Associate Director, Translational Biology

CK Group are working in partnership with Nxera Pharma UK Limited (formerly Sosei Heptares), to recruit an Associate Director, to join their Translational Biology Immunology and Metabolism group. Company: Nxera Pharma is a technology powered biopharma company, in pursuit of new specialty medicines, to improve the lives of patients with unmet needs in Japan and globally, focused on therapeutic areas in inflammation diseases, neurology and immunology. Location: Granta Park, Cambridge (UK).The Role: The Translational Biology Team is a multidisciplinary team, focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying human disease biology. The ideal candidate will be passionate about advancing novel therapies and biomarker strategies for the treatment of metabolic diseases, and have a proven track record of project leadership, CRO management and expertise in planning and executing preclinical target validation, and translational studies to support project deliverables.The role will include the following responsibilities:Scientific Project leadership; designing and executing work packages to support progression of pre-clinical Targets ensuring a robust translational framework is embedded early to drive clear decision making into the clinic.Setting and managing budgets, communicating risks and progress to key stakeholders.Identification of New Targets to support portfolio progression.  Your Background:PhD with demonstrable drug discovery background and equivalent industry experience.Deep understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms in obesity.Strong proven technical knowledge for example:in primary cell cultures/ex vivo assays (e.g. adipocyte, skeletal muscle, pancreatic islets, hepatocytes,) & relevant mechanistic endpoints (metabolic flux, lipid and glucose uptake, islet insulin release).in vivo models of obesity (such as the DIO model) and/or of metabolic complications.Project leadership experience within a biotech or pharma setting.Background in translational research and proven ability to plan and execute translational strategies to support decision making in clinical studies.Hands-on experience in managing outsourced studies with CROs or academic partners.Good understanding of Home Office legislation governing in vivo research and direct experience in the experimental design and oversight of in vivo studies.Excellent organisational and data management skills.  Fantastic benefits on offer including:State-of-the-art R&D centre located in the heart of the Cambridge science cluster.Competitive compensation package including discretionary cash bonuses.25 days annual leave in addition to public holidays.Employer contribution to pension.Private Medical Insurance and a cash plan for dental and optical reimbursement.Health and wellbeing benefits including a subsidised individual gym membership.Income protection to cover long term absences due to ill health.Group Death in Service equal to 4x basic annual salary. Apply: It is essential that applicants hold entitlement to work in the UK. Please quote job reference (Apply online only) in all correspondence.If this position isn't suitable but you are looking for a new role, or if you are interested in seeing what opportunities are out there, head over to our LinkedIn page (cka-group) and follow us to see our latest jobs and company news