Umoja Biopharma is a game-changing biotech start-up with locations in Seattle, WA and Louisville, CO, focused on transforming the treatment of cancer with a novel integrated immunotherapy platform. Our vision is to develop off-the-shelf therapies capable of treating any tumor, any time. We are a diverse and growing team working in brand-new facilities in downtown Seattle, Washington, and Louisville, Colorado, and we are looking for innovative thinkers who are excited by groundbreaking science and technology, and passionate about squaring up to the challenges inherent to cutting edge drug development. We are committed to the principles of Diversity Equity and Inclusion and strongly invite applications from enthusiastic individuals who share our commitment and help position Umoja as a leader in this front. 

We at Umoja believe in the importance of stories; we are looking for great people to join our team to help us create more stories for ourselves, for you, and most importantly for patients and their families.  

Umoja Biopharma – Your Body. Your Hope. Your Cure.  

POSITION SUMMARY

The Umoja Biopharma Translational Medicine team is seeking a highly motivated Principal Scientist to help advance investigational products through clinical phase studies and lead efforts to elucidate mechanisms of response, relapse, and resistance.  This role offers the opportunity to lead translational medicine efforts on designated clinical studies and to support key trial objectives, including but not limited to safety, pharmacokinetics (PK)/ pharmacodynamics (Pd), immunogenicity, disease biology, and exploratory biomarker identification.  This role will report directly to the Director of Translational Medicine and will be responsible for designing and executing translational strategies, driving relevant internal and external bioanalytical assay development, and integrating clinical insights into the pipeline. This role will also be involved in correlative studies, hypothesis-driven investigations, and reverse translation of clinical phase discoveries back into the pipeline. This role requires a combination of hands-on work in the lab and collaboration with external partners and vendors to develop and execute analytical methods.  The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in immunology and cancer biology, extensive biotech/pharma experience, and a proven track record as a translational scientist in clinical trials. 

This is a great opportunity to be part of an exciting startup biotechnology company and to develop the next generation of cancer immunotherapies with a portfolio that could allow greater responsibility and career opportunities.

CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES

Specific responsibilities include:  

  • Serve as translational study lead for designated clinical studies, collaborating cross-functionally with clinical, regulatory, and research teams.
  • Drive assay development and validation for clinical biospecimen testing (hands-on and oversight).
  • Interpret complex data sets and translate findings into actionable insights for pipeline advancement.
  • Manage external collaborations and vendor relationships for assay implementation and sample analysis.
  • Contribute to cross-program strategic planning within the Translational Medicine group.
  • Maintain complete laboratory records in line with appropriate guidance documents and/or SOPs.
  • Prepare technical data reports and presentations.

The successful candidate will have:

  • PhD in Immunology, Cancer Immunotherapy, or related discipline with a minimum of 5+ years of relevant biotech/pharma experience in translational medicine or a Bachelor’s degree in biology, immunology, molecular biology, or related field and 15+ years of relevant industry experience.
  • Demonstrated leadership in translational study design and execution for clinical studies.
  • Expertise in flow cytometry, molecular assays, and ligand binding assay development and validation.
  • Strong communication skills in technical writing and oral presentation.
  • Proven ability to work in cross-functional teams and manage complex projects with tight timelines.

Preferred Qualifications:  

  • Experience with cell and gene therapy development and/or clinical study development.
  • Experience with single cell analytics, including high parameter flow cytometry, sequencing, spatial transcriptomics.
  • Translational medicine experience spanning early Ph1 studies through pivotal study(ies) and commercial launch.

Physical Requirements:  

  • Project-oriented work in this role will require regular on-site presence (5 days/week) to complete essential job-related functions for assisting with bioanalytical method development, execution, and in-person meetings.
  • Occasional travel may be required for site visits, audits, conferences, and/or business development.
  • Early mornings, evenings, and occasional weekend work may also be required to support ex-US activities.

Salary Range: $157,250 - $194,250

Benefits Offerings

Umoja Biopharma offers its employees competitive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans. Additionally, we offer Umojians access to a 401k plan through Fidelity, with a 100% match up to their first 4% deferral. Umoja also provides a generous Paid Time Off policy, employee commuter benefits, and cell phone stipend. For a full breakdown of our benefits offerings, please see the Benefits section of our website.

Apply for this Job

* Required
resume chosen  
Dropbox
(File types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf)
Cancel
cover_letter chosen  
Dropbox
(File types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf)
Cancel

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Umoja Biopharma’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.

Enter the verification code sent to to confirm you are not a robot, then submit your application.

This application was flagged as potential bot traffic. To resubmit your application, turn off any VPNs, clear the browser's cache and cookies, or try another browser. If you still can't submit it, contact our support team through the help center.