The Role:
Generate:Biomedicines is seeking an experienced and innovation-minded Director, Biotherapeutic Production Technologies, to define the strategy and lead the team responsible for protein expression, purification, and fit-for-purpose characterization in support of discovery and early development.
This leader will be accountable for delivering high-quality protein material at the scale, speed, and scientific rigor required to support critical program decisions. The Director will advance the technologies, workflows, external partnerships, and team capabilities that enable programs to move from exploratory protein science toward development with confidence.
The role will oversee protein production across multiple expression platforms, including transient mammalian, stable CHO, and cell-free systems. The team's downstream scope includes affinity capture, Protein A, size-exclusion chromatography, ion exchange, and other polishing methods used to generate research- and in vivo–enabling material.
The Director will balance reliable operational execution with scientific and technology innovation. This person will establish fit-for-purpose standards for material quality, reproducibility, data integrity, and decision-making while serving as a senior technical leader across protein production technologies.
The successful candidate will bring broad expertise across upstream expression and downstream purification, with particular strength in stable cell line technologies, vector and construct design, multi-gene expression, and the production of diverse or complex therapeutic protein modalities. This leader will partner closely with Discovery, Molecular Characterization, CMC/Tech Ops, data and automation teams, and external CRO and CDMO partners.
We are also seeking a leader who is excited to apply AI/ML-enabled and agentic tools, automation, and structured data workflows to improve speed, quality, scalability, and organizational learning across protein production.
This role will lead teams at both our Somerville, MA and Andover, MA locations.
Key Responsibilities:
- Define and execute the functional strategy and technology roadmap for Biotherapeutic Production Technologies, aligning priorities with discovery portfolio, platform, and early development needs.
- Translate functional strategy into clear scientific objectives, operating plans, technology investments, and measurable outcomes. Communicate progress, risks, resource needs, and tradeoffs to senior and executive stakeholders.
- Lead portfolio-level planning and prioritization across internal and outsourced protein-production activities, balancing program delivery, platform advancement, capacity, timelines, and external spend.
- Oversee protein expression across transient mammalian, stable CHO, and cell-free production systems. Establish scientific and operational standards that support robust, scalable, and reproducible execution.
- Drive innovation in stable-expression technologies, including construct and vector design, stable pool and clone generation, multi-gene expression strategies, and emerging landing-pad or targeted-integration approaches.
- Establish and oversee purification strategies spanning affinity capture, Protein A, size-exclusion chromatography, ion exchange, and other polishing methods used to generate high-quality research- and in vivo–enabling material.
- Establish fit-for-purpose quality standards and characterization strategies for purity, aggregation, concentration, identity, oligomeric state, stability, and other attributes relevant to intended material use.
- Serve as a senior technical decision-maker for highly complex expression, purification, and protein-quality challenges. Integrate data across workflows, evaluate scientific and operational risk, and determine appropriate courses of action.
- Partner with discovery and project teams to develop production strategies that support exploratory research, go/no-go decisions, candidate selection, and progression into early development.
- Work closely with Molecular Characterization and CMC/Tech Ops to enable effective knowledge transfer and the transition of molecules from discovery into development.
- Own the external production and outsourcing strategy for the function. Establish productive relationships with CROs, CDMOs, and technology partners; define technical work packages; oversee performance; resolve escalated issues; and ensure deliverables meet scientific and quality expectations.
- Lead the adoption of automation, structured data practices, AI/ML-enabled tools, and agentic workflows that improve construct design, experimental planning, troubleshooting, documentation, data capture, and scientific decision-making.
- Drive operational excellence across the function through clear prioritization, resource planning, milestone management, performance metrics, risk management, and continuous improvement.
- Represent Biotherapeutic Production Technologies on cross-functional program and platform teams. Lead strategic initiatives as appropriate and translate complex scientific information into clear, compelling, and actionable recommendations.
Leadership Responsibilities:
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing and inclusive team spanning upstream molecular biology and expression, downstream purification, and focused protein characterization.
- Establish clear expectations for scientific quality, delivery, collaboration, and accountability. Use appropriate metrics and digital tools to monitor progress, identify risks, and support data-informed decisions.
- Recruit and develop diverse talent with the technical expertise, collaborative skills, and leadership potential required to meet current and future organizational needs.
- Provide timely, constructive feedback and create equitable opportunities for technical development, leadership growth, increased responsibility, and career progression.
- Ensure team members understand how their work contributes to program, functional, and organizational priorities. Empower individuals to take ownership, share knowledge, and make sound decisions within clearly defined areas of responsibility.
