Executive Director/Vice President, Head of Immunology

Executive Director/Vice President, Head of Immunology

This is a full-time, onsite leadership role based in Cambridge, MA. Given the hands-on, collaborative nature of this position, we are not considering remote, hybrid-remote, or relocation candidates at this time. Only applicants currently living within commuting distance of Cambridge, MA will be considered.

Marengo Therapeutics is a Phase 2 clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing first-in-class immune activators designed to precisely stimulate and expand anti-tumor T cells to drive deep, durable anti-tumor immunity. The company has a rich pipeline of multi-specific therapeutics powered by three different platforms supported by advanced antibody discovery and immunology insights. The company's lead STAR program is progressing in the clinic across multiple solid tumor indications.

Marengo's scientific platform and development strategy are further validated through multiple strategic partnerships with large-cap global pharmaceutical companies, reflecting the industry's confidence in the novelty and potential impact of Marengo's approach.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Head of Research & Technology, the Executive Director/Vice President, Head of Immunology will be a key scientific and strategic leader driving cutting-edge immunology research for Marengo's immune-redirecting therapeutics. This individual will:

• Own the in vitro assay discovery function, including mechanistic immunology, primary immune cell assays, and MoA workflows, computational immunology function, and preclinical translation
• Serve as a strategic thought leader in tumor immunology, T-cell biology, and immune-pathway interrogation.
• Guide the scientific direction from early mechanistic discovery through translational interface and IND-enabling phases.
• Lead and mentor a team of PhD scientists, fostering a highly collaborative, rigorous research culture.

Key Responsibilities

Scientific Strategy & Immunology Thought Leadership

• Serve as a key thought leader in tumor immunology and T-cell biology, generating hypotheses and guiding the scientific direction of platform and program efforts.
• Formulate mechanistic studies to deeply understand immune activation pathways and the T cell biology underlying Marengo's therapeutic platforms.
• Stay at the forefront of emerging science and technologies in cellular immunology and immune-redirecting modalities.
• Evaluate opportunities for platform and pipeline expansion based on mechanistic insights and emerging preclinical and clinical data.

In Vitro Assay Platforms & Mechanistic Research

• Build, optimize, and oversee all in vitro assays, including primary immune cell systems, co-culture models, functional readouts, mechanistic studies, and translationally aligned MoA workflows.
• Develop robust assay systems that enable clear interpretation of immune activation, T-cell dynamics, MoA, and relevant biomarkers.
• Ensure experimental rigor, reproducibility, and strategic alignment with program goals.
• Integrate mechanistic data with translational endpoints to inform program advancement and clinical hypothesis development.

Translational Immunology

• Collaborate with translational science and clinical teams to develop biomarker strategies and clinical assay plans.
• Interpret translational datasets to refine mechanistic understanding and align research hypotheses with early clinical development.
• Contribute scientific insight to IND-enabling packages and technical reports supporting advancement into first-in-human studies.

Project & Program Leadership

• Serve as a project lead on programs moving from early discovery toward candidate selection.
• Develop and implement research plans that advance programs through mechanistic characterization, lead optimization, and IND-aligned milestones.
• Partner cross-functionally with antibody discovery, protein engineering, in vivo pharmacology, and preclinical development to ensure integrated data flow and decision-making.

Data & Computational Integration

• Integrate computational immunology, transcriptomics, and other large-scale datasets (e.g., single-cell profiling) to drive mechanistic insight and prioritization.
• Align computational and data science workflows to wet-lab assays with computational pipelines and hypothesis generation.

External Scientific Engagement

• Support and pursue external collaborations with academic groups and industry partners that enhance mechanistic and translational immunology capabilities.
• Represent the scientific function in external meetings, collaborations, and due diligence discussions as needed.

Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of PhD scientists; set scientific expectations, provide career development, and promote an inclusive and collaborative culture.
• Align team priorities with program needs and ensure effective cross-functional scientific communication.

Requirements

Required

• PhD in Immunology, Cancer Biology, or a related field with 12+ years of postdoctoral/industry experience in immuno-oncology.
• Deep expertise in T-cell biology, tumor immunology, and immune-tumor interactions.
• Extensive experience with computational immunology, in vitro assay development, primary immune cell assays, and mechanistic MoA elucidation.
• Proven success leading discovery-stage I/O projects from hypothesis generation through proof-of-concept.
• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex biological datasets and convert insights into strategic research plans.
• Strong scientific leadership experience with direct management of scientists and/or cross-functional project teams.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to drive alignment across research and development groups.

Preferred

• Experience with immune-cell-retargeting or multispecific antibody therapeutics.
• Familiarity with IND-enabling workstreams and regulatory-related scientific documentation.

· Experience overseeing or collaborating on in vivo immuno-oncology studies is a plus.