Director of Protein Engineering

About Summit:

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical oncology company with a mission focused on improving quality of life increasing potential duration of life and resolving serious unmet medical needs. At Summit we believe in building a team of world class professionals who are passionate about this mission and it is our people who drive this mission to reality. Summits core values include integrity passion for excellence purposeful urgency collaboration and our commitment to people. Our employees are truly the heart and soul of our culture and they are invaluable in shaping our journey toward excellence.

Summits team is inspired to touch and help change lives through Summits clinical studies in the field of oncology. Summit has multiple global Phase 3 clinical studies including:

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

• HARMONi: Phase 3 clinical study which was intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC who were previously treated with a 3rd generation EGFR TKI.

• HARMONi-3: Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC.

• HARMONi-7: Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab monotherapy compared to pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC.

Colorectal Cancer (CRC)

• HARMONi-GI3: Phase 3 clinical study intended to evaluate ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy compared with bevacizumab plus chemotherapy.

Ivonescimab is an investigational therapy not presently approved by any regulatory authority other than Chinas National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Summit is headquartered in Miami Florida and has additional offices in California New Jersey the UK and Ireland.

Overview of Role:

The Director level Protein Engineerwill lead and drive innovative therapeutic protein discovery within Research focusing on the discovery design and optimization of novel therapeutics for cancer treatment. The ideal leader will have extensive hands-on experience in molecular biology protein expression/purification and the characterization of antibodies and multi specific formats and a proven track record of guiding complex biologics from early-stage design through to candidate selection.

Responsibilities:

• Drive multiple drug discovery programs concurrently ensuring efficient progression from conceptual design to the selection of clinical development candidates meeting aggressive project timelines.
• Lead the design development and engineering of novel protein therapeutics including antibodies and bispecific/multimeric molecules to enhance function stability safety and developability for oncology applications.
• Utilize molecular engineering approaches driven by AI/ML novel display technology directed evolution and structure-guided design to optimize protein candidates.
• Perform hands-on protein expression in transient eukaryotic systems (e.g. HEK293 CHO cells) and generate stable expression cell lines.
• Execute protein purification using various chromatography techniques (affinity IEX SEC etc.) and FPLC/HPLC systems.
• Conduct comprehensive analytical and functional characterization of engineered proteins using techniques such as SDS-PAGE ELISA flow cytometry SPR/BLI and endotoxin measurement.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive projects from target validation through candidate nomination.
• Troubleshoot experiments develop new protocols and document findings in electronic lab notebooks and technical reports.
• Present data and research updates effectively at internal meetings and external scientific conferences.
• Stay current with the latest advancements in protein engineering cancer biology and immunotherapy to propose and implement innovative technologies.
• All other duties as assigned

Experience Education and Specialized Knowledge and Skills:

• PhD in Biochemistry Molecular Biology Chemical Engineering or a related scientific field (or MS with equivalent industry experience).
• A minimum of10years of relevant experience in recombinant protein engineering and expression within an academic or industrial setting.
• Technical Skills
• Extensive hands-on experience with molecular biology techniques including DNA manipulation cloning and mutagenesis.
• Proficiency in protein expression purification and characterization.
• Familiarity with computational modeling tools and bioinformatics software (e.g. PyMOL Geneious) for physical chemical characterization for protein design is desirable.
• Experience with antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) T-cell engagers or other immune-based therapeutic modalities is a plus.
• Strong problem-solving abilities and a proactive hands-on attitude.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with meticulous attention to detail in documentation and record-keeping.
• Ability to work both independently/team leader and collaboratively within a fast-paced multidisciplinary team environment.

The pay range for this role is $200000-$250000 annually. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate including but not limited to skill set depth of experience certifications and specific work location. This may be different in other locations due to differences in the cost of labor. The total compensation package for this position may also include bonus stock benefits and/or other applicable variable compensation.

Summit does not accept referrals from employment businesses and/or employment agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site. All employment businesses/agencies are required to contact Summits Talent Acquisition team at to obtain prior written authorization before referring any candidates to Summit.