Director & Head of in vivo IgG Discovery

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Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.
United As One for Patients, our purpose in Healthcare is to help create, improve and prolong lives. We develop medicines, intelligent devices and innovative technologies in therapeutic areas such as Oncology, Neurology and Fertility. Our teams work together across 6 continents with passion and relentless curiosity in order to help patients at every stage of life. Joining our Healthcare team is becoming part of a diverse, inclusive and flexible working culture, presenting great opportunities for personal development and career advancement across the globe.
This role does not offer sponsorship for work authorization. External applicants must be eligible to work in the US.
Your Role:
As Director / Senior Director, in vivo Antibody Discovery, you will establish and lead a dedicated team of scientists and associate scientists responsible for the in vivo antibody discovery engine at EMD Serono. You will define the vision, implement a high-throughput discovery strategy, and personally contribute scientific expertise across all phases of the workflow.
Team & Laboratory Build-Out
Design and establish a best-in-class in vivo antibody discovery laboratory, including infrastructure, workflows, SOPs, and quality standards.
Recruit, onboard, and develop a team of scientists and associate scientists covering vivarium operations (animal maintenance and immunization) as well as hit discovery activities.
Define team roles, responsibilities, and growth paths; foster a collaborative, rigorous, and innovative scientific culture.
Develop and implement a strategic roadmap for high-throughput antibody hit identification, with clear KPIs and milestones aligned to portfolio needs.
In vivo Immunization
Lead and oversee multi-modal immunization campaigns in rodent models, including protein, DNA, lipid nanoparticle (LNP), nanodisc, and cell-based immunization strategies.
Apply deep expertise in antigen design in collaboration with Structure Biology and Protein Sciences to maximize the quality and diversity of antibody responses.
Ensure compliance with all institutional and regulatory animal care and use requirements
Hit Identification & Paratope Retrieval
Establish and operate state-of-the-art platforms for antibody hit identification, such as single B cell sorting, hybridoma generation and microfluidics-based screening.
Ensure heavy chain and light chain pairing throughout the discovery workflow to preserve native antibody specificities.
Implement reliable methods for genetic recovery of paratope sequences (VH/VL), including single-cell RT-PCR, next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based repertoire analysis, and related technologies.
Preclinical Program Support
Partner within NBE, with Pharmacology, and Translational teams to advance antibody hits from discovery into lead optimization and IND-enabling studies.
Contribute scientific expertise across the hit-to-IND continuum, including hit characterization, sequence/liability analysis, and early developability assessment.
Represent New Biological Entities (NBE Technologies) function in preclinical project teams; provide regular program updates to senior leadership.
Stay current with emerging technologies and competitive landscape; translate innovations into practical platform improvements.
Who You Are
Minimum Qualifications:
Ph.D. in Immunology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, or a closely related discipline
At least 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry with a strong track record in antibody discovery.
Deep, hands-on expertise in in vivo antibody hit identification from immunized rodents, including immunization design, B cell biology, and hit confirmation.
Minimum 3 years of direct line management experience, with demonstrated ability to build, mentor, and retain high-performing scientific teams.
Proficiency in maintaining heavy chain / light chain pairing fidelity across discovery platforms.
Working knowledge of current state-of-the-art antibody identification platforms (e.g., single B cell technologies, hybridoma, display libraries, microfluidics).
Hands-on experience with methods for genetic retrieval of antibody sequences (VH/VL) from individual B cells or bulk repertoires.
Demonstrated ability to contribute to preclinical programs across the hit discovery to IND continuum.