Job Description

Principal Scientist/Director, Cancer Biology

tl;dr

General Proximity is a seed-stage startup developing the next generation of induced proximity medicines (IPMs). Our OmniTAC drug discovery engine furnishes molecules that co-opt existing cellular machinery to overcome therapeutic challenges, which have remained unapproachable to other modalities for decades.

We are seeking a first-rate cancer biologist to help us pioneer this uncharted frontier of drug discovery.

Our Story

A long-standing challenge in drug discovery is the development of molecules capable of modulating difficult or undruggable targets. Disease-causing proteins can be dysfunctional in many different ways, but our armamentarium for fixing them is quite limited. The most common mechanism of action for FDA-approved drugs is inhibition[1] , but there are many other possible perturbation types whose potential remains unrealized.

General Proximity is a seed-stage drug discovery company developing a novel platform technology to solve this problem. We make bifunctional drugs that induce the modification of drug targets by existing cellular machinery (rather than through direct modulation by the drug, the classical approach).

Historically, the development of technologies that allow one to push new buttons in biology has been an incredibly fertile field for the discovery of new medicines[2 , 3 , 4 ], and our technology holds the same promise.

The Position

We are seeking an experienced cancer biologist to help lead our Biology Team. In this position, you will help lead and manage our Biology Team and work closely with our Platform Team in the development of our core drug discovery technology.

Your responsibilities will include phenotypic assay development, establishing pre-clinical in vitro/in vivo studies, performing mechanistic studies on lead drug molecules, spearheading forays into new oncology indications, and grant writing.

About You

High Agency. Initiative, independence, and self-accountability are some of our most valued traits.

Enthusiastic. We love people who are excited about what they are doing and are generally attempting to build a high-energy team.

Intensity and Grit. Early-stage startups are hard. Drug discovery is doubly so. We are looking for candidates who have a demonstrated ability to stick with complex problems for the long haul, with a team that has your back along the way.

Prosocial. We are here to create life-saving medicines for the patients who need it most. You should be, too.

Qualifications & Nice-To-Haves

• PhD in Cancer Biology, Cell Biology, or related field.
• 5-7+ years of industry experience.
• Deep understanding of small-molecule drug discovery and its relationship to human disease.
• Exceptional leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills, with a track record of managing high-performing, multidisciplinary teams.

• Strong experience with :
  • Mechanistic studies of cancer cell signaling and PTM analysis
  • Phenotypic assay development for cancer drug discovery (low to high throughput)
  • Small molecule drug development campaigns (hit discovery, hit validation, dose-response studies, MOA studies)
  • Excellent cellular and molecular biology knowledge/experience (cancer cell lines, generation of stable cell lines using lenti/CRISPR systems, IP/pull down assays, RNA-Seq, flow cytometry, plasmid design)
• Proficiency in:
  • Managing a team of exceptional scientists and research associates
  • Target/indication selection
  • Pre-clinical and IND-enabling studies
  • Animal models of cancer (GEMM, orthotopic, xenograft models)
  • Managing CROs for in vivo studies
  • Grant writing
• Nice to have:
  • Prior experience on teams that have successfully advanced research to the clinic
  • Familiarity or experience with PROTAC/next-gen IPM technologies
  • Experience with PPI techniques (e.g., BRET, APEX/BioID, AlphaScreen etc.)
• Strong equity incentives. We are looking for candidates who will bring a strong sense of ownership to drive their project areas forward, and we believe that you deserve to be compensated accordingly.
• Top tier medical, dental, and vision coverage + One Medical membership.
• Education and health/fitness incentive programs.
• Meditation retreats—do a ten-day Vipassana retreat without counting towards vacation days.
• Reading budget! We will buy you books.
• Located in the MBC BioLabs at 135 Mississippi Street, an entrepreneurial hub full of the best scientists and operators the Bay Area has to offer. Our lab is a very short walk from the 22nd St Caltrain Station and a number of wonderful restaurants and cafés.

About Us

Work Hard/Play Hard. We believe time is our most valuable commodity, so we strive to create a culture that reflects this. We won’t drag you through unnecessary meetings or email you at 7 PM on a Saturday. When we're at work, we're there to get things done, and when we're off, we're really off.

Strong Communication. We like well-written documents over PowerPoints, OKRs over vague mission statements, and weekly one-on-ones over yearly reviews.

Writing First. We have a writing-first culture. We believe that clarity of writing reflects clarity of thinking and that the benefits of well-written documentation in a scientific environment are innumerable: democratization of ideation and decision-making, increased reproducibility, quicker scaling and onboarding, and better company-wide alignment, to name a few.

Growth. As an early-stage startup, we value scientists with an independent, can-do attitude. The more hats you can wear, the better. Our job as employers is to put you in positive feedback loops so you can grow in the direction of your choosing.

Title and compensation commensurate with experience. Applications from candidates of diverse backgrounds, women, and members of underrepresented minority groups are particularly welcomed. We look forward to hearing from you. :)

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