Vp Research Jobs in Bothell, WA (NOW HIRING)

Confidential Search: Executive Director / Vice President, Discovery/Research

Location: Seattle, WA (Hybrid)

Company: Stealth-mode biotechnology venture

A stealthmode biotechnology company in Seattle is seeking an accomplished Executive Director or Vice President of Discovery/Research to lead scientific strategy and execution across discovery, preclinical research, and INDenabling development for a pipeline of prophylactic monoclonal antibodies targeting viral pathogens.

This executive will serve as the scientific head of research, setting the longterm discovery vision while ensuring nearterm execution of the companys lead program through IND. The role demands strong leadership, strategic insight, and deep subjectmatter expertise, paired with a willingness to operate handson within a small, stealth startup environment.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the foundational scientific platform, build a highcaliber discovery capability, and directly influence value creation at a critical early stage.

• Define and articulate the scientific vision for discovery and preclinical research in alignment with company mission and longterm pipeline goals.
• Build a differentiated discovery strategy for prophylactic monoclonal antibodies, including target selection, mechanistic prioritization, and candidate profiling.
• Create an integrated scientific plan that supports both innovation (new platform capabilities, viral targetspace expansion) and execution (lead optimization and IND readiness).

• Serve as the executive scientific leader responsible for aligning discovery research with the critical path to IND and beyond, ensuring all research outputs support regulatory expectations and development timelines.
• Oversee integration of virology, pharmacology, structural/biophysical characterization, PK/PD, nonclinical safety, and CMC considerations into a coherent development plan.
• Lead seniorlevel interactions with regulatory consultants and contribute to IND strategy, scientific narrative, data interpretation, and responses to regulatory authorities.

• Build and lead a highperforming research organization, initially through strategic use of CROs, contractors, and academic partnerships, with selective internal hiring over time.
• Mentor and develop scientific staff; instill a culture of rigor, creativity, accountability, and translational thinking.
• Drive crossfunctional alignment across research, CMC, clinical strategy, and operationswithout reliance on large internal departments.

• Guide experimental strategy for virology and pharmacology, including in vitro and in vivo models, neutralization assays, and mechanistic studies required for candidate differentiation.
• Ensure that research activities support translational hypotheses, dose selection strategies, and safety margins.

• Direct structural and biophysical studies (cryoEM, crystallography, SPR/BLI, epitope mapping) that inform antibody engineering, lead selection, and regulatory justification of mechanism.
• Integrate structural insights into overall discovery strategy and development decisionmaking.

• Serve as the senior scientific representative in relationships with CROs, academic collaborators, industry partners, and scientific advisors.
• Represent the companys research strategy in board discussions, investor interactions, and scientific forums as appropriate.

• Establish research operating principles, quality standards, and datareview processes suited to a small but highambition company.
• Manage budgets, timelines, and strategic resourcing to maximize scientific productivity in a lean setting.

• Ph.D. in Virology, Immunology, Molecular Biology, Structural Biology, Pharmacology, or a related field.
• 15+ years of relevant industry experience with increasing leadership responsibility; prior role(s) at Executive Director, VP, or equivalent strongly preferred.
• Proven track record directing monoclonal antibody discovery and optimization from concept through preclinical development and to BLA.
• Experience leading programs toward INDenabling studies and partnering on IND strategy.
• Deep scientific expertise in at least one of: viral pathogenesis, virology and antiviral pharmacology, antibody engineering, structural biology, or translational sciences.
• Demonstrated ability to build, mentor, and lead scientific teamspreferably in earlystage or resourceconstrained environments.
• Exceptional ability to manage external partners and drive execution across multiple disciplines.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to represent scientific strategy to executives, boards, and external stakeholders.

• Experience with prophylactic or infectious diseasefocused antibody programsli>
• Prior involvement in company formation, platform development, or early pipeline strategy.
• Experience interacting directly with the FDA or other global health authorities.
• Proven track record of establishing research capabilities and scientific culture in startup or lean environments.

• Executivelevel influence on strategy, scientific direction, and pipeline creation.
• Opportunity to build and lead the research function at a formative moment.
• Ability to directly shape the path to IND for the lead antibody program.
• Highimpact, missiondriven work with competitive compensation and meaningful equity ownership.

• Executive

• Fulltime

• Business Development and Sales