambitions for patients, aiming to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade. Our R&D focuses on discovering and delivering vaccines and medicines, combining our understanding of the immune system with cutting‑edge technology to transform people’s lives.
Position Summary Reporting to the Vice President of Translational Sciences, Respiratory, Immunology and Inflammation Translational Unit (RIITU), the Senior Director Neurodegeneration, Translational Sciences will be responsible for innovative disease area translational initiatives to inform therapy area and programme biomarker strategies that will increase the probability of success of preclinical to clinical transitions and allow for earlier and higher confidence project‑related decisions. This includes generation of foundational data as well as disease biomarker development and validation to support detection of Proof of Mechanism (PoM), signs of clinical efficacy, Proof of Concept (PoC), and pairing Mechanisms of Action (MoAs) with patient subtypes to predict rapid or complete responder populations in neurodegenerative diseases.
Responsibilities
Translational Leadership:
Provide strategic leadership contributing to deep understanding of disease areas enabling the development and execution of translational research disease strategies to support the discovery and development of novel differentiated therapeutics, including evaluation and diligence of business development opportunities.
Translational Innovation:
Evaluate novel techniques and technologies (i.e. spatial transcriptomics) to inform translational initiatives, biomarker development and validation working in collaboration with platform teams and within a multi‑functional matrix environment.
Disease Biomarker Strategy Development:
Partner with the Disease Teams, Research Technologies and the Development organization to identify, establish disease biomarkers for decision making throughout clinical development phases and aligned with the overall research and development goals. This includes identification, prioritisation and validation of disease‑relevant biomarkers, mechanistic/surrogate biomarkers, patient stratification and differentiated response prediction through to their deployment into clinical studies.
Cross‑Functional Collaboration:
Collaborate closely with cross‑functional teams including the Translational, Disease Teams, Human Genetics & Genomics, biology groups, biomarker platforms, Medicine Development Teams, HBSM, data‑sciences, regulatory affairs, business development and commercial to ensure seamless integration of translational research and biomarker strategies across the drug development lifecycle.
External Partnerships:
Establish and maintain strategic collaborations with academic institutions, contract research organizations (CROs) and other external partners to access cutting‑edge technologies, tools, reagents, biosamples, biomarker expertise and research capabilities; foster a network of external experts and key opinion leaders to stay at the forefront of translational science and biomarker advancements across the industry; contribute to evaluation and diligence of business development opportunities.
Matrix Leadership:
Provide mentorship, guidance and professional development opportunities to ensure a high‑performing and motivated team; manage disease and project‑level resources, budgets and timelines to ensure the successful execution of projects and achievement of milestones and RITU objectives; represent RITU at portfolio governance reviews providing critical input to pipeline and investment decision making.
Basic Qualifications
Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g., Cell/Molecular Biology, Genetics, Pharmacology, Physical Chemistry or related field)
Extensive Neurogenerative Disease level understanding and knowledge in translation/biomarkers implementation.
Extensive experience in translational science and biomarker development within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry with broad knowledge in technologies and methods used in translational research.
Recognised translational/biomarker expert in scientific community through publications and contributions to the field.
Experience working in a clinical trial setting, working as part of a clinical study and experience of authoring and oversight of clinical and regulatory documents.
Knowledge of regulatory requirements, industry standards, best practices and compliance considerations in translational research and biomarker development and validation.
Proven track record of program decision making through implementing biomarker strategies and delivering translational science insights in support of drug progression through clinical transition milestones.
Experience leading/managing external collaborations and evaluation of business development opportunities.
Strong executive and people management skills, with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple projects to meet timelines while maintaining attention to detail and high‑performance standards.
Excellent inclusive matrix leadership skills, with the ability to create psychological safety, inspire and motivate a team towards achieving common goals.
Ability to adapt to a fast‑paced and evolving research environment, with strong problem‑solving and critical‑thinking skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Awareness of bioinformatic / computational methods supporting integrated analysis and interpretation of translational and biomarker‑related data sets.
Work Location This role is based in the United Kingdom or United States and will require on‑site presence with flexibility for hybrid working arrangements.
GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
At GSK, we have bold ambitions for patients, aiming to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade. Our R&D focuses on discovering and delivering vaccines and medicines, combining our understanding of the immune system with cutting‑edge technology to transform people’s lives.
Position Summary Reporting to the Vice President of Translational Sciences, Respiratory, Immunology and Inflammation Translational Unit (RIITU), the Senior Director Neurodegeneration, Translational Sciences will be responsible for innovative disease area translational initiatives to inform therapy area and programme biomarker strategies that will increase the probability of success of preclinical to clinical transitions and allow for earlier and higher confidence project‑related decisions. This includes generation of foundational data as well as disease biomarker development and validation to support detection of Proof of Mechanism (PoM), signs of clinical efficacy, Proof of Concept (PoC), and pairing Mechanisms of Action (MoAs) with patient subtypes to predict rapid or complete responder populations in neurodegenerative diseases.
Responsibilities
Translational Leadership:
Provide strategic leadership contributing to deep understanding of disease areas enabling the development and execution of translational research disease strategies to support the discovery and development of novel differentiated therapeutics, including evaluation and diligence of business development opportunities.
Translational Innovation:
Evaluate novel techniques and technologies (i.e. spatial transcriptomics) to inform translational initiatives, biomarker development and validation working in collaboration with platform teams and within a multi‑functional matrix environment.
Disease Biomarker Strategy Development:
Partner with the Disease Teams, Research Technologies and the Development organization to identify, establish disease biomarkers for decision making throughout clinical development phases and aligned with the overall research and development goals. This includes identification, prioritisation and validation of disease‑relevant biomarkers, mechanistic/surrogate biomarkers, patient stratification and differentiated response prediction through to their deployment into clinical studies.
Cross‑Functional Collaboration:
Collaborate closely with cross‑functional teams including the Translational, Disease Teams, Human Genetics & Genomics, biology groups, biomarker platforms, Medicine Development Teams, HBSM, data‑sciences, regulatory affairs, business development and commercial to ensure seamless integration of translational research and biomarker strategies across the drug development lifecycle.
External Partnerships:
Establish and maintain strategic collaborations with academic institutions, contract research organizations (CROs) and other external partners to access cutting‑edge technologies, tools, reagents, biosamples, biomarker expertise and research capabilities; foster a network of external experts and key opinion leaders to stay at the forefront of translational science and biomarker advancements across the industry; contribute to evaluation and diligence of business development opportunities.
Matrix Leadership:
Provide mentorship, guidance and professional development opportunities to ensure a high‑performing and motivated team; manage disease and project‑level resources, budgets and timelines to ensure the successful execution of projects and achievement of milestones and RITU objectives; represent RITU at portfolio governance reviews providing critical input to pipeline and investment decision making.
Basic Qualifications
Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g., Cell/Molecular Biology, Genetics, Pharmacology, Physical Chemistry or related field)
Extensive Neurogenerative Disease level understanding and knowledge in translation/biomarkers implementation.
Extensive experience in translational science and biomarker development within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry with broad knowledge in technologies and methods used in translational research.
Recognised translational/biomarker expert in scientific community through publications and contributions to the field.
Experience working in a clinical trial setting, working as part of a clinical study and experience of authoring and oversight of clinical and regulatory documents.
Knowledge of regulatory requirements, industry standards, best practices and compliance considerations in translational research and biomarker development and validation.
Proven track record of program decision making through implementing biomarker strategies and delivering translational science insights in support of drug progression through clinical transition milestones.
Experience leading/managing external collaborations and evaluation of business development opportunities.
Strong executive and people management skills, with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple projects to meet timelines while maintaining attention to detail and high‑performance standards.
Excellent inclusive matrix leadership skills, with the ability to create psychological safety, inspire and motivate a team towards achieving common goals.
Ability to adapt to a fast‑paced and evolving research environment, with strong problem‑solving and critical‑thinking skills.
Preferred Qualifications
Awareness of bioinformatic / computational methods supporting integrated analysis and interpretation of translational and biomarker‑related data sets.
Work Location This role is based in the United Kingdom or United States and will require on‑site presence with flexibility for hybrid working arrangements.
GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
#J-18808-Ljbffr