Discovery Bioanalytical Leader (Associate Director / Director / Senior Director)

Initial Therapeutics, Inc.; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

JLSa2 is seeking a Discovery Bioanalytical Leader to guide a small team in South San Francisco. You will shape bioanalytical strategies for PK and ADA studies, and oversee LC-MS/MS and ligand binding assays to support discovery programs.

The role blends hands-on leadership with strategic oversight, collaborating with multiple biology and CMC teams to accelerate decision-making in a fast-paced biotech environment.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences or Analytical Chemistry required.
• Minimum of 6 years in bioanalysis within biotech/pharma/CRO environments.
• Proven leadership and mentoring of scientific staff.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a small bioanalytical team with a culture of scientific excellence.
• Develop and execute discovery bioanalytical strategies for PK, ADA, and PK/PD studies.
• Oversee in-house LC-MS/MS and LBA method development and data reporting.

Skills

Leadership

LC-MS/MS

LBA (ligand binding assays)

Bioanalysis

PK/PK-PD

Mentoring

Outsourcing management

Data interpretation

Education

Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences or Analytical Chemistry

Tools

LC-MS/MS

Phoenix WinNonlin

LBA assays

Job description

JLSa2 is a recently launched seed-stage venture backed company located in South San Francisco focused on developing novel multifunctional protein-drug conjugate therapies to address human metabolic diseases and other non-oncology related diseases.

The Discovery Bioanalytical Leader, which reports into the Head of DMPK, provides scientific, operational, and people leadership for bioanalytical activities supporting discovery research of peptide biologic therapeutics. This role is responsible for developing, implementing, and executing bioanalytical strategies that are fit-for-purpose and support the generation of robust pharmacokinetic (PK), in vivo nonclinical PK/PD, anti-drug antibody (ADA), and related bioanalytical data to enable reagents and/or tool molecules identification & testing, exploratory in vivo studies, lead optimization, candidate selection, and progression into non-GLP toxicology studies.

Working in a highly collaborative, fast-paced biotechnology environment, this individual will combine hands-on laboratory leadership with strategic oversight of outsourced bioanalytical activities while leading a small team of bioanalytical scientists. The successful candidate will serve as the company's technical expert in mass spectrometry and ligand binding assays, providing scientific direction, mentorship, and supervision to team members while partnering closely with Discovery Biology, Pharmacology, Toxicology, and CMC teams.

Scientific & People Leadership

• Lead, mentor, develop, and supervise a small team of bioanalytical scientist, fostering a culture of scientific excellence, collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning. Provide technical guidance and coaching on experimental design, assay development, troubleshooting, data interpretation, and scientific problem solving. Set priorities, allocate resources, and manage workloads to ensure timely execution of multiple discovery programs. Develop scientific talent while supporting career growth and performance management. Foster a collaborative, innovative, and high-performing laboratory environment that emphasizes quality, efficiency, and scientific rigor.

Discovery Bioanalytical Strategy

• Develop and execute bioanalytical strategies by partnering with chemistry and protein engineering to enable lead optimization through candidate declaration for new target programs. Design fit-for-purpose bioanalytical approaches for pharmacokinetic (PK), in vivo nonclinical PK/PD, anti-drug antibody (ADA), and related discovery studies. Provide scientific guidance on bioanalytical approaches that accelerate decision-making across multiple therapeutic programs. Support candidate nomination by generating high-quality fit-for-purpose bioanalytical data for multidisciplinary project teams.

In-House Bioanalytical Laboratory Leadership

• Lead the in-house bioanalytical laboratory and oversee development, testing, optimization, and execution of mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and ligand binding assays (LBA). Supervise scientists in the design, development, troubleshooting, and validation of bioanalytical methods supporting discovery PK, ADA, and biomarker studies. Oversee sample analysis, data review, interpretation, and reporting while ensuring scientific quality, data integrity, and timely delivery of data. Manage laboratory operations, instrumentation, workflows, and documentation to maximize productivity and efficiency. Identify and implement new analytical technologies and methodologies that improve assay performance, throughput, and scientific capabilities.

CRO & External Partner Management

• Manage outsourced bioanalytical activities supporting discovery programs. Select, oversee, and evaluate CROs performing bioanalytical assays, PK, and PK/PD studies. Review study protocols, analytical methods, reports, and datasets to ensure scientific quality and timely delivery. Coordinate activities between internal project teams and CROs to meet program timelines and objectives.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Analytical Chemistry, or a related scientific discipline. Minimum of 6 years of relevant experience in bioanalysis within biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or CRO environments. Demonstrated experience leading, mentoring, and developing scientific staff in a laboratory environment. High level of expertise in LC-MS/MS and ligand binding (LBA) assays for the bioanalysis of peptide, biologic, and/or small molecule drug discovery programs Hands-on experience with assay development, optimization, troubleshooting, and validation. Strong experience developing and executing bioanalytical assays supporting pharmacokinetic (PK) and anti-drug antibody (ADA) studies. Hands-on experience performing non-compartmental pharmacokinetic (NCA) analyses and interpreting PK parameters using industry-standard software (e.g., Phoenix WinNonlin) to support discovery and early development decision- making. Experience managing external CROs and outsourced bioanalytical studies.

• Demonstrated success mentoring scientists and fostering their professional growth. Strong scientific curiosity and technical problem-solving skills. Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on laboratory involvement. Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams. Self-motivated and adaptable in a fast-paced environment. Excellent communication skills with the ability to present complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences. Strong attention to detail while maintaining focus on program timelines and business objectives.

Salary Range: $190,000 to $250,000 (Compensation commensurate with experience/expertise/level and could fall outside of the stated range)