Be Biopharma is looking to hire highly motivated, experienced, and innovative thinkers to join our growing team of passionate researchers to leverage B cells as a novel class of cellular medicine. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a foundational team and help build Be Bio!
We are hiring an AAV Vector Process Development leader. This role will be responsible for leading process and analytical development activities for AAV that are utilized for ex vivo engineering of B cells. This role will be responsible for internally developing AAV capability as well as overseeing GMP operations at a CDMO.
Job Responsibilities:
- Lead the Viral Vector Process Development (PD) effort at Be Bio, including all aspects of upstream and downstream PD
- Oversee the development, optimization, and qualification/validation of robust assays for AAV characterization and release
- Serve as the senior leader responsible for technical oversight of CDMOs for plasmids and viral vector.
- Build strong relationships with various stakeholders inside and outside of Be Bio
- Lead the effort in establishing a platform vector process for AAV
- Hire and mentor viral vector PD staffs and build an exceptional team
- Implement novel technologies to improve the yield and critical quality attributes of AAV
- Establish and effectively manage department annual operating budgets
- Work with Business Development representatives to establish contracts with CDMOs
- Author technical reports, protocols, and regulatory filings
- Serve as a critical team member on the program team
Qualifications and Education Requirements
- P.D. in relevant Science or Engineering discipline and 10+ years’ experience in process and analytical development of viral vectors or equivalent
- Prior experience working with viral vector design, manufacturing, and qualification technologies
- Exceptional teamwork and communication skills
- Strong technical background in process development as demonstrated by experience developing multiple processes and transferring them to GMP manufacturing to support clinical supply
- Prior experience of IND, BLA, or equivalent regulatory filings is highly preferred.
- Experiences with analytical or statistical software’s (e.g., JMP, SoftMax Pro, Gen5, etc.) is highly desirable
About us
Be Biopharma is pioneering a new class of medicines, unleashing the power of B cells to create the new field of Engineered B Cell Medicines. B cells are the body’s protein producing factories, most widely known for making antibodies. Our leading B cell therapy platform, developed by the top scientific KOLs in the field and with strong IP protection, harnesses this capability to engineer B cells to produce any protein with potential therapeutic application. This creates a unique opportunity to rapidly design and develop a broad portfolio of disease changing products (our platform affords ready swapping in new genes for different disease indications) and to significantly scale the company to realize substantial value in a short period of time.
Importantly, and in contrast to other cell therapy modalities, Engineered B Cells engraft naturally (and thus are not expected to require preconditioning chemotherapy). They are also “naturally allogeneic”, and we expect most or all of our portfolio to be “off-the-shelf” medicines. We have a rich pipeline of initial medicines under development in Oncology and Severe Genetic Disease, and we will subsequently expand to other important indications (e.g. Infectious Disease, Autoimmune Disease, etc).
Our Cambridge-based team is led by highly experienced, mission-driven executives all of whom are experienced cell therapy veterans who played key roles in developing several of today’s most impactful marketed gene and cell therapies. The team is rapidly expanding, with 20 employees joining in the first half of 2021. We are making major strides in our proof-of-concept studies for our lead programs in Oncology and Rare Disease, which are on track for near-term clinical development. Be Biopharma was founded in 2020 with a 52M Series A financing round supported by a syndicate of leading biotech investors (Longwood Fund, Atlas, RA Capital, Alta).
Culture
The beating heart of Be Bio is our People and together we are building a culture driven by purpose, passion, and that’s full of character. We are “all-in” as we align ourselves with patients who need our medicines, and we embrace the highest standards of transparency, excellence, candor, collaboration, and team-based science with a shared ownership of company milestones and successes.
Our commitment to our team members is to deliver a compelling, dynamic work experience that enables them to continually stretch, grow, and learn, that enriches their lives, that fosters a sense of belonging and community, and that goes above and beyond to support them in big, meaningful ways in both their personal and professional lives. Be Bio is a team that works hard, plays hard, and supports each other on our shared journey to get transformative medicines to patients who need them.
