Director/Senior Director, Antibody Discovery Lab Science San Mateo, CA
BigHat, San Mateo, CA, United States
Director/Senior Director, Antibody Discovery
Department:
Lab Science
Employment Type:
Permanent
Location:
San Mateo, CA
Description The Role:
BigHat is seeking an exceptional and highly experienced individual for a position as Director/Senior Director of Antibody Discovery. This individual will lead the company’s antibody discovery and display function. They will be responsible for conceiving of and leading multi-year team and technology strategy as well as managing routine operational execution for identification and maturation of high-quality antibodies across antigen types for both BigHat and BigHat-partnered therapeutic research programs.
Key Responsibilities
Lead BigHat’s antibody discovery and display functions, setting the scientific, technical, and strategic direction
Oversee the routine execution of display-based selection campaigns to enhance and diversify affinity, developability, and function across diverse antibody formats and antigen types in support of BigHat and BigHat-partnered therapeutic programs
Manage and mentor a team of scientists responsible for antibody library design, generation, screening, selection, and early optimization
Shape and expand BigHat’s antibody discovery technologies and capabilities, including new display and selection methods, library design strategies, and technical approaches that leverage and enhance the company’s integrated experimental and computational platform
Provide scientific leadership across discovery and early optimization efforts, ensuring antibodies emerging from selections possess strong functional and developability characteristics
Work closely with leaders in Protein Sciences, Data Science/Machine Learning, Engineering, and Platform groups to ensure seamless progression from discovery through characterization and optimization
Collaborate with biology and therapeutic research leads to ensure display outputs align with and advance program objectives
Foster a collaborative and high-performance culture within the discovery organization
Skills Knowledge and Expertise
Ph.D. in molecular biology, biochemistry, protein engineering, or related discipline with 12+ years of experience in antibody discovery and engineering within academia, biotechnology, or pharmaceutical industries
8+ years of managerial experience leading scientific teams
Strong expertise with protein display systems such as yeast, phage, mammalian, or mRNA display
Demonstrated experience with antibody library design, construction, screening, and selection analysis
Deep understanding of antibody structure-function relationships and mechanisms of antigen recognition
Experience integrating antibody discovery workflows with downstream characterization and developability assessment, including functional screening and biophysical evaluation of antibody candidates
Familiarity with computational or ML-enabled approaches to protein design and optimization
Experience advancing biologics from early discovery through lead optimization stages
Knowledge of diverse antibody modalities including multispecific antibodies, antibody fragments, and other advanced formats
Strong leadership skills with experience building and mentoring scientific teams
Strategic thinker capable of aligning discovery activities with broader company goals
Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
Self-motivated and comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment
Must be willing to work onsite 5 days per week
Total Rewards The salary estimated for this position is $230,000 - $270,000 + bonus + options + benefits. Compensation will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Actual compensation will be confirmed in writing at the time of the offer.
What BigHat Offers:
Range of health insurance plan options through Anthem and Kaiser (monthly credit if benefit waived)
Dental, and vision coverage through Guardian
Additional well-being benefits through Nayya, OneMedical, Wagmo, Rula, and more
401(k) with company match
DTO, two weeks of company-wide shutdown, and 12 company holidays
Paid parental leave
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Lab Science
Employment Type:
Permanent
Location:
San Mateo, CA
Description The Role:
BigHat is seeking an exceptional and highly experienced individual for a position as Director/Senior Director of Antibody Discovery. This individual will lead the company’s antibody discovery and display function. They will be responsible for conceiving of and leading multi-year team and technology strategy as well as managing routine operational execution for identification and maturation of high-quality antibodies across antigen types for both BigHat and BigHat-partnered therapeutic research programs.
Key Responsibilities
Lead BigHat’s antibody discovery and display functions, setting the scientific, technical, and strategic direction
Oversee the routine execution of display-based selection campaigns to enhance and diversify affinity, developability, and function across diverse antibody formats and antigen types in support of BigHat and BigHat-partnered therapeutic programs
Manage and mentor a team of scientists responsible for antibody library design, generation, screening, selection, and early optimization
Shape and expand BigHat’s antibody discovery technologies and capabilities, including new display and selection methods, library design strategies, and technical approaches that leverage and enhance the company’s integrated experimental and computational platform
Provide scientific leadership across discovery and early optimization efforts, ensuring antibodies emerging from selections possess strong functional and developability characteristics
Work closely with leaders in Protein Sciences, Data Science/Machine Learning, Engineering, and Platform groups to ensure seamless progression from discovery through characterization and optimization
Collaborate with biology and therapeutic research leads to ensure display outputs align with and advance program objectives
Foster a collaborative and high-performance culture within the discovery organization
Skills Knowledge and Expertise
Ph.D. in molecular biology, biochemistry, protein engineering, or related discipline with 12+ years of experience in antibody discovery and engineering within academia, biotechnology, or pharmaceutical industries
8+ years of managerial experience leading scientific teams
Strong expertise with protein display systems such as yeast, phage, mammalian, or mRNA display
Demonstrated experience with antibody library design, construction, screening, and selection analysis
Deep understanding of antibody structure-function relationships and mechanisms of antigen recognition
Experience integrating antibody discovery workflows with downstream characterization and developability assessment, including functional screening and biophysical evaluation of antibody candidates
Familiarity with computational or ML-enabled approaches to protein design and optimization
Experience advancing biologics from early discovery through lead optimization stages
Knowledge of diverse antibody modalities including multispecific antibodies, antibody fragments, and other advanced formats
Strong leadership skills with experience building and mentoring scientific teams
Strategic thinker capable of aligning discovery activities with broader company goals
Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills
Self-motivated and comfortable working in a fast-paced startup environment
Must be willing to work onsite 5 days per week
Total Rewards The salary estimated for this position is $230,000 - $270,000 + bonus + options + benefits. Compensation will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Actual compensation will be confirmed in writing at the time of the offer.
What BigHat Offers:
Range of health insurance plan options through Anthem and Kaiser (monthly credit if benefit waived)
Dental, and vision coverage through Guardian
Additional well-being benefits through Nayya, OneMedical, Wagmo, Rula, and more
401(k) with company match
DTO, two weeks of company-wide shutdown, and 12 company holidays
Paid parental leave
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