Head of Target Discovery

Company Summary:

Quotient Therapeutics, Inc. is a privately held, early-stage company developing a novel genomics platform and therapeutics for diseases with a large unmet need.

Quotient Therapeutics, Inc. was founded by Flagship Pioneering, an innovation enterprise that conceives, creates, resources, and grows first-in-category life sciences companies. Flagship Pioneering has created over 100 groundbreaking companies over the past twenty years, all of which are pioneering novel and proprietary biological, industrial, and engineering approaches to solve major needs in human health and sustainability. These companies include Moderna (MRNA), Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB), Sana Biotechnology (SANA), Axcella Health (AXLA), Indigo Agriculture, Generate Biomedicines, and Tessera Therapeutics.

Position Summary:

We are seeking a Head of Target Discovery that reports to the Chief Science Officer and leads a team of scientists to drive the end-to-end target discovery process, including indication prioritization, feasibility assessment, study design, study execution and study interpretation. We are looking for someone who can think creatively, is enthusiastic about exploring many different diseases, and has experience applying genomics to the study of human disease. The ideal candidate operates with strong scientific rigor, pays attention to detail, and has a deep-rooted desire to innovate. Being collaborative is key – in this function, there will be many interactions with other leaders at Quotient, such as in data science, assay development, and target biology. This role is based in the vicinity of Cambridge UK and will be primarily based on site. All applicants will require permission to work in the UK.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead target discovery science at Quotient, including study design, execution and interpretation
• Lead a team of genomics scientists, who themselves lead or contribute to the end-to-end target discovery process, leveraging cross-functional project teams
• Work directly with the CSO to drive towards major corporate goals and own strategic initiatives
• Take a leading role in indication selection, establishing a deep understanding of diverse therapeutic areas and disease indications
• Set a high bar for target discovery science, aiming for rigorous quality at every level of scientific output
• Collaborate with other leaders at Quotient, constantly seeking ways to run efficient and high-quality studies
• Interact with external stakeholders to represent target discovery science, working alongside business development colleagues  

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in biology or related discipline with 10+ years of relevant post-Ph.D. experience with an excellent track record of discovering therapeutic targets in a variety of diseases
• Background in human genetics, evolutionary biology, or cancer genomics
• Breadth of therapeutic area expertise in the context of therapeutic target and drug discovery
• Experience applying genomics methods to the study of human disease
• Team leadership experience, ideally in the setting of a matrixed project organization
• Strong written and verbal communication, capable of communicating complex datasets to internal and external stakeholders
• Prior experience working with or leading collaborations with external academic, biotechnology, and contract research organizations

About Flagship

Flagship Pioneering is a bioplatform innovation 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.