Director, Therapeutic Antibody Discovery

About the role

Hengrui Pharma is seeking a highly skilled Director to lead its Therapeutic Antibody Discovery programs. The role oversees the full lifecycle of antibody therapeutics, from target identification through pre‑clinical development, driving innovative strategies and scientific excellence.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and manage the antibody drug discovery team, setting strategy for generation, engineering, and optimization of monoclonal, bispecific and engineered formats.
• Coordinate cross‑functional teams—including protein engineers, immunologists, pharmacologists, and bioinformaticians—to advance projects from target validation to candidate selection.
• Oversee project timelines, resources, and budgets, ensuring timely delivery of milestones.
• Direct in‑vitro and in‑vivo studies assessing efficacy, pharmacokinetics, safety, and manufacturability.
• Maintain collaborations with CROs, academic partners, and industry stakeholders, representing the company at scientific meetings.
• Ensure regulatory compliance and contribute to scientific publications and regulatory filings.

Required profile

• Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g., immunology, molecular biology, biochemistry).
• Extensive experience leading antibody discovery programs and managing multidisciplinary teams.
• Proven track record of delivering antibody candidates through pre‑clinical stages.

Required skills

• Phage display
• Hybridoma technology
• B‑cell sorting
• Next‑generation sequencing (NGS)‑based approaches
• Affinity maturation
• Antibody humanization
• Stability optimization and formulation
• Bioinformatics analysis
• In‑vitro and in‑vivo assay development
• Pharmacokinetics and safety assessment
• Manufacturability evaluation