Director, Translational Science Lead

Renal, Inflammation and Fibrosis and Neurodegeneration

Translational Sciences (TS) within Respiratory, Immunology and Inflammation Research Unit (RIIRU) therapy area is accountable for end-to-end disease area translational science to inform therapy area and program level biomarker strategies (from preclinical to launch) to increase the probability of success from preclinical to clinical transitions and enable earlier and higher confidence asset related decisions. This includes generation of foundational data as well as disease biomarker development and validation that allow timely deployment of tools/biomarkers to support Proof of Mechanism (PoM), signs of clinical efficacy, Proof of Concept (PoC), and pairing Mechanisms of Action (MoAs) with patient subtypes to predict responder populations.

• Partner with the Clinical Teams, Research Technologies and the Development organization to identify, establish biomarkers for decision making throughout clinical development phases and aligned with the overall research and development goals. This will include the identification, prioritisation and validation of disease relevant biomarkers, mechanistic/surrogate biomarkers, patient stratification, and differentiated response prediction, their deployment into clinical studies and interpretation of data/results.

• Provide strategic leadership contributing to deep understanding of disease areas enabling the development and execution of translational research disease strategies to support the discovery and development of novel differentiated therapeutics including evaluation and diligence of business development opportunities.

• Evaluate novel techniques and technologies (i.e. spatial transcriptomics) to inform translational initiatives, biomarker development and validation working in collaboration with platform teams and within a multi-functional matrix environment.
• Identify and guide validation of human assays (cells, tissues and organs) to enhance human translation and predictive value through the application of resources such as the Human Cell Atlas, disease tissue multi-omics data and genetic resources (external or proprietary).

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including the Translational, Disease Teams, Human Genetics & Genomics, biology groups, biomarker platforms, Medicine Development Teams, HBSM, data‑sciences, regulatory affairs, business development and commercial to ensure seamless integration of translational research and biomarker strategies across the drug development lifecycle.

• Establish and maintain strategic collaborations with academic institutions, contract research organizations (CROs), and other external partners to access cutting‑edge technologies, tools, reagents, biosamples, biomarker expertise and research capabilities.
• Foster a network of external experts and key opinion leaders to stay at the forefront of translational science and biomarker advancements across the industry.
• Contribute to evaluation and diligence of business development opportunities.

• Provide mentorship, guidance, and professional development opportunities to ensure a high‑performing and motivated team.
• Manage disease and project level resources, budgets, and timelines to ensure the successful execution of projects and achievement of milestones and TS objectives.
• Represent TS at portfolio governance reviews providing critical input to pipeline and investment decision making.

• Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g., Cell/Molecular Biology, Genetics, Pharmacology, Physical Chemistry or related field)
• Associate Director or Director‑level experience in translational science and biomarker development within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.
• Recognised translational/biomarker expert in scientific community through publications and contributions to the field.
• Higher education or experience in translation and biomarkers implementation in Renal, Inflammation and / or Fibrotic indications.
• Experience of…