What are the responsibilities and job description for the Associate Director, Mechanistic Pharmacology position at Kelly Science, Engineering, Technology & Telecom?
Kelly® Science & Clinical is seeking an Associate Director, Pharmacology and Bioassays for a direct hire opportunity with a generative AI biotechnology company in Vancouver, WA. If you’re passionate about bringing the latest scientific discoveries to life and are ready to take the next step in your career, trust The Experts at Hiring Experts.
Workplace: Onsite in Vancouver, WA (50%)
Salary: $160,000-190,000
Overview
We are looking for an exceptional scientific leader to shape the future of our discovery and preclinical pipeline as Associate Director, Pharmacology & Bioassays. This is a high-impact role where you will guide a dynamic team responsible for in vitro and ex vivo functional characterization of biologics—including antibodies, bispecifics, and innovative engineered proteins. You will be instrumental in advancing novel drug candidates by driving scientific rigor, mechanistic understanding, and high-quality assay strategies from early discovery through IND-enabling studies.
Responsibilities
Scientific & Functional Leadership
Education & Experience
Once you apply, you’ll proceed to the next steps if your skills and experience look like a good fit. But don’t worry – even if this position doesn’t work out, you’re still in our network. That means our team of expert Science & Clinical recruiters will have access to your profile, making your opportunities limitless.
#P1
As part of our promise to talent, Kelly supports those who work with us through a variety of benefits, perks, and work-related resources. Kelly offers eligible employees voluntary benefit plans including medical, dental, vision, telemedicine, term life, whole life, accident insurance, critical illness, a legal plan, and short-term disability. As a Kelly employee, you will have access to a retirement savings plan, service bonus and holiday pay plans (earn up to eight paid holidays per benefit year), and a transit spending account. In addition, employees are entitled to earn paid sick leave under the applicable state or local plan. Click here for more information on benefits and perks that may be available to you as a member of the Kelly Talent Community.
Why Kelly® Science & Clinical?
Kelly Science & Clinical is your connection to premier scientific and clinical companies looking to hire industry experts just like you. Our team creates expert talent solutions to solve the world’s most critical challenges. Every day, we match science professionals with dream jobs that fit their skills, interests, and career goals—it’s the way we think job searching should be. Nearly 100 percent of our science recruiters have a professional background and education in science, so we know a thing or two about the science market and how to get your expertise noticed.
About Kelly
Work changes everything. And at Kelly, we’re obsessed with where it can take you. To us, it’s about more than simply accepting your next job opportunity. It’s the fuel that powers every next step of your life. It’s the ripple effect that changes and improves everything for your family, your community, and the world. Which is why, here at Kelly, we are dedicated to providing you with limitless opportunities to enrich your life—just ask the 300,000 people we employ each year.
Kelly is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and we take affirmative action to recruit, employ, and advance qualified individuals with disabilities and protected veterans in the workforce. Requests for accommodation related to our application process can be directed to the Kelly Human Resource Knowledge Center. Kelly complies with the requirements of California’s state and local Fair Chance laws. A conviction does not automatically bar individuals from employment. Kelly participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.
Workplace: Onsite in Vancouver, WA (50%)
Salary: $160,000-190,000
Overview
We are looking for an exceptional scientific leader to shape the future of our discovery and preclinical pipeline as Associate Director, Pharmacology & Bioassays. This is a high-impact role where you will guide a dynamic team responsible for in vitro and ex vivo functional characterization of biologics—including antibodies, bispecifics, and innovative engineered proteins. You will be instrumental in advancing novel drug candidates by driving scientific rigor, mechanistic understanding, and high-quality assay strategies from early discovery through IND-enabling studies.
Responsibilities
Scientific & Functional Leadership
- Mentor and inspire a talented, multidisciplinary team focused on in vitro and ex vivo assay development, mechanistic biology, and functional pharmacology.
- Serve as a subject matter expert in pharmacology, providing strategic direction on assay strategy and the mechanistic evaluation of biologic therapeutics—including MOA, receptor pharmacology, signaling pathways, and functional outcomes.
- Champion scientific excellence, data integrity, and quality across all team outputs.
- Drive the design, optimization, and execution of advanced cell-based functional assays to assess potency, mechanistic activity, selectivity, and biological relevance of therapeutic candidates.
