Associate Director, Immuno-Oncology Research

Location: 100% onsite in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Only U.S. persons are eligible due to U.S. export control requirements.

Salary: $142,500–$256,500 annually, with potential discretionary bonus, incentive compensation, or equity subject to eligibility and performance.

Company

hirify.global develops mRNA technologies, medicines, and delivery platforms.

What you will do

• Provide scientific and people leadership for 1–2 scientist-level research leads working on T cell engager and in vivo cell therapy programs.
• Lead programs from target assessment and mechanism-of-action studies through lead optimization, candidate selection, and preclinical development readiness.
• Define therapeutic hypotheses, target-product concepts, modality strategies, patient-selection considerations, and program decision points.
• Guide in vitro and in vivo studies covering potency, selectivity, mechanism of action, resistance, durability, and safety-related biology.
• Partner with antibody engineering to optimize architecture, binding properties, valency, avidity, activation thresholds, and therapeutic index.
• Lead multidisciplinary research teams and program reviews while collaborating with engineering, computational biology, translational, CMC, clinical, regulatory, nonclinical, and external partners.

Requirements

• PhD in immunology, oncology, or a related biological sciences discipline and 7+ years of relevant post-PhD experience. Biotechnology or pharmaceutical experience is preferred.
• Deep expertise in immuno-oncology and immune cell biology, with substantial experience advancing immune cell-directed therapeutic programs such as T cell engagers, CAR-T, TCR-based therapies, CAR-M, or closely related modalities.
• Experience managing scientists or research associates in a dynamic environment, setting priorities, executing multiple parallel research workstreams, and developing talent.

Nice to have

• Experience designing, leading, and interpreting hypothesis-driven programs integrating functional assays, mechanistic studies, in vivo PKPD and efficacy models, and translational data.
• Strong understanding of TCE, CAR-T, and CAR-M biology, including target selection, immune synapse formation, activation, cytotoxicity, exhaustion, trafficking, persistence, resistance, and safety.
• Experience assessing therapeutic index and modality-specific liabilities, including target expression, normal-tissue biology, cytokine release, off-tumor activity, and immune cell fitness.
• Experience collaborating across protein or cell engineering, computational biology, translational research, nonclinical sciences, CMC, clinical biomarker, clinical development, and external partner functions.
• Experience leading complex, matrixed therapeutic research programs with multiple dependencies and accelerated timelines.
• Contributions to high-impact publications, patents, conference presentations, development candidates, or platform technologies.
• Excellent written, presentation, interpersonal, influencing, alignment, and collaboration skills, including interaction with senior leadership.
• Scientific curiosity, creativity, independence, adaptability, persistence, and interest in developing novel immuno-oncology therapeutics.

Culture & Benefits

• 100% onsite, in-person work model supporting collaboration, mentorship, and site-based operations.
• Competitive healthcare and voluntary benefits.
• Fitness, mindfulness, mental health, family planning, fertility, adoption, and surrogacy support.
• Paid time off including vacation, volunteer days, sabbatical, global recharge days, and discretionary year-end shutdown.
• Savings and investment programs, plus location-specific perks.
• Smoke-free, alcohol-free, and drug-free work environment.