R&D Manager Leadership Development Program

Legend Biotech US; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 127,313 - 167,099; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) retirement plan

Paid parental leave

Comprehensive health insurance

Job summary

Legend Biotech US is seeking a scientist for the R&D Manager Leadership Development Program in Philadelphia, PA. This role is integral to advancing innovative CAR therapies and requires expertise in immunology and/or oncology.

The selected candidate will lead research projects, optimize in-vivo cell therapies, and collaborate in a dynamic environment. A recent PhD in a related discipline with substantial knowledge of cutting-edge immunotherapy is essential for this position.

At Legend Biotech, you will be part of a team dedicated to transforming patient outcomes through innovative scientific research.

Qualifications

• Recent PhD graduate in Immunology or related life sciences discipline.
• 3-4 years of experience in cell and gene therapy, with in-vivo CAR-T experience preferred.
• Extensive experience in immune cell-based analytics and assay development.

Responsibilities

• Lead and optimize research exploring next generation cell therapies.
• Isolate immune cells from donors or patients and evaluate in-vivo CAR virus.
• Generate and manage critical data in an organized manner.

Skills

In-vivo CAR-T

Immunology

Cell biology techniques

Advanced flow-cytometry

Gene delivery methods

Education

PhD in Immunology or related life sciences

Tools

ELN (Electronic Lab Notebook)

FACS

VCN analysis

Job description

R&D Manager Leadership Development Program

Philadelphia, PA

Legend Biotech is a global biotechnology company dedicated to treating, and one day curing, life‑threatening diseases. Headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, we are developing advanced cell therapies across a diverse array of technology platforms, including autologous and allogenic chimeric antigen receptor T‑cell, T‑cell receptor (TCR‑T), and natural killer (NK) cell‑based immunotherapy. From our three R&D sites around the world, we apply these innovative technologies to pursue the discovery of safe, efficacious and cutting‑edge therapeutics for patients worldwide.

Legend Biotech entered into a global collaboration agreement with Janssen, one of the pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, to jointly develop and commercialize ciltacabtagene autolecuel (cilta‑cel). Our strategic partnership is designed to combine the strengths and expertise of both companies to advance the promise of an immunotherapy in the treatment of multiple myeloma.

Legend Biotech is seeking a Scientist as part of the R&D Leadership Development Program based in Philadelphia, PA.

Role Overview

The Early Career Leadership Program at Legend Biotech is a strategic, enterprise‑focused development experience designed to accelerate the growth of high‑potential professionals early in their careers (3‑5 years). Rooted in our commitment to cultivating enterprise‑minded, value‑driven leaders, this program provides structured rotational exposure, executive mentorship, and real‑time business impact across scientific, operational, and corporate functions.

We are seeking an initiative‑taking and creative scientist to grow our pipeline efforts. The candidate will be part of our R&D leadership development program at Legend; a leading cell therapy company with the commercial CAR drug product CARVYKTI and an attractive pipeline portfolio. The candidate will be an integral part of our Philadelphia R&D team, whose aim is to research, develop and advance the next generation of cell therapies using innovative in‑vivo delivery technologies and create novel CAR therapy to treat a wide range of cancer and autoimmune disease indications. This position will focus on in‑vivo CAR. The position requires enthusiasm, passion, outstanding skills in the art, diligence, and a desire to create new medicines for patients.

Expertise in immunology and/or oncology is required. The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated individual who enjoys a fast‑paced biotech environment, thrives in a collaborative work environment, and is skilled at advancing multiple projects concurrently. Knowledge of state‑of‑the‑art immunotherapy and its applications. As part of the Legend Biotech R&D team and under minimal supervision, you will be responsible for timely execution and delivery of projects in our discovery pipeline.

Join us in advancing the frontiers of cell and gene therapy—where your discoveries can redefine treatment paradigms and transform patient outcomes worldwide.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, design and optimize research with aims of exploring next generation cell therapies using in‑vivo CAR‑T.
• Contribute to project creation and formation through dissection of published literature to find novel solutions to in‑vivo cell therapy problems.
• Isolate immune cells from leukopak or blood of healthy donors or patients and execute the evaluation of in‑vivo CAR virus using a battery of in‑vitro assays and in‑vivo mice models.
• Perform treatment of solid tumor research requiring cell biology techniques including cell culture, transfection, FACS, and cell‑based functional assays.
• Package and titer engineered viruses to infect immune cells in vitro and in vivo; characterize virus particles with protein and PCR based assays; measure transduction rate using flow and VCN analysis.
• Generate, manage, evaluate, and maintain critical data in a highly organized manner, including the use of ELN.
• Deliver results to meet timeline with accountability through presentation to a wide range of audiences of internal group meetings and other forums.

Requirements

• Recent PhD graduate in Immunology or related life sciences discipline (within the last 5 years).
• 3‑4 years of experience in the field of cell and gene therapy, with in‑vivo CAR‑T experience preferred.
• Extensive experience in immune cell‑based analytics and assay development including advanced multi‑parameter flow‑cytometry, immunogenicity assays such as cytotoxicity assay, cytokine release ELISA/MSD multiplex assays.
• Experience with lentivirus particle characterization and quantification using molecular (VCN) and flow‑based assays.
• Experience with solid tumor models and in‑vivo cell‑specific gene delivery is a plus.
• Ability to work independently to plan and timely execute research projects.
• Deep knowledge of immunology and immunotherapy; a deep understanding of solid tumor models is preferred.
• Proficient in advanced gene delivery methods using LVV, VLP or LNP technologies.
• Strong experience with lentivirus production, titration and transduction.
• Working molecular biology and cellular biology knowledge in design and evaluation of modified viral vectors.
• Strong multitasking, problem‑solving and collaborative skills.

Benefits and Paid Time Off

Medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as a 401(k) retirement plan with a company match that vests fully on day one. We offer eight (8) weeks of paid parental leave after just three (3) months of employment, and a paid time off policy that includes vacation time, personal time, sick time, floating holidays, and eleven (11) company holidays. Additional voluntary benefits include flexible spending and health savings accounts, life and AD&D insurance, short‑ and long‑term disability coverage, legal assistance, and supplemental plans such as pet, critical illness, accident, and hospital indemnity insurance. We also provide voluntary commuter benefits, family planning and care resources, well‑being initiatives, and peer‑to‑peer recognition programs; demonstrating our ongoing commitment to building a culture where our people feel empowered, supported, and inspired to do their best work.

Pay Range (Base Pay): $127,313 – $167,099 USD

Other Types of Pay: Performance‑based bonus and/or equity is available to employees in eligible roles.

EEO Statement

It is the policy of Legend Biotech to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions and lactation), gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic under applicable federal, state or local laws or ordinances.

Employment is at‑will and may be terminated at any time with or without cause or notice by the employee or the company.