Director, Pharmacology

Flagship Pioneering Co-Op Program; Somerville (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 248,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Retirement benefits

Incentive program

Job summary

Cellarity is seeking a Sr. Director, Pharmacology to lead preclinical pharmacology strategy across multiple discovery programs, translating in vitro biology into in vivo outcomes and guiding translational biomarker strategies.

Reporting to the Sr. Director of Lab Science, you will collaborate with biology, chemistry, DMPK, and external CROs to advance programs from early discovery through candidate selection, and present findings to leadership with clear risk assessments.

Qualifications

• PhD in biology, pharmacology, or a related discipline with 10–15+ years in biotech or pharma.
• Strong preclinical pharmacology foundation translating in vitro data to in vivo outcomes.
• Experience linking in vitro findings to in vivo outcomes, including engagement and PK/PD.
• Exposure to DMPK and collaboration with DMPK scientists.
• Proven track record influencing drug discovery across biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and external partners.
• Experience managing outsourced pharmacology studies through CROs.
• Excellent data integration and ability to build decision narratives.
• Strong written and verbal communication in a matrixed environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead preclinical pharmacology strategy across multiple discovery programs.
• Drive PK/PD interpretation and exposure–response assessment.
• Integrate data across biology, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and DMPK.
• Oversee outsourced pharmacology studies and CRO relationships.
• Partner with internal teams to define critical experiments and additional studies.
• Provide strategic input to cross-functional program discussions.
• Represent pharmacology at internal meetings, communicating findings and risks.
• Contribute to broader translational approaches as the pipeline expands.

Skills

Pharmacology strategy

Translational science

Preclinical pharmacology

DMPK collaboration

Data integration

Cross-functional leadership

External CRO management

Scientific communication

Education

PhD in biology or pharmacology

Job description

What if

you could join a rapidly growing company and play a critical role in bringing new medicines to patients through looking at and treating disease in a revolutionary way.

What this position is all about

What if you could join a fast-moving research organization and help shape translational strategy across a growing preclinical pipeline? Cellarity is seeking a highly strategic Sr. Director, Pharmacology to connect biology, pharmacology, DMPK, and translational science across inflammation and hematology programs. Reporting to the Sr. Director of Lab Science, this role will partner closely with biology, chemistry, DMPK, toxicology, external CROs, and scientific leadership to drive programs from early discovery through candidate selection.

What you would be responsible for:

• Lead preclinical pharmacology strategy across multiple discovery programs, with a focus on translating in vitro biology and functional assay data into meaningful in vivo outcomes.


• Drive PK/PD interpretation, exposure-response assessment, target coverage analysis, and translational biomarker strategy to inform program decisions.


• Integrate data across biology, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and DMPK to build clear scientific narratives and guide candidate advancement.


• Oversee outsourced pharmacology studies and manage external CRO relationships to ensure studies are scientifically rigorous, well interpreted, and aligned to program objectives.


• Partner with internal scientific teams to define critical experiments, interpret data packages, and determine what additional studies are needed to advance programs with confidence.


• Provide strategic input to cross-functional program discussions from early discovery through candidate selection.


• Represent pharmacology at internal scientific and program meetings, communicating findings, risks, and recommendations with clarity and precision.


• Contribute to the development of broader translational approaches as the organization continues to expand its preclinical pipeline.

What experiences will you need:

• PhD in biology, pharmacology, or a related scientific discipline, with 10-15+ years of relevant experience in biotech or pharmaceutical drug discovery and development.


• Strong foundation in preclinical pharmacology with demonstrated experience translating biology into in vivo efficacy and PK/PD insight.


• Experience connecting in vitro findings to in-vivo outcomes, including target engagement, exposure-response relationships, and translational biomarker strategy.


• Exposure to DMPK and ability to partner effectively with DMPK scientists on program interpretation and advancement.


• Proven track record of working across biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and external collaborators to influence drug discovery strategy.


• Experience managing and interpreting outsourced pharmacology studies through CROs.


• Strong scientific judgment, data integration skills, and the ability to build decision-enabling narratives from diverse datasets.


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to influence scientific teams and leadership in a matrixed environment.


• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, highly collaborative research environment with broad program visibility.

What will set you apart:

• Experience in hematology, particularly in combination with oncology.


• Experience supporting inflammation or immunology programs.


• Strong publication record spanning pharmacology, translational biology, medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, or drug discovery.


• Experience working in smaller, cross-functional biotech environments.


• Demonstrated ability to grow into broader translational leadership over time.

Company Summary:

Cellarity's mission is to fundamentally redesign the way drugs are created for the sake of bringing new hope to patients. By shifting the focus from a single target to the underlying cellular dysfunction, we unravel the complexity of disease biology and create medicines that were never before possible. The company has developed unique capabilities that link biology and chemistry with high dimensional -omic data from which we design medicines against the cellular signature of disease. The Cellarity platform allows us to uncover new biology in diseases even in the absence of known causal targets. Cellarity is a privately held, clinical-phase drug discovery startup using AI and single-cell omics to develop life-changing medicines that are unreachable by traditional methods of drug discovery. Cellarity is a product of Flagship Pioneering's venture creation engine, which has conceived and created companies such as Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), Generate: Biomedicines, and Lila Sciences.

Cellarity is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.

Privacy Notice for Applicants:

When you apply for a role at Flagship Pioneering or one of its portfolio companies, we collect and use personal information you provide (such as your name, contact details, work history, and application materials) to evaluate your application, communicate with you, and comply with legal obligations. Your application data is processed through Greenhouse, our applicant tracking system, and may also be reviewed using AI-assisted screening tools. We do not sell your personal information. California residents have rights under the CCPA/CPRA including to know, delete, and opt out of the sharing of your personal information. If you are located in the EU or UK, we process your data under GDPR and you have rights to access, rectify, and erase your data. To exercise your rights or for questions, contact [e-mail].

Privacy Notice for Applicants:

When you apply for a role at Flagship Pioneering or one of its portfolio companies, we collect and use personal information you provide (such as your name, contact details, work history, and application materials) to evaluate your application, communicate with you, and comply with legal obligations. Your application data is processed through Greenhouse, our applicant tracking system, and may also be reviewed using AI-assisted screening tools. We do not sell your personal information. California residents have rights under the CCPA/CPRA including to know, delete, and opt out of the sharing of your personal information. If you are located in the EU or UK, we process your data under GDPR and you have rights to access, rectify, and erase your data. To exercise your rights or for questions, contact [e-mail].

The salary range for this role is $180,000 - $248,000. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Cellarity currently offers healthcare coverage, annual incentive program, retirement benefits and a broad range of other benefits. Compensation and benefits information is based on Cellarity's good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.