- Foster an environment of scientific rigor, experimentation, adaptability, and calculated risk-taking. Encourage the team to learn from both successful and unsuccessful outcomes and apply those insights to future work.
- Model transparent, courageous, and compassionate communication. Communicate priorities, decisions, tradeoffs, successes, and setbacks clearly while promoting active listening, candor, and cross-functional partnership.
- Build a culture in which technical excellence, inclusion, integrity, urgency, and collaboration are expected and reinforced.
The Ideal Candidate will have:
- Ph.D. in biochemistry, molecular biology, chemical engineering, bioengineering, protein sciences, or a related discipline, with 10 or more years of relevant industry experience; or an M.S. in a related discipline, with 12 or more years of relevant industry experience.
- Demonstrated success leading, developing, and retaining scientific teams within biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or similarly rigorous protein-production environments.
- A track record of defining and executing functional or platform strategy across multiple programs, balancing near-term delivery with longer-term capability and technology development.
- Expert technical knowledge across upstream protein expression and downstream purification, with the judgment to guide complex scientific decisions and resolve cross-workflow challenges.
- Significant experience with mammalian expression systems, including CHO-based production and stable cell line technologies.
- Strong experience with construct and vector design, construct optimization, stable pools or clones, and multi-gene expression strategies.
- Expertise in protein-purification methods, including Protein A and other affinity-capture approaches, size-exclusion chromatography, ion exchange, and polishing chromatography.
- Experience developing or overseeing workflows that produce material appropriate for in vivo studies, late-stage discovery decisions, candidate progression, or early development transitions.
- Strong understanding of fit-for-purpose analytical and biochemical characterization methods used to evaluate protein purity, aggregation, concentration, identity, stability, and related quality attributes.
- Demonstrated ability to apply advanced judgment to highly complex scientific and operational problems, assess incomplete or conflicting information, and make sound decisions with meaningful program impact.
- Experience influencing cross-functional outcomes and partnering effectively with Discovery, Molecular Characterization, CMC, Tech Ops, data-focused teams, and other scientific stakeholders.
- Experience establishing and managing productive relationships with CROs, CDMOs, vendors, or other external technology partners.
- A track record of improving workflows, implementing new technologies, and increasing throughput, reproducibility, material quality, or operational efficiency.
- Strong resource-planning and prioritization skills, including the ability to manage competing program needs, internal capacity, timelines, external partnerships, and approved spending plans.
- Clear and influential written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting complex scientific strategies, risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations to senior and executive stakeholders.
- A commitment to scientific rigor, accurate documentation, data integrity, ethical decision-making, and an inclusive, high-performance culture.
Nice to Have:
- Experience producing complex biologics, including multispecific antibodies, Fc-fusion proteins, enzymes, multi-subunit proteins, or other engineered protein modalities.
- Experience with landing-pad, targeted-integration, or other emerging stable-expression technologies.
- Experience managing a combination of internal production capabilities and outsourced protein-production workflows.
- Experience with laboratory automation, high-throughput experimentation, LIMS, electronic laboratory notebooks, structured production databases, or other systems that enable cross-program learning.
- Experience applying AI/ML-enabled or agentic tools to scientific planning, workflow optimization, troubleshooting, documentation, or decision-making.
- Experience leading cross-functional therapeutic project teams or major scientific platform initiatives.
- Experience working in a small or mid-sized biotechnology environment in which scientific leaders balance strategy, people leadership, operational accountability, and hands-on technical engagement.
About Generate:Biomedicines
We are a clinical-stage generative biology company pioneering the AI revolution in drug design and development. We are advancing a new approach to drug creation—one grounded in the ability to design proteins with defined biological intent. By integrating machine learning with large-scale experimentation, this approach aims to reduce the uncertainty, time, and cost associated with developing protein-based medicines.
Founded in 2018, we are advancing a growing pipeline of clinical and preclinical programs across multiple disease areas and protein modalities. By unifying computational design and clinical development within a single operating model, we translate this approach into clinical-stage programs and are leading a shift from traditional drug discovery toward systematic drug generation.
At Generate:Biomedicines, we collaborate across disciplines in new ways to invent and innovate. We bring diverse perspectives to a shared goal of delivering better medicines to patients in need, faster, guided by our values and leadership behaviors.
Generate:Biomedicines is 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.
Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Generate:Biomedicines does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Generate:Biomedicines or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by the Company's internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Generate:Biomedicines and the Company will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.
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