AcelaBio - Director, Translational Sciences

We're looking for a Director of Translational Sciences to join our exciting Acela Bio team! As a key member of the expanded leadership team, this role blends scientific leadership and oversight for Acela Bio’s Scientific Operations function, encompassing assay development, digital image analysis, and bioinformatics in support of global clinical study and R&D activities.

Aligned with Acela Bio’s vision, you'll develop and executes strategies to expand scientific service offerings and enhance service delivery quality through the design, development, validation, and operationalization of novel assays, image analysis pipelines, and computational tools that continuously advance Acela Bio’s scientific capabilities. You'll take on the challenge of ensuring scientific rigor, reproducibility, and overall quality of deliverables are achieved in a financially sustainable manner.

This leadership role involves oversight of the Scientific Operations team’s day‑time technical activities, including managing scientific staff and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. As a recognized subject matter expert, you'll still be directly engaged in complex technical work.

You'll own department leadership accountabilities, specifically scientific policy and process development, quality and compliance monitoring, staff resource planning, development and performance management, and providing scientific support and expertise to project and unit teams with sponsors/clients throughout the project life cycle.

Acela Bio is executing a planned restructuring with the build out of corporate operations independence from its sister organization, Alimentiv. We are looking for experienced talent who have navigated corporate transitions, restructuring, or startup scaling. If you have thrived during carve‑outs, separations, or moments when an organization reset its processes and identity, we want to hear from you. This is an opportunity to shape how a profitable, growing business operates independently—from systems and compliance to culture and strategy.

• Maintain oversight of scientific operations for assay development, digital image analysis, and bioinformatics commercial and R&D programs, ensuring alignment with organizational strategies and client needs.
• Lead the design, development, optimization, and validation of immunostaining including multiplex IHC/IF, ISH, and spatial biology assays, image analysis pipelines, and computational/bioinformatics tools.
• Drive innovation initiatives to expand and differentiate Acela Bio’s scientific service portfolio.
• Ensure scientific rigor, reproducibility, and regulatory alignment (GxP, CAP/CLIA) across all commercial project and R&D activities.
• Perform hands‑on assay development work, including designing, optimizing, and validating IHC, multiplex IF, ISH, and spatial biology assays particularly for novel or high‑complexity projects.
• Directly develop and validate image analysis algorithms and pipelines for priority programs, maintaining technical depth alongside oversight of the broader team’s development work.
• Serve as the assigned lead scientist on select sponsor projects, taking direct technical ownership of assay and image analysis deliverables as required.

• Build, lead, and mentor a team of scientists and technical staff supporting assay development, image analysis, and bioinformatics.
• Manage staffing, resource planning, performance management, and professional development for direct reports.
• Foster close collaboration between the Scientific Operations team and the Laboratory, Project Operations, and Business Development team to ensure seamless delivery of scientific services.
• Serve as a role model and mentor,…