Translational Scientist

Compass Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage, oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company developing proprietary antibody-based therapeutics to treat multiple human diseases. Compass’ scientific focus is on the relationship between angiogenesis, the immune system and tumor growth. Our pipeline of novel product candidates is designed to target multiple critical biological pathways required for an effective anti-tumor response. These include modulation of the microvasculature via angiogenesis-targeted agents, induction of a potent immune response via activators on effector cells in the tumor microenvironment, and alleviation of immunosuppressive mechanisms used by tumors to evade immune surveillance. We plan to advance our product candidates through clinical development as both standalone therapies and in combination with proprietary pipeline antibodies based on supportive clinical and nonclinical data. We were founded in 2014 and are headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.compasstherapeutics.com.

Our Translational team is seeking a highly motivated and hands-on experienced Translational Scientist. The ideal candidate is seeking to be part of a fast paced and collaborative team. This position reports onsite to our VP & Head of Translational Science.

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to and keep Compass Translational goals on track for established timelines, while adhering to quality and budget standards, and all required regulatory requirements.
• Broadly assist the Translational team in managing various data to inform clinical strategy including primary, secondary, and exploratory objectives in each clinical protocol.
• Work across functions with Preclinical, Clinical, and other functions as necessary to plan, gather, analyze, and leverage all pre-clinical, non-clinical and early clinical data.
• Collaborate with leaders internally and externally to integrate basic life science and contemporary data sources to further support our clinical hypotheses and biomarker strategies.
• Lead early-phase biomarker program, responsible for generating and analyzing translational data, as well as public clinical, animal and non-clinical data, to recommend clinical strategies.
• Design, conduct, and coordinate future external translational research activities or assay development projects at CROs to support data generation, analysis, and interpretation of clinical biomarker assays and data for assets in clinical development.
• Apply recent background in clinical trial and/or biomarker experience to identify, evaluate, and prioritize candidate predictive & pharmacodynamic biomarkers to support clinical development.
• Build and maintain effective internal relationships; contribute to meetings with members of the Preclinical, Program Lead, Business Development, and Clinical leadership teams.
• Independently utilize computational tools and quantitative analysis to support the development of clinical biomarker datasets, including R or Python.
• Effectively communicate updates, ideas, observations, and data analyses with teams.
• Provide close support to the clinical team by managing and tracking the clinical biomarker sample lifecycle including sample shipments, routine sample analysis, addressing sample issues with vendors, and review of the biomarker sections of clinical lab manual.
• Provide clear, data-driven reports on how biomarkers enhance the drug development process, improve the success rate of clinical trials, and potentially lead to more effective therapeutics.
• Identify issues and risks of translational and biomarker plans, and solutions to mitigate risks.
  
  

Qualifications:

• PhD preferred in life sciences or health related field, Pharm D or Master’s Degree considered.
• PhD with 2+ years of hands-on lab experience in the biotech/pharma industry; Master’s with 5+ years of experience.
• Experience leading a clinical biomarker program and strategy for a biologic is preferred.
• Understanding of the drug development process, especially translational and clinical research.
• Thorough knowledge of onco-immunology, genomics, clinical PK assay analysis, RNA biology, etc.
• Experience with design, delivery, analysis, and interpretation of clinical biomarker assay techniques (g. comprehensive genomic profiling/NGS, RNAseq, ISH, spatial transcriptomics, and/or IHC).
• Demonstrated success in completing cross-functional lab-based projects within specified budget, quality and timeline standards; pathology lab experience is a plus.
• Interest in working with clinical data, as well as pre-clinical (e.g. mouse/in vivo) or non-clinical (human/in vitro) data as appropriate to inform primary, secondary, and exploratory objectives from clinical protocol to support clinical hypotheses.
• Ability to manage external projects at CROs, oversee specimen handling, quality control assessments, droplet-based cell processing, library construction and sequencing.
• Proficiency in day-to-day programs such as Microsoft Office required; preferred experience includes using or managing computational such as R, Python, other statistical software, etc. for quantitative analysis.
• Strong communication skills, ability to clearly and precisely present complex data analysis to broad scientific and non-scientific audiences.
• Ability to build strong internal and external relationships, collaborate in a fast-paced team‐oriented environment, and influence stakeholders.
• Excellent task management, documentation, written and verbal business communication skills.
• Comfortable with balancing multiple project objectives simultaneously.
• Self-motivated, analytical, meticulous, flexible and eager to take on new tasks.
  
  

At Compass, we provide employees with an inclusive offering of benefits and a competitive compensation package. We offer our employees competitive salaries, discretionary bonuses, and meaningful equity participation. Our innovative benefits support the health and wellness of our employees; from medical, dental and vision benefits to health reimbursement arrangement, flexible spending accounts, sponsored gym membership, an employee assistance program, life insurance, and much more. We also provide 401(k) and Roth 401(k) programs with a 6% company match, and other resources for financial wellness. Additional benefits include commuter reimbursement, subsidized company parking, cell phone reimbursement, Summer Fridays, and substantial paid time off including a winter shut down week.

Our Mission at Compass is to develop next generation antibodies into transformative cancer therapies that improve patients’ lives. Our Compass Core Values guide us in achieving this. We are mission-focused and share a passion for science and creativity that help us innovate in all that we do. Our unique community promotes authenticity, diversity of thought, and collaborative teamwork.

We invest in the growth and development of our teams and individuals through programs such as company-wide trainings, cross-functional collaboration and job shadowing, tuition reimbursement, employee recognition awards, and a comprehensive performance management cycle. Also, our Compass Culture Committee empowers employee-organized events that celebrate wins, drive initiatives, support local philanthropy, and align with our mission and values.