Director, Translational Medicine

$200,000.00Palo Alto United StatesDirector, Translational MedicineOverviewLead translational medicine strategy across preclinical and early clinical programs focused on inflammation and serious unmet medical needs. You will connect mechanism, biomarkers, human disease biology, and clinical development to help advance innovative therapies toward patients. This is a high-impact leadership opportunity for a scientifically rigorous professional who enjoys combining strategic direction with hands-on execution.About our clientOur client is a clinical-stage biotechnology organization developing therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The organization values rigorous science, collaboration, and entrepreneurial problem-solving, and this role will help strengthen the translational foundation supporting its clinical pipeline.The opportunity (Role summary)You will lead translational strategy from discovery through early clinical development, ensuring that preclinical evidence, biomarker plans, and clinical hypotheses are aligned. You will partner with research, clinical development, clinical operations, regulatory teams, and external collaborators while representing translational medicine on cross-functional program teams.This role follows a virtual-but-local model, with remote work available alongside weekly in-person meetings at the client’s headquarters.Key responsibilitiesLead translational medicine strategies for preclinical and early clinical programs.Define biomarker strategies spanning discovery, regulatory-enabling work, and clinical development.Integrate human biology, disease pathophysiology, and preclinical data to inform target validation, indication selection, dose rationale, and clinical plans.Partner with internal functions, contract research organizations, and academic collaborators to advance translational studies.Deliver translational content for regulatory submissions and clinical protocols.Oversee external partners developing and running assays and biomarker programs.Analyze complex preclinical, translational, early clinical, and omics datasets.Communicate translational risks, opportunities, and recommendations to senior leadership.Contribute to scientific publications, conference presentations, and intellectual property.Build scalable processes that support operational excellence and organizational growth.What you’ll bringPhD, MD, or MD/PhD in a relevant biomedical or life sciences discipline.10+ years of relevant biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry experience, including Director-level or equivalent leadership.Demonstrated success bridging preclinical research and early clinical development.Experience directing external organizations to develop and run translational assays.Deep knowledge of immunology, inflammation, human disease biology, and translational biomarkers.Experience with regulatory-enabling activities and early-phase clinical programs, including healthy-volunteer studies.Strong data interpretation, hypothesis-generation, and omics analysis skills.Scientific contributions through publications and/or patents.Prior experience in a startup or small biotechnology environment.Excellent communication, organization, project management, and cross-functional leadership skills.Call to actionApply now to help shape translational strategy and advance the future of inflammation-focused drug development.Sometimes we use AI to draft job adverts using information from our CRM as part of our effort to work more efficiently so we can focus on what matters most: getting to know you. If you apply, a real person from our team will review your details and reach out. We’re committed to transparency, fairness, and human connection.