Senior Director, Discovery Chemistry
Genmab
At Genmab, we’re committed to building extra[not]ordinary futures together, by developing antibody products and pioneering, knock-your-socks-off therapies that change the lives of patients and the future of cancer treatment and serious diseases. From our people who are caring, candid, and impact-driven to our business, which is innovative and rooted in science, we believe that being proudly unique, determined to be our best, and authentic is essential to fulfilling our purpose.
At Genmab, we’re committed to building extra[not]ordinary futures together, by developing antibody products and pioneering, knock-your-socks-off therapies that change the lives of patients and the future of cancer treatment and serious diseases. From our people who are caring, candid, and impact-driven to our business, which is innovative and rooted in science, we believe that being proudly unique, determined to be our best, and authentic is essential to fulfilling our purpose.
Role
As a key leader in the development of innovative Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) platforms, the Senior Director, Discovery Chemistry oversees all aspects of design and synthesis related to linker, payload, and conjugation chemistry. The position is responsible for driving the delivery of discovery programs on ADCs or novel conjugates, working collaboratively with critical functions such as Discovery Biology and Nonclinical. Serving as an integrated and influential scientific driver, the role extends to cross-functional activities, including Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC), Business Development (BD), and competitive landscape analysis. Additionally, the Senior Director manages the department team, recognizing and addressing the professional attributes and needs of team members. With a strong focus on inspiring, motivating, and leading the team strategically and scientifically, the role provides effective day-to-day oversight as the team expands in alignment with the company's growth.
Responsibilities
Understand the current research and development status of drug-linker technology and ADC platforms (including strengths and weakness thereof) in the field, lead the development of Genmab's ProfoundBio drug-linker technology platform; lead the DL (“drug-linker”) related patents, article writing or review of the technology platform.
Explore and investigate new payloads (cytotoxic and/or additional novel non-cytotoxic or targeted MOAs) available for ADC and their modifications, summarize and analyze data provided by the biological department, analytical department, and toxicology department, and improve drug-linker, payload, connectors, and their combinations.
Formulate the budget of the DC department, review and approve department expenses, and review the procurement of materials required by the department.
Supervise the implementation of experiments and various compliance systems in the DC department, and maintain good environmental sanitation and safety.
Manage the review and approval of relevant documents of the DC department, including experimental plans, process development reports, process transfer reports, etc.
Maintain work safety of the DC department, and provide safety, knowledge sharing and training to everyone on a regular or irregular basis.
Actively conduct project exchanges with external companies, including technical exchange meetings, exhibitions, academic forums, etc.
Train and develop team members.
Other rational tasks assigned by Superiors.
Requirements
Doctor’s degree holder
Experience in ADC drug linker platforms strongly preferred
Extensive experience in small molecule API and DL development.
Ability to quickly search for information, habit of diligent thinking, ability to independently analyze and solve problems, good project management skills, organizational skills and teamwork spirit, good communication skills, and a high degree of sense of responsibility and professionalism.
Master common office software, such as Office, Word, Excel, PPT, and ChemDraw.
Strong ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while working independently with any supervision.
Good communication capability in both English and Chinese.
Experience in large or multi-national companies a plus
Ability to work with vendors and CROs; cracking patents, and design and writing of our own patent coverage
About You
- You are passionate about our purpose and genuinely care about our mission to transform the lives of patients through innovative cancer treatment
- You bring rigor and excellence to all that you do. You are a fierce believer in our rooted-in-science approach to problem-solving
- You are a generous collaborator who can work in teams with diverse backgrounds
- You are determined to do and be your best and take pride in enabling the best work of others on the team
- You are not afraid to grapple with the unknown and be innovative
- You have experience working in a fast-growing, dynamic company (or a strong desire to)
- You work hard and are not afraid to have a little fun while you do so
Locations
Genmab leverages the effectiveness of an agile working environment, when possible, for the betterment of employee work-life balance. Our offices are designed as open, community-based spaces that work to connect employees while being immersed in our state-of-the-art laboratories. Whether you’re in one of our collaboratively designed office spaces or working remotely, we thrive on connecting with each other to innovate.
About Genmab
Genmab is an international biotechnology company with a core purpose guiding its unstoppable team to strive towards improving the lives of patients through innovative and differentiated antibody therapeutics. For more than 20 years, its passionate, innovative and collaborative team has invented next-generation antibody technology platforms and leveraged translational research and data sciences, which has resulted in a proprietary pipeline including bispecific T-cell engagers, next-generation immune checkpoint modulators, effector function enhanced antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates. To help develop and deliver novel antibody therapies to patients, Genmab has formed 20+ strategic partnerships with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. By 2030, Genmab’s vision is to transform the lives of people with cancer and other serious diseases with Knock-Your-Socks-Off (KYSO™) antibody medicines.
Established in 1999, Genmab is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark with locations in Utrecht, the Netherlands, Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. and Tokyo, Japan.
Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
We are committed to fostering workplace diversity at all levels of the company and we believe it is essential for our continued success. No applicant shall be discriminated against or treated unfairly because of their race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. Learn more about our commitments on our website.
Genmab is committed to protecting your personal data and privacy. Please see our privacy policy for handling your data in connection with your application on our website Job Applicant Privacy Notice (genmab.com).
Please note that if you are applying for a position in the Netherlands, Genmab’s policy for all permanently budgeted hires in NL is initially to offer a fixed-term employment contract for a year, if the employee performs well and if the business conditions do not change, renewal for an indefinite term may be considered after the fixed-term employment contract.