Director In-Vitro Pharmacology

The organisation

We are currently looking for an Director In Vitro-Pharmacology. This would be a new position within the Preclinical Research Group for a small to medium size Biotech organisation based in Belgium.

The position

You will be responsible for the design and execution of in vitro preclinical pharmacology studies at all stages of drug discovery and early development. Specifically, the position will entail developing in vitro screening assays and translational disease models and using such to determine the pharmacology and differentiation of new chemical entities; for the advancement of new drug discovery programs.

The role will be part of a multi-disciplinary drug discovery team that has strong interfaces with medicinal chem, in vivo pharmacology, toxicology and drug metabolism/PK scientists. Some of the key responsibilities will include identification of appropriate laboratories, implementation of assays and techniques to screen NCEs and may include target transcription experiments, protein expression and molecular signaling pathways.

In this role you will act as to local representative of Preclinical Research in matrix teams across the company’s project portfolio’s, aligning with project goals to provide scientific and technical expertise in the gathering and interpretation of in vitro pharmacology data.

You will also be responsible for design and practical execution of academic and CRO-based pharmacology studies, and to provide expertise for new and on-going in vitro pharmacology programs. Experience with in vivo models is also desirable.

Tasks & responsibilties

• Managing a team of 30+ internal Scientists and be take ownership in providing cellular and molecular pharmacology expertise to the team as appropriate and maintain current state-of-the-art knowledge in techniques and mechanisms of interest
• Be the subject matter expert for delivering in vitro assays and disease models
• Author/ edit/ review pharmacology sections of regulatory documents, annual reports etc.
• Work closely with the ongoing efforts of Preclinical Research, including chemistry, DMPK, in vivo pharmacology and program management to create and maintain assays in a flow chart for selecting development candidate compounds as well as furthering the understanding of mechanisms.
• Responsible as liaison with pharmacology CROs/academic and internal labs for the conduct and timely execution and reporting of studies

Candidate profile

• PhD degree in molecular or cellular biology, pharmacology or physiology, translational biology or other relevant life science discipline
• Relevant industry experience in development and execution of in vitro screening in early drug discovery for the selection/elimination of compounds for clinical development
• In-depth understanding of the global drug development process
• A strong proficiency in preclinical pharmacology and understanding in the use of in vitro models for drug development. Knowledge and experience of in vivo models is preferable
• Ability to integrate biological, pharmacology, and biochemistry data with PK/PD in drug discovery and development projects
• Strong writing ability and record of scientific publication in peer-reviewed journals and/or scientific study reports
• Strong ability to manage multiple programs with competing timelines, prioritize activities; Able to work in a dynamic matrixed internal environment and to effectively work with external contract research organizations and/or academic institutions
• Proven success as a member of interdisciplinary teams/departments, problem solving skills, a strong sense of urgency and attention to detail, and the ability to successfully execute in a matrix environment under time and resource pressures

The offer

This organisation is very down to earth and well funded. They have had previous successes with their compounds and partnered with the larger Pharmaceutical players to develop this further. It is currently transitioning in to becoming a medium size biotech with all the ups and downs that change has.

Joining them now would mean that you will get the chance to really influence the scientific challenges that are laying before them and make the decisions on these topics and come up with new creative ideas and strategies.

In this position you will receive all the help to steer your career towards a direction of your interests. You will be working with an academic and highly motivated team that knows the trade of pre-clinical research by heart.

Interested?

You are invited to apply for this position by using the form below. For more information, please contact Jord Teeuwen at +31 (0)6 11 10 76 84.