Director, Protein Engineering

Director Of 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.

• Leadership and team management
• Platform ownership: next-generation yeast display
• Program and pipeline impact
• Scientific rigor and operations

• 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.
• Excellent scientific judgment and the ability to make timely, decisive calls on campaign strategy, hit triage, and resource allocation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to represent the function to senior leadership and external partners.

• Experience in oncology biologics, ADCs, or T cell engagers.
• Familiarity with computational and machine learning approaches to library design and binder optimization.
• Experience presenting at scientific conferences, contributing to patents, and publishing in peer-reviewed journals.

Compensation and Benefits:
The expected base salary range for this position is $180,000 - $240,000 annually. Actual compensation will be based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to a candidate's level qualifications, experience, and skills. While most offers typically fall within the low to mid-point of the range, we may extend an offer toward the higher end for exceptional candidates whose background and expertise exceeds the requirements of the role.

Syst Immune is a leading and well-funded biotech company with a bright future. We offer an opportunity for you to learn and grow while making significant contributions to the company's success. Syst Immune offers a comprehensive benefits package including: 100% paid employee premiums for medical/dental/vision, also STD, LTD, a 401(k) plan with a 50% company match of up to 3% and a vesting schedule of only 5 years, 15 PTO days per year, sick leave, plus 11 paid holidays and MORE.

Syst Immune is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We welcome diverse talent and encourage all qualified applicants to apply.