Associate Director, Pharmacology & Bioassays

Associate Director Pharmacology & Bioassays

Location: Onsite Vancouver WA (HQ)

About the role:

Absci is seeking a visionary scientific leader to join us as Associate Director Pharmacology & this pivotal role you will spearhead a multidisciplinary team driving in vitro and ex vivo functional characterization of next-generation biologics including antibodies bispecifics and engineered binding proteins to advance Abscis discovery and preclinical pipeline.

Associate Director Pharmacology & Bioassays will serve as the groups primary subject matter expert (SME) in pharmacology mechanistic biology and functional assay strategy. They will ensure that data generated by the team is rigorous reproducible and directly informs program strategy from early discovery through IND-enabling studies. This is a critical scientific leadership role reporting to the Head of Disease Biology and partners closely with Disease Biology Protein Engineering and High-Throughput Screening (HTS) functions at Absci.

Key Responsibilities

Scientific & Functional Leadership:

• Lead mentor and develop a high-performing team focused on in vitro and ex vivo assay development mechanistic biology and functional pharmacology.
• Serve as the primary pharmacology SME on internal project teams.
• Provide scientific direction on assay strategies and mechanistic understanding of biologic therapeutics including MOA receptor pharmacology signaling pathways and functional readouts.
• Uphold strong scientific rigor reproducibility data quality and interpretation standards across all team deliverables.

Pharmacology & Mechanistic Biology

• Oversee the design development optimization and execution of cell-based functional assays that evaluate potency mechanistic activity selectivity and biological relevance of Abscis therapeutic candidates.
• Guide assay strategies supporting:
• Target validation and MOA elucidation
• Lead identification and optimization
• Structurefunction and functional epitope analysis
• Cell biology studies relevant to disease-associated pathways
• Integrate functional biology insights into quantitative pharmacology frameworks (e.g. doseresponse modeling receptor occupancy PK/PD translation).

Program Strategy & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Represent the Pharmacology & Bioassays group on cross-functional project teams translating complex data into actionable recommendations and clear articulation of program risks.
• Collaborate closely with Protein Engineering HTS and Disease Biology to drive cohesive milestone-aligned experimental plans.
• Identify data gaps propose scientifically sound solutions and guide planning to ensure programs remain on track with the right assays and decision-making metrics.
• Support in vivo study design by developing complementary in vitro/ex vivo assays to inform MOA PD biomarkers and dose selection.

Operational Excellence

• Build and maintain state-of-the-art workflows and technologies relevant for cell-based and ex vivo assay systems (e.g. primary cell systems cytokine/receptor signaling assays flow cytometry high-content imaging).
• Implement best practices for assay robustness statistical rigor documentation and reproducibility.
• Manage team resources timelines and workload across multiple programs in a dynamic fast-paced environment.
• Evaluate and oversee external collaborations including CROs and academic groups as needed.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• PhD in Pharmacology Cell Biology Biochemistry Immunology or a related discipline with 5-7 years of industry experience or an equivalent combination of advanced degree and experience.
• Demonstrated track record of scientific leadership and team development.
• Proven experience supporting or leading antibody drug development programs.

Scientific Expertise

• Deep expertise in pharmacology and mechanistic biology of biologics including antibodies bispecifics and other engineered protein therapeutics.
• Strong background in cell biology including primary cell systems cytokine biology receptorligand interactions signaling pathways and effector function mechanisms.
• Extensive experience developing executing and troubleshooting in vitro/ex vivo functional assays such as:
• Primary immune-cell or primary-cell functional assays
• 3D/complex multi-component cell-based assay systems
• Signaling pathway and reporter-based assays
• Cytokine/chemokine readouts (ELISA/MSD)
• Flow cytometry and high-content imaging
• ADCC/CDC or other immune-effector assays (when relevant)
• Demonstrated experience advancing biologic drug candidates through key stages of drug development including target validation lead optimization and IND-enabling studies with direct contribution to at least one successful IND submission.

Leadership & Interpersonal Skills

• Proven ability to lead and inspire scientific teams while maintaining high standards of quality and rigor.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex biological data into program-relevant insights.
• Highly collaborative strategic proactive and adaptable to evolving priorities.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic biotech environment and influence across functions.

How We Thrive Together: Abscis Core Values

• We Believe in the Impossible
• We are one team with one finish line
• We embrace our differences
• We deliver Results
• We do the right thing
• Innovate because lives depend on it.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $160000 -190000/year. The range provided is based on what we believe is a reasonable estimate for the base salary range for this job at the time of posting. Actual base salary pay will be based on a number of factors including skills competencies experience and other job-related factors permitted by law.

Absci offers highly competitive salaries and benefits including medical dental vision insurance unlimited vacation parental leave employee assistance program voluntary life and disability insurance annual bonus potential and 401(k) with a generous company match.