Group Leader, Antibody-Oligonucleotide Conjugates (Extrahepatic Delivery)

SGInnovate; Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

NATi seeks a Group Leader to build and lead an interdisciplinary team developing antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) for extrahepatic delivery. You will own the scientific strategy for the AOC platform and drive program milestones in a fast-moving environment.

Lead antibody discovery, conjugation chemistry, and developability workflows, partnering with oligo chemistry, DMPK, and bioanalytics to enable asset generation beyond hepatic indications.

Qualifications

• A doctorate degree in Protein Engineering, Chemical Biology, Bioconjugation Chemistry, Organic/Medicinal Chemistry, or related field.
• Minimum of +8 (Sr. Scientist) or +12 (Principal Scientist) years of relevant experience.
• Proven track record in antibody discovery/engineering and bioconjugation with program ownership.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams in a matrix environment.
• IP, publications, IND filings, or other public disclosures.

Responsibilities

• Define AOC design principles for extrahepatic delivery.
• Drive program strategy, milestones, and decision frameworks.
• Lead multi-disciplinary project teams and governance reviews.
• Oversee antibody generation, screening, and selection across platforms.
• Establish developability workflows (expression, purification, stability, CQAs).
• Own the bioconjugation strategy and collaborate with oligo chemists.

Skills

Leadership

Antibody discovery

Bioconjugation chemistry

Analytical methods

Education

Doctorate in Protein Engineering or related field

Tools

Bioconjugation platforms

Linker chemistry

Analytical characterization

Job description

This role is posted on behalf of NATI, a startup supported by SGInnovate.

Background

The Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Initiative (NATi), hosted by A*STAR, is Singapore's national platform dedicated to advancing RNA-based medicines and revolutionizing drug and vaccine development. NATi's mission is to establish Singapore as a globally recognized hub of excellence in nucleic acid therapeutics research, clinical translation, and commercialization. NATi focuses on key RNA modalities such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), small interfering RNA (siRNA), and messenger RNA (mRNA). To drive this vision, NATi is building a biotech-like translational engine focused on asset and technology development spanning discovery to clinical development.

We seek a highly innovative and results-driven Group Leader to build and lead an interdisciplinary team developing antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) for extrahepatic delivery. This role will integrate antibody discovery and engineering with linker chemistry, oligonucleotide conjugation, and fit-for-purpose bioanalytical and functional validation to enable asset generation beyond established hepatic indications. The successful candidate will own the scientific strategy and execution for the AOC platform, build an efficient group, establish platform capabilities (e.g., automation, conjugation, analytics, in vitro assays), and partner closely with oligonucleotide chemistry, DMPK, and bioanalytics teams.

Key Responsibilities

1) Scientific Leadership & Program Ownership

• Define AOC design principles for extrahepatic delivery (i.e., target selection, tissue/cell specificity, internalization, trafficking, endosomal escape strategies, payload selection, etc.).
• Drive program strategy, milestones, and decision-making frameworks (e.g., experimental plan, MOA validation, translation plan, developability risk).
• Lead multi-disciplinary project teams and represent AOC programs in governance forums and senior leadership reviews.

2) Antibody Discovery, Engineering & Developability

• Guide antigen and epitope strategy for extrahepatic tissue targeting (e.g., muscle, adipose tissue, immune cells).
• Oversee generation, screening, and prioritization of antibodies via different display technologies (e.g., phage/yeast display, hybridoma, or computational design) using a balanced combination of internal capability and external CROs
• Affinity/avidity optimization, cross-reactivity, and species selection
• Internalization/trafficking (recycling vs. degradative pathways)
• Biophysical stability (aggregation, viscosity), PTMs, and manufacturability
• Establish developability workflows (e.g., expression, purification, stability, aggregation, poly-specificity, immunogenicity risk screening) using a balanced combination of internal capability and external CROs
• Own the bioconjugation strategy (site-specific vs. stochastic; cysteine/lysine conjugation, enzymatic conjugation, non-natural amino acids, glycan remodeling, click chemistry, etc.).
• Partner with oligo chemists to define oligo formats (siRNA, ASO, splice-switching oligos, etc.), chemical modifications, and conjugation handles.
• Design and optimize linkers for:
• Stability in systemic circulation
• Controlled release (if/as applicable)
• Compatibility with antibody and oligo chemistry
• Scalability and CMC readiness
• Establish analytical methods to quantify DAR, positional heterogeneity, purity, and stability (e.g., LC-MS, SEC, CE-SDS, HIC, UV/fluorescence, ion exchange, oligo integrity assays) plus hands-on experience with multiscale purification and analytical characterization instruments.

4) Functional Validation Readouts

• Develop and oversee in vitro assays to confirm:
• Binding and internalization (e.g., flow cytometry, microscopy, ligand competition)
• Oligo activity (e.g., knockdown/splice modulation/qPCR/NGS readouts)
• Drive in vivo PK/PD and biodistribution studies in relevant models in close partnership with pharmacology team

5) Cross-Functional Partnering

• Collaborate with DMPK to establish AOC-specific ADME understanding (e.g., deconjugation, metabolite profiling, clearance mechanisms)
• Partner with Bioanalytics to set up assays for intact conjugate, total antibody, free oligo, and catabolites.
• Work with CMC/process development for scale-up readiness, control strategy, and quality attributes (CQAs) relevant to AOCs

6) People Leadership & Capability Building

• Recruit, mentor, and lead a team across protein science, conjugation chemistry, and biology
• Establish best practices for experimental design, documentation, and reproducibility; cultivate a culture of scientific excellence with a sense of urgency
• Identify and manage CRO partnerships to accelerate program timelines; Lead strategic collaborations as needed
• Lead innovation in AOC engineering to expand NATi's intellectual property (IP) portfolio.
• Coordinate technical documentation and patent filings in collaboration with legal and scientific teams.
• Prepare appropriate summary reports and presentations to update NATi leadership and stakeholders.

Qualifications & Experience

• A doctorate degree in Protein Engineering, Chemical Biology, Bioconjugation Chemistry, Organic/Medicinal Chemistry, or a related field.
• A minimum of +8 (Sr. Scientist) or +12 (Principal Scientist) years of relevant experience in pharmaceutical or biotech organizations.
• Demonstrated track record in antibody discovery/engineering and bioconjugation with clear ownership of programs advancing toward development.
• Hands-on experience with conjugation design, linker selection, and analytical characterization of conjugates (AOCs, ADCs, or related conjugate modalities).
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, set strategy, and deliver milestones in a matrix environment.
• Demonstrated innovation through IP, publications, IND filings, or other public disclosures.
• A dependable contributor to cross-functional teams who embraces a collaborative culture while demonstrating the autonomy/initiative to deliver on assigned scientific and operational responsibilities.
• Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and verbal/written communication skills.