Origination Associate / Senior Associate

Introduction:

Pioneering Intelligence (PI) is the newest business unit within Flagship Pioneering, focusing on inventing and building biotechnology companies that transform innovation, productivity and outcome across therapeutic and non-therapeutic applications. PI is at the forefront of both technological innovation in AI/ML, and company origination that translates technology into value-creating platforms. PI’s current portfolio spans physical health, mental health, product innovation, and workflows of the future.

Position Summary: 

We are seeking a highly motivated and innovative individual to join our team as an interdisciplinary Associate / Senior Associate contributing at the confluence of biotechnology, bioengineering, applied physics and chemistry. The individual will ideate/research/refine novel venture hypotheses, develop the technical roadmap and business case and, and co-lead new company origination from the very early stage. A successful candidate will be a knowledgeable practitioner tuned into the latest developments in technical disciplines relevant to the life sciences, a strategic thinker with keen acumen on value creation in biotechnology driven by innovative engineering and computation, and an entrepreneur comfortable with technical and business uncertainty.

Key Responsibilities:

Venture Hypothesis Ideation and Validation:

• Lead Flagship-model explorations to rapidly ideate interesting areas of innovation where applied engineering and computation can create outsized impact, and develop novel, actionable and high value venture hypotheses
• Design and lead/perform proof-of-concept experiments to de-risk/enable/refine venture hypotheses
• Research competitive landscape, formulate initial strategy and operational plan, and develop pitch for new venture creation alongside a senior member(s) on the venture creation team

New Company Origination and Operation:

• Lead development team (internal or external) on daily research and platform building
• Work closely with Flagship operations team (Finance, IP, IT, HR, etc.) to oversee day-to-day company operation, and play project management role across development team and stakeholders
• Proactively manage operational and strategic risks, including but not limited to identifying what proof-of-concept studies to conduct in what sequence to de-risk the technology, anticipating potential technical hurdles and pre-emptively seeking support, translating emerging results into strategic implications
• Define and evolve value-creation opportunities, including interacting with internal and external stakeholders to develop product-market fit, alongside a senior team member
• Clearly communicate progress and risks to Flagship leadership on regular basis

Capability Building and Team Building:

• Stay up-to-date on the latest technology development and novel applications in applied sciences and engineering and other technical areas of focus across therapeutic and general use cases
• Contribute to team building efforts, including but not limited to mentoring summer fellowship participants, contributing to defining overall strategy for Pioneering Intelligence, liaising with internal scientists on knowledge sharing and additional research topics

Qualifications: 

• PhD or equivalent in an applied science or engineering field, not necessarily limited to a focus on the life sciences
• 2+ years of experience in post-doc, tech, or a related tech-centered industry preferred
• Experience working in an entrepreneurial environment and demonstrated passion for entrepreneurship
• Hands-on experience developing/building technically challenging projects
• Experience with one or more of sensor technologies, device physics, optical physics, electronics, spectroscopy, bioengineering is preferred
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication skills, across verbal, written and visual storytelling
• Ability to navigate complex information, relentlessly prioritize, and thoughtfully handle ambiguity
• A passion for innovation and a willingness to explore uncharted territories

More about Flagship Pioneering:

Flagship Pioneering is a biotechnology company that invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health or sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in more than $90 billion in aggregate value. Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture.  Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Learn more about Flagship at www.flagshippioneering.com  

Flagship Pioneering and our ecosystem companies are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. 

At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background.