- Shape assay strategies supporting target validation, MOA elucidation, lead optimization, structure–function analysis, and disease-pathway studies.
- Integrate functional biology insights with quantitative pharmacology, including dose–response modeling, PK/PD, and receptor occupancy.
- Represent Pharmacology & Bioassays in cross-functional teams, translating complex datasets into actionable program recommendations.
- Collaborate closely with colleagues in Protein Engineering, High-Throughput Screening, and Disease Biology to advance aligned experimental plans and drive program success.
- Identify critical data gaps, propose robust solutions, and ensure strategic decision-making through effective assay application.
- Support in vivo study design through complementary in vitro/ex vivo testing to inform MOA, biomarker selection, and dose guidance.
- Build and maintain state-of-the-art workflows for functional assay systems, including primary cell platforms, cytokine/receptor signaling, flow cytometry, and high-content imaging.
- Establish and implement best practices in assay robustness, statistical rigor, documentation, and reproducibility.
- Oversee resource allocation, timelines, and workload management for multiple concurrent programs in a dynamic biotech environment.
- Evaluate and manage external collaborations, including CROs and academic partners.
Education & Experience
- PhD in Pharmacology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology, or related field, with 5–7 years of relevant industry experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Proven record of scientific leadership and mentoring.
- Hands-on experience with antibody drug development programs.
- Deep expertise in biologics and engineered protein therapeutics, including antibodies and bispecifics.
- Strong background in cell biology, cytokine biology, receptor–ligand interactions, signaling pathways, and effector function.
- Extensive experience in developing and troubleshooting functional assays (e.g., primary cell assays, complex multi-component systems, signaling and reporter assays, ELISA/MSD, flow cytometry, high-content imaging, immune-effector assays).
- Demonstrated success advancing candidates through drug development milestones (target validation, lead optimization, IND-enabling studies) and contributing to at least one IND submission.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire highly skilled scientific teams.
- Excellent communicator; skillful in translating complex biological insights for diverse audiences.
- Collaborative, strategic, and adaptable with a forward-thinking mindset.
- Thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and builds strong cross-functional relationships.
- Impact the development of transformative therapeutics addressing urgent unmet medical needs.
- Collaborate with world-class scientists at a company committed to innovation and excellence.
- Lead pioneering programs in an environment that rewards creativity, initiative, and scientific rigor.
Once you apply, you’ll proceed to the next steps if your skills and experience look like a good fit. But don’t worry – even if this position doesn’t work out, you’re still in our network. That means our team of expert Science & Clinical recruiters will have access to your profile, making your opportunities limitless.
#P1
As part of our promise to talent, Kelly supports those who work with us through a variety of benefits, perks, and work-related resources. Kelly offers eligible employees voluntary benefit plans including medical, dental, vision, telemedicine, term life, whole life, accident insurance, critical illness, a legal plan, and short-term disability. As a Kelly employee, you will have access to a retirement savings plan, service bonus and holiday pay plans (earn up to eight paid holidays per benefit year), and a transit spending account. In addition, employees are entitled to earn paid sick leave under the applicable state or local plan. Click here for more information on benefits and perks that may be available to you as a member of the Kelly Talent Community.
Why Kelly® Science & Clinical?
Kelly Science & Clinical is your connection to premier scientific and clinical companies looking to hire industry experts just like you. Our team creates expert talent solutions to solve the world’s most critical challenges. Every day, we match science professionals with dream jobs that fit their skills, interests, and career goals—it’s the way we think job searching should be. Nearly 100 percent of our science recruiters have a professional background and education in science, so we know a thing or two about the science market and how to get your expertise noticed.
About Kelly
Work changes everything. And at Kelly, we’re obsessed with where it can take you. To us, it’s about more than simply accepting your next job opportunity. It’s the fuel that powers every next step of your life. It’s the ripple effect that changes and improves everything for your family, your community, and the world. Which is why, here at Kelly, we are dedicated to providing you with limitless opportunities to enrich your life—just ask the 300,000 people we employ each year.
Kelly is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and we take affirmative action to recruit, employ, and advance qualified individuals with disabilities and protected veterans in the workforce. Requests for accommodation related to our application process can be directed to the Kelly Human Resource Knowledge Center. Kelly complies with the requirements of California’s state and local Fair Chance laws. A conviction does not automatically bar individuals from employment. Kelly participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.
Salary : $160,000 - $190,000