Group Leader - Antibody Screening & Pharmacology

Cancer Research UK; Stapleford; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous benefits package

Job summary

Cancer Research UK in the United Kingdom seeks a Group Leader to lead the Antibody Discovery Cell Screening Team, overseeing antibody screening, pharmacology and data-driven candidate triaging to advance pre-clinical drug candidates.

You will shape strategy, manage resources, collaborate with internal and external partners, publish insights, and foster an inclusive, high‑performing lab culture while aligning with CRUK policies and goals.

Qualifications

• PhD in immunology, pharmacology, molecular biology or related field.
• Significant industry antibody drug discovery experience across hit ID, lead optimization and candidate delivery.
• Proven leadership building and inspiring high-performing teams in matrixed research environments.
• Expertise in candidate triaging, assay development and interpretation of complex HTS data.
• Strong understanding of antibody developability and modalities including bispecifics, ADCs and T-cell engagers.
• Data-driven decision making, prioritisation across projects and translational/in vivo pharmacology know-how.
• Established external scientific profile with publications, conferences and professional network.
• Agile, collaborative and proactive mindset; thrives in fast-paced, evolving settings.
• Awareness of emerging AI technologies in drug discovery (desirable).

Responsibilities

• Lead the Antibody Discovery Cell Screening Team, setting vision and providing scientific and strategic leadership in antibody drug discovery and immunology.
• Oversee design, execution and optimisation of pharmacological assays to evaluate antibody efficacy, mechanism of action and candidate potential.
• Define and implement screening and triaging strategies, integrating developability, binding and functional data for informed candidate selection.
• Drive early decision points for program progression through data-driven insights.
• Foster scientific and technical innovation through new technologies, collaborations and partnerships.
• Contribute to strategic leadership of the Antibody Discovery & Protein Science team and broader research strategy.
• Manage team expertise, capacity and resources to support portfolio governance and development.
• Ensure alignment with CRUK policies and stakeholder engagement for governance.
• Represent the team across projects, cross-site initiatives and external scientific communities.
• Communicate and collaborate to influence decision-making and drive outcomes.
• Promote scientific excellence through publications, presentations, advisory roles and training.
• Foster an inclusive culture where equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded in decision-making.

Skills

Leadership

Data-driven decision making

Agile collaboration

Strategic thinking

Scientific impact

Team development

Communication

External networking

AI in drug discovery awareness

Education

PhD in Immunology, Pharmacology, Molecular Biology, or a related scientific discipline

Job description

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Antibody Discovery Cell Screening Team, setting the vision and providing scientific and strategic leadership in antibody drug discovery and immunology.
• Oversee the design, execution and optimisation of pharmacological assays to evaluate antibody efficacy, mechanism of action and candidate potential.
• Define and implement screening and triaging strategies, integrating developability, binding and functional data to support informed candidate selection.
• Apply experience in delivering pre-clinical candidates to establish critical experiments, success criteria and decision points for program progression.
• Drive scientific and technical innovation through new technologies, methodologies, external collaborations and partnerships.
• Contribute to the strategic leadership of the Antibody Discovery & Protein Science team and the wider research strategy.
• Manage team expertise, capacity and resources to support portfolio governance, decision-making and capability development.
• Ensure alignment with N3CR principles and CRUK policies, working closely with relevant stakeholders and funding teams.
• Represent the team across therapeutic projects, cross-site initiatives and external scientific communities.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders to influence decision-making and drive outcomes.
• Promote scientific excellence through publications, presentations, advisory roles, and the training and development of colleagues.
• Foster an inclusive culture where equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded in decision-making.

Qualifications

• PhD in Immunology, Pharmacology, Molecular Biology, or a related scientific discipline.
• Significant industry experience in antibody drug discovery, spanning hit identification, lead optimisation and candidate delivery.
• Proven leadership capability, with a strong track record of building, developing and inspiring high-performing teams within matrixed research environments.
• Expertise in candidate triaging, assay development and interpretation of complex data from automated and high-throughput screening platforms.
• Strong understanding of antibody developability and multiple antibody modalities, including bispecific antibodies, ADCs and T-cell engagers.
• Ability to make data-driven decisions, prioritise across multiple projects and apply translational and in vivo pharmacology expertise to programme progression.
• Demonstrated success in delivering scientific and strategic impact across diverse research portfolios through leadership and innovation.
• Established external scientific profile, evidenced by publications, conference presentations and a strong professional network.
• Agile, collaborative and proactive approach, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
• Awareness of, and ideally experience applying, emerging AI technologies within drug discovery. (Desirable).

Our organisation values are designed to guide all that we do.

• Bold: Act with ambition, courage and determination
• Credible: Act with rigour and professionalism

Visa sponsorship: Cancer Research UK can consider visa sponsorship for this vacancy.

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

To support our mission, we are looking for a passionate and dedicated Group Leader to lead the Antibody Discovery Cell Screening Team, overseeing antibody screening, pharmacology, candidate triaging, and data-driven selection to advance pre-clinical drug candidates.

As the world's biggest medical research charity, we've helped bring fourteen new cancer drugs to market. However, there is still an urgent need to bring more effective treatments to patients faster.

Cancer Research Horizons (CRH) is CRUK's internal translation engine. CRUK's established drug discovery teams operate under one organisation and leadership team. Our unique combination of cancer biology expertise and access to CRUK's world-class academic network, coupled with cutting edge technology platforms and clinical expertise enables us to 1) bring new treatments to patients faster and 2) tackle the biggest challenges in discovering cancer drugs by seeking out more radical ideas and embracing risk in our bid to achieve success.

Together: Act inclusively and collaboratively

We're looking for people who can believe in and embody these organisation values and can use them to drive forward progress against our mission to beat cancer.

What will I gain?

• generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools.
• Our policies and processes enable you to improve your work-life balance, take positive steps in your career and achieve your personal wellbeing goals.