Scientist I/Scientist II – Protein Engineering

Enlaza Therapeutics; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Enlaza Therapeutics in San Diego is seeking a Scientist with protein engineering expertise to drive drug discovery programs. You will design and execute experiments, build antibody and VHH libraries, and push lead candidates toward optimization and characterization.

You will work closely with platform engineering, protein sciences, computational biology, pharmacology, and leadership in a fast-paced, collaborative environment, with ~80% hands-on bench work and strong emphasis on data

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Structural Biology, Protein Engineering, or a related discipline, with 0-4 years of relevant hands‑on experience in protein engineering; alternatively, a Master’s degree with significant industry experience in a related field.
• Strong scientific rigor, critical thinking, and problem‑solving skills, with demonstrated experience in protein engineering and/or biologics discovery.
• Extensive expertise in molecular biology techniques, including construct design (Geneious or similar software), molecular cloning, mutagenesis, transformation, and plasmid preparation.
• Hands‑on experience with recombinant protein expression and purification from E. coli, including affinity purification, protein quantification, SDS‑PAGE, Western blotting, and related analytical techniques.
• Experience applying protein engineering strategies to optimize therapeutic antibodies and antibody fragments (including mAbs and VHHs), such as affinity maturation, humanization, and developability optimization.
• Practical experience with binding affinity and kinetics characterization using BLI and/or SPR, including epitope binning studies.
• Proficiency with structural biology and molecular modeling tools such as PyMOL, MOE, or equivalent software for protein analysis, rational design, and library construction.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively present complex scientific data.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a fast‑paced, multidisciplinary environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, construct, and generate antibody and VHH libraries, and perform screening campaigns to identify binders against a variety of protein targets.
• Optimize lead antibody and VHH candidates using protein engineering approaches, including affinity maturation, humanization, developability enhancement, and sequence liability mitigation.
• Coordinate and execute the characterization of screening hits and lead molecules, including sample preparation and/or analysis using LC-MS, analytical SEC, BLI, cell-based binding assays, and other relevant biophysical and functional assays.
• Analyze, interpret, and communicate experimental data; organize results and present findings to cross-functional project teams.
• Maintain accurate and detailed experimental records in electronic laboratory notebooks and data systems.
• Collaborate closely with scientists across discovery, protein sciences, computational biology, analytical, and translational teams to advance therapeutic candidates.
• Contribute to troubleshooting experimental challenges and developing innovative solutions to accelerate project progress.
• This position is laboratory-based and is expected to involve approximately 80% hands‑on bench work.

Skills

Protein engineering

Molecular biology

Antibody engineering

Biologics discovery

Analytical techniques

Data interpretation

Team collaboration

Communication skills

Education

PhD in a relevant field

Master’s degree with industry experience

Tools

PyMOL

MOE

Biophysical instruments (BLI/SPR)

ÄKTA chromatography

LC-MS

Job description

Enlaza Therapeutics is a privately held, well-funded biotech company based in San Diego developing an innovative synthetic biology platform to create a disruptive new class of biologic therapeutics. We are dedicated to the development of these novel therapies to help patients suffering from cancer and other serious diseases.

Role Description:

This position is for a Scientist with expertise in protein engineering to help drive our drug discovery programs. We seek an individual that is proficient in designing and executing experiments, has excellent communication and documentation skills, and is excited to expand their skillset in a fast-paced and collaborative research environment. This position will work in our protein engineering team and will be involved in biotherapeutic identification, characterization, optimization, and selection of lead molecules for multiple programs. This is an excellent opportunity to work with a motivated and experienced team and interface directly with multiple research groups, including platform engineering, protein sciences, computational biology, pharmacology, and leadership. The ideal candidate will be an enthusiastic, motivated, and innovative individual who is excited to participate in a dedicated team.

Responsibilities:

• Design, construct, and generate antibody and VHH libraries, and perform screening campaigns to identify binders against a variety of protein targets.
• Optimize lead antibody and VHH candidates using protein engineering approaches, including affinity maturation, humanization, developability enhancement, and sequence liability mitigation.
• Coordinate and execute the characterization of screening hits and lead molecules, including sample preparation and/or analysis using LC-MS, analytical SEC, BLI, cell-based binding assays, and other relevant biophysical and functional assays.
• Analyze, interpret, and communicate experimental data; organize results and present findings to cross-functional project teams.
• Maintain accurate and detailed experimental records in electronic laboratory notebooks and data systems.
• Collaborate closely with scientists across discovery, protein sciences, computational biology, analytical, and translational teams to advance therapeutic candidates.
• Contribute to troubleshooting experimental challenges and developing innovative solutions to accelerate project progress.
• This position is laboratory-based and is expected to involve approximately 80% hands‑on bench work.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Structural Biology, Protein Engineering, or a related discipline, with 0-4 years of relevant hands‑on experience in protein engineering; alternatively, a Master’s degree with significant industry experience in a related field.
• Strong scientific rigor, critical thinking, and problem‑solving skills, with demonstrated experience in protein engineering and/or biologics discovery.
• Extensive expertise in molecular biology techniques, including construct design (Geneious or similar software), molecular cloning, mutagenesis, transformation, and plasmid preparation.
• Hands‑on experience with recombinant protein expression and purification from E. coli, including affinity purification, protein quantification, SDS‑PAGE, Western blotting, and related analytical techniques.
• Experience applying protein engineering strategies to optimize therapeutic antibodies and antibody fragments (including mAbs and VHHs), such as affinity maturation, humanization, and developability optimization.
• Practical experience with binding affinity and kinetics characterization using BLI and/or SPR, including epitope binning studies.
• Proficiency with structural biology and molecular modeling tools such as PyMOL, MOE, or equivalent software for protein analysis, rational design, and library construction.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively present complex scientific data.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a fast‑paced, multidisciplinary environment.

Additional Experience Preferred but Not Required:

• Experience with high‑throughput library screening and antibody discovery platforms.
• Strong understanding and interpretation of data generated from analytical techniques, including SEC, LC‑MS, HIC, and DLS.
• Hands‑on experience with protein purification using ÄKTA chromatography systems, including Ni affinity, Protein A, SEC, HIC, and ion‑exchange chromatography.
• Knowledge of antibody discovery and optimization workflows from hit identification through lead candidate selection.
• Experience or familiarity with multispecific/bispecific antibody engineering and antibody‑drug conjugate (ADC) development.
• Experience with computational protein design, sequence analysis, or AI/ML‑enabled protein engineering approaches is a plus.

Compensation:

In addition to a competitive compensation package with stock options, the company also offers a comprehensive benefits package for our employees and their families, which includes medical, dental, vision, and supplemental disability insurance.