Senior Principal Scientist / Associate Director

Sygnature Discovery; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Private medical insurance

Life insurance

Employee assistance programme

Enhanced family policies

Sygnature pension scheme

1 paid volunteer day per year

Job summary

Sygnature Discovery in Glasgow seeks a Senior Principal Scientist / Associate Director to provide scientific, strategic and operational leadership within the Electrophysiology & Cellular Pharmacology group. You will steer a portfolio of electrophysiology programmes, shape study design, and drive high-quality outcomes for biotech and pharmaceutical clients worldwide.

You will set experimental direction, manage cross-functional teams, and expand the electrophysiology service offering while

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent industrial experience required in pharmacology/neuroscience.
• Extensive electrophysiology experience including patch clamp; CRO/biotech exposure.
• Deep ion channel pharmacology knowledge with drug discovery experience.
• Proven track record leading complex scientific programmes and delivering outcomes.
• Strong client-facing skills and ability to build trusted client relationships.
• Experience contributing to business development, proposals, and study design.
• Experience mentoring and managing scientific staff; leadership capability.

Responsibilities

• Oversee execution of client projects with scientific excellence and timely delivery.
• Lead assay development, optimization, validation, and implementation.
• Provide scientific oversight across multiple programmes and resolve risks.
• Build and maintain relationships with biotech and pharma clients as a trusted partner.
• Contribute to business development through proposals and discussions.
• Drive growth of electrophysiology and ion channel service offerings.
• Collaborate with leadership to define strategy and capability development.
• Lead, mentor, and develop scientists to foster excellence and improvement.

Skills

Ion channel pharmacology

Electrophysiology (patch clamp)

Lead scientific programmes

Client-facing communication

Business development

Mentoring and staff development

Scientific strategy and study design

Education

PhD in Pharmacology/Physiology/Neuroscience/Cell Biology

Job description

About Sygnature Discovery

At Sygnature Discovery, we create exceptional scientific outcomes. For our customers, who bring life-changing medicines to patients; and for our people, who help make this possible.

About Sygnature Discovery

We’re 700+ scientists from over 50 countries, working as one across Europe and North America. With no competing internal programs, we offer total confidentiality and commitment. Over the past 20 years, we’ve earned a track record of real impact: 60+ advanced candidates, 250 patents filed, 200+ active projects. Over 90% of our customers choose to stay with us – from biotechs racing to clinic to pharma companies that need specialised expertise for targeted challenges.

About the role:

Our Electrophysiology & Cellular Pharmacology group plays a crucial role in supporting drug discovery programmes focused on ion channels, GPCRs and transporters for biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients worldwide. We are seeking a Senior Principal Scientist / Associate Director to join our Glasgow team and provide scientific, strategic and operational leadership across the Electrophysiology & Cellular Pharmacology group.

You will lead a portfolio of electrophysiology and cellular pharmacology programmes, ensuring the delivery of high-quality outcomes for our clients. As a recognised subject matter expert in ion channel pharmacology and electrophysiology, you will shape experimental strategy, study design, data interpretation and scientific decision-making.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced scientific leader with a strong ion channel background who is passionate about advancing drug discovery. You will help shape our scientific direction, influence organisational growth and lead innovative programmes for a diverse range of biotechnology and pharmaceutical partners.

Role Responsibilities:

• Oversee the successful execution of client projects, ensuring scientific excellence, operational efficiency, adherence to timelines, and client satisfaction.
• Lead assay development, optimisation, validation, and implementation activities, driving adoption of innovative technologies and methodologies.
• Provide scientific and technical oversight across multiple complex programmes, identifying risks, resolving challenges, and ensuring successful project delivery.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients, acting as a trusted scientific partner and key client contact.
• Contribute to business development activities through scientific input to proposals, study design, client discussions, presentations, and strategic account development.
• Drive growth of the electrophysiology and ion channel service offering
• Work collaboratively with leadership team to define departmental strategy, resource planning, and long-term capability development.
• Lead, mentor, and manage scientists, fostering a culture of scientific excellence, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Skills & Qualifications:

• PhD in Pharmacology, Physiology, Neuroscience, Cell Biology, or a related discipline, or equivalent industrial experience.
• Extensive experience in electrophysiology, including automated and/or manual patch clamp techniques, and strong commercial awareness gained within a CRO, biotechnology, or pharmaceutical drug discovery environment.
• Deep understanding of ion channel pharmacology and proven experience supporting ion channel-focused drug discovery programmes.
• Proven track record of leading complex scientific programmes and delivering successful outcomes across multiple concurrent projects.
• Strong client-facing skills, with experience presenting data, providing scientific guidance, and developing trusted client relationships.
• Experience contributing to business development activities, including proposal development, study design, and support of new business opportunities.
• Proven ability to mentor, develop, and line manage scientific staff, fostering a culture of scientific excellence and continuous improvement.

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays)
• Private Medical Insurance
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Enhanced Family Friendly Policies
• Sygnature Group Pension Scheme
• 1 paid volunteer day per year