R&D Manager Leadership Development Program

Legendcareers; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid parental leave

Well‑being programs

Job summary

Legend Biotech is seeking a scientist for the Early Career Leadership Program in Philadelphia, PA. The role focuses on in‑vivo CAR therapies and translational research within cell therapy development, contributing to advancing the company’s immunotherapy portfolio.

The successful candidate will bring a PhD in immunology or related field, 3–4 years in cell/gene therapy, and strong experience with flow cytometry, viral vectors, and in‑vivo models.

Qualifications

• Recent PhD in Immunology or related life sciences (within last 5 years).
• 3-4 years in cell/gene therapy field; in‑vivo CAR‑T experience preferred.
• Extensive experience in immune cell analytics and assay development (flow cytometry, cytokine assays).
• Experience with lentivirus characterization/quantification using molecular and flow-based assays.

Responsibilities

• Lead and optimize research exploring next‑gen cell therapies using in‑vivo CAR‑T.
• Contribute to project creation by literature review to solve in‑vivo cell therapy problems.
• Execute tests with leukapheresis material and evaluate CAR virus in vitro and in vivo models.
• Deliver data and results to diverse audiences during internal meetings and reviews.

Skills

Immunology

CAR-T biology

Flow cytometry

Project delivery

Collaboration

Education

PhD in Immunology or related life sciences

Tools

FACS

ELISA

qPCR

Lentivirus production

VCN assays

Job description

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 a 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 fast paced biotech environment. You thrive in a collaborative work environment and are skilled at advancing multiple projects concurrently. Knowledge of state‑of‑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 required, in‑vivo CAR‑T experience preferred.
• Extensive experience in immune cell‑based analytics and assay development including but not limited to advanced multi‑parameter flow‑cytometry, immunogenicity assay 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.
• Be able 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, titering and transduction.
• Working molecular biology and cellular biology knowledge in design and evaluation of modified viral vectors.
• Strong multitasking, problem‑solving and collaborative skills.

The base pay range below is what Legend Biotech USA Inc. reasonably expects to offer at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on experience, skills, qualifications, and geographic location. The company reserves the right to modify this range as needed and in accordance with applicable laws.

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

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.

Please note: These benefits are offered exclusively to permanent full‑time employees. Contractors are not eligible for benefits through Legend Biotech.

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.

For information related to our privacy notice, please review: Legend Biotech Privacy Notice.