Director, Protein Engineering

Syst Immune is a leading and well-funded clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company located in Redmond, WA and Princeton, NJ. It specializes in developing innovative cancer treatments using its established drug development platforms, focusing on bi-specific, multi-specific antibodies, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Syst Immune has multiple assets in various stages of clinical trials for solid tumor and hematologic indications. Alongside ongoing clinical trials.

Syst Immune has a robust preclinical pipeline of potential cancer therapeutics in the discover and IND-enabling stages, representing cutting-edge biologics development. We offer an opportunity for you to learn and grow while making significant contributions to the company's success.

Syst Immune is seeking a Director of Protein Engineering to lead the FUSE team. This is a hands-on scientific leadership role that combines team management, platform ownership, and program-level decision making across the company's bi-specific, multi-specific antibody, and ADC pipeline. The Director will own and continue evolving the next-generation yeast display platform built to integrate directly with the FUSE automation wet lab, lead a team of scientists and research associates executing display-based discovery and engineering campaigns, and partner closely with discovery biology, antibody discovery, CMC, and computational teams to deliver optimized lead molecules into the pipeline.

This is a full-time onsite position at our Redmond, WA location and we will be relocating to our new Bothell, WA facility in fall 2026.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and team management

Lead, mentor, and develop a team of scientists and research associates, setting clear technical direction, performance expectations, and career development paths. Build team structure, hiring plans, and resource allocation to match pipeline demand; partner with HR on recruiting, onboarding, and retention. Establish team operating rhythms, including project reviews, technical reviews, and platform roadmap planning.

Platform ownership: next-generation yeast display

Own and advance the next-generation yeast display platform, including library design, surface display formats, selection workflows, and downstream characterization. Drive integration of the yeast display platform with the FUSE automation wet lab, including liquid handling, automated sorting workflows, cell-free expression, and LIMS/data infrastructure. Define platform performance metrics (throughput, diversity, hit rate, develop ability) and lead continuous improvement against those metrics. Evaluate and onboard new technologies, instrumentation, and methodologies;

build the case and budget for capital investments where warranted.

Program and pipeline impact

Direct display-based discovery and engineering campaigns for bi-specific and multi-specific antibodies, ADC binder components, and effector molecules across oncology programs. Lead engineering strategy for affinity modulation, stability and develop ability optimization, epitope masking, conditional activation (pH, protease, etc.), and other novel binder properties. Represent FUSE on project teams and at portfolio reviews; translate program needs into platform deliverables and timelines.

Scientific rigor and operations

Ensure data quality, reproducibility, and integrity across the team; oversee SOPs, LIMS usage, and documentation standards. Use NGS, flow cytometry, and computational tools to inform iterative protein design and lead selection. Stay current on the protein engineering, display technology, and lab automation landscape; bring relevant advances into the platform.

Qualifications

* PhD in protein engineering, biochemistry, structural biology, molecular biology, bioengineering, or a related field.

* Minimum 10 years of industry experience in biologics drug discovery and development.

* Minimum 8 years of hands-on experience with yeast display, including library design and construction, FACS-based selection and sorting, deep sequencing analysis, and downstream characterization of selected binders.

* Demonstrated experience building or substantially advancing a yeast display platform, including integration with laboratory automation (liquid handlers, automated cell sorters, LIMS, or equivalent).

* Track record leading and developing a team of scientists and research associates, with clear examples of hiring, mentoring, performance management, and career progression.

* Demonstrated delivery of engineered binders or therapeutic leads into a biologics pipeline, ideally including bi-specific or multi-specific formats.

* Strong working knowledge of antibody and binder formats (IgG, Fab, scFv, VHH) and engineering strategies including affinity maturation, stability and develop ability optimization, and conditional activation.

* Experience leading display campaigns alongside complementary discovery modalities (phage display, immunization-derived repertoires, in silico/AI-based design) is strongly preferred.

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