Vice President, Cancer Biology

The Company:

WHAT IF THE SECRET OF HEALTH LIES AT THE CENTER OF DISEASE? At Sonata Therapeutics, we are designing therapeutics that reprogram diseased cells to become the coordinators of cure.   

Through a combination of our proprietary genetic library, comprehensive biochemical and functional characterization, and the latest advancements in machine learning algorithms, we are generating a deep understanding of how to reshape multicellular networks to guide the development of transformative therapeutics. While initially focused on oncology, our network-based approach is applicable across many intractable diseases.  

Sonata Therapeutics was founded by Flagship Pioneering, an organization dedicated to the origination and development of first-in-category life sciences companies.  Since 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered the development of nearly 100 scientific ventures resulting in $20+ billion in aggregate value, 500+ issued patents, and more than 50 clinical trials for novel therapeutic agents.  

The Position:

Due to the expansion of our R&D capabilities, we are currently on the hunt for a Vice President, Cancer Biology, that will drive and inspire our teams to advance our immune-oncology portfolio programs from discovery to clinical trials.

As the Vice President, you will provide research leadership across discovery and preclinical research, expertise, and insight into critical aspects of our immuno-oncology/oncology portfolio. In collaboration with the company’s Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), you will establish the Company's strategic research plan in support of the Company's portfolio strategy.  You will translate the strategy into action from basic research through the completion of IND enabling studies. Also, working with the CSO and other Sonata Senior Leaders, you will help oversee the design of the organization’s products and investigate new technologies. You will guide oncology-related activities with leaders across the company, as well as outside collaborators and scientific/regulatory agencies.

Sonata Therapeutics offers the challenge and opportunity to work at an early-stage, big concept biotechnology company.  efforts will directly impact the expansion of our R&D portfolio and existing, early-stage research programs, as well as  first-in-human clinical studies within the next 18 months that will lead to the development of new, life-changing, innovative therapies.  

You will be making a significant impact by...  

• Serving as the SME in Cancer Biology and leading full-cycle drug discovery, including target ID/validation, preclinical research, and IND-enabling studies that lead to regulatory filings
• In collaboration with the CSO, leading the development of the strategy for our immuno-oncology (IO) portfolio and driving programs forward to critical inflection points.
• In collaboration with CTO and Platform teams, assessing platform technologies that support the expansion of our IO portfolio.
• In collaboration with your IO program leaders, establishing program milestones and timelines and driving programs through solid leadership, empowerment, and holding teams accountable for meeting portfolio goals on time and on budget.
• Leading a biology team in finalizing nonclinical study reports and in contributing to the writing of regulatory documents for clinical studies
• Ensuring precise and complete record keeping for all internal and external research projects and preclinical research regulatory documents
• Contributing to early evaluation of the intellectual property landscape for all products
• Working with Senior Leadership to evaluate clinical candidates and designs and executes any relevant additional research regarding mechanism of action, combination strategies, and new indications
• Conceiving and executing on novel scientific projects to expand the company portfolio and platform
• Building, mentoring, and leading high-performing teams of talented scientists to support current and future projects
• Providing scientific leadership for pipeline prioritization within and between indications and within and between programs
• Communicating in a timely and effective manner with executive management and collaborators
• Building and maintaining solid and effective relationships with vendors, consultants, and other external partners
• Building an ecosystem of KOLs and collaborators to expand our capabilities and access to cutting edge research

As an excellent candidate, you will possess:   

• Ph.D. in Cancer Biology or related field
• Scientific broad technical expertise in oncology, immunology and tumor biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and related scientific disciplines
• Minimum of 10 years of biotechnology/pharmaceutical-related experience, including experience performing immuno-oncology research and full-cycle drug development (early discovery through first-in-human clinical trials)
• Experience with writing regulatory documents to support IND filings
• Strong work ethic with the expectation of excellence from self and others. Must have high personal credibility and outstanding written communication skills on scientific topics
• Strong interpersonal and presentation skills, good judgment, and ability to communicate with a diverse range of individuals; must be persuasive, strong at building relationships, able to distill complex information into a simple message, and comfortable and experienced at presenting to audiences of peers
• Must be a highly effective communicator who can establish collaborative internal and external working relationships, present ideas clearly, and be perceived by others as approachable and accessible
• Adaptability, flexibility, independence, and resourcefulness to roll up sleeves and multi-task to thrive and lead in a small company environment
• Strong scientific leadership experience, including experience leading multi-disciplinary project teams
• Self-starter who works with a sense of urgency and functions as a strong team player, effectively working with and leading other disciplines

Sonata Therapeutics and Flagship Pioneering are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or veteran status.  

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