Associate Director Vaccine Research

Join us at AstraZeneca, where you'll have the opportunity to make a difference in people's lives every day. As an Associate Director in the Virology and Vaccines Discovery group within the Early Vaccines and Immune Therapies Unit (Early V&I) in Gaithersburg, MD, you'll play a pivotal role in channeling our scientific capabilities to make a positive impact on changing patients’ lives. We are consistently pushing the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines to patients.

The Associate Director will be a key member of a growing, dynamic team focused on developing next-generation vaccines and antibody therapeutics through the drug discovery process. In this role you will lead a small research team responsible for in vitro experiments supporting the design, building, and evaluation of existing and novel vaccines towards the elicitation of protective immunity against relevant viral pathogens. You will contribute to the development of novel ideas in the target identification, antigen design, vaccine vector, and vaccine technology spaces. You will work collaboratively, across the organization to drive projects towards successful completion, develop technical summaries, protocols, and quantitative analyses, and be responsible for the day-to-day organization of different project-related components along with the publishing of discoveries in high quality, peer-reviewed journals and support of IND filing.

Essential Skills/Experience:

• Ph.D. in Virology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Immunology, Cell Biology, or related scientific field with 7+ years of experience, or M.S. with 13+ years of experience, or B.S. with 15+ years of experience.
• Advanced knowledge of virus pathogens/concepts, molecular biology techniques, and vaccine approaches.
• Extensive hands-on experience with the design, engineering, production, and characterization of novel vaccine vectors and/or vaccine antigens.
• Experience working with RNA and/or DNA viruses and reverse genetics systems.
• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience preparing written scientific reports (e.g., manuscripts) and oral presentations (e.g., slides, posters).
• Ability to multitask and prioritize numerous projects.
• Managerial experience of 3+ persons

Desirable Skills/Experience:

• Experience with basic automation

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we spark bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions. That’s why we work, on average in research, all five days of the week from the office. But that doesn't mean we’re not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.

At AstraZeneca, we are change makers on the world stage at an exciting frontier of medicine. We are helping to transform healthcare and build pandemic preparedness to protect against future health crises and to bring lasting immunity to people around the globe. We are committed to our central role in addressing pandemic and endemic diseases and ensuring our products continue to reach and benefit millions of people around the world.

Join our dynamic Vaccines and Immune Therapies team! Here we thrive in a diverse environment where everyone is empowered to speak up and share ideas. We encourage and value alternative perspectives as a path to challenge the norm and push the boundaries of science.

Ready to make a meaningful and lasting difference? Apply now!

Date Posted

12-Mar-2024

Closing Date

Our mission is to build an inclusive and equitable environment. We want people to feel they belong at AstraZeneca and Alexion, starting with our recruitment process. We welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of characteristics. We offer reasonable adjustments/accommodations to help all candidates to perform at their best. If you have a need for any adjustments/accommodations, please complete the section in the application form.

AstraZeneca requires all US employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 but will consider requests for reasonable accommodations as required by applicable law.