Associate Director, Pharmacology & Bioassays

Location: Onsite, Vancouver, WA (HQ)

About the role:

Absci is seeking a visionary scientific leader to join us as Associate Director, Pharmacology & Bioassays. In this pivotal role, you will spearhead a multidisciplinary team driving in vitro and ex vivo functional characterization of next-generation biologics, including antibodies, bispecifics, and engineered binding proteins, to advance Absci’s discovery and preclinical pipeline.

Associate Director, Pharmacology & Bioassays will serve as the group’s primary subject matter expert (SME) in pharmacology, mechanistic biology, and functional assay strategy. They will ensure that data generated by the team is rigorous, reproducible, and directly informs program strategy from early discovery through IND-enabling studies. This is a critical scientific leadership role reporting to the Head of Disease Biology and partners closely with Disease Biology, Protein Engineering, and High-Throughput Screening (HTS) functions at Absci.

Key Responsibilities

Scientific & Functional Leadership:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team focused on in vitro and ex vivo assay development, mechanistic biology, and functional pharmacology.
• Serve as the primary pharmacology SME on internal project teams.
• Provide scientific direction on assay strategies and mechanistic understanding of biologic therapeutics, including MOA, receptor pharmacology, signaling pathways, and functional readouts.
• Uphold strong scientific rigor, reproducibility, data quality, and interpretation standards across all team deliverables.

Pharmacology & Mechanistic Biology

• Oversee the design, development, optimization, and execution of cell-based functional assays that evaluate potency, mechanistic activity, selectivity, and biological relevance of Absci’s therapeutic candidates.
• Guide assay strategies supporting:
• Target validation and MOA elucidation
• Lead identification and optimization
• Structure–function and functional epitope analysis
• Cell biology studies relevant to disease-associated pathways
• Integrate functional biology insights into quantitative pharmacology frameworks (e.g., dose–response modeling, receptor occupancy, PK/PD translation).

Program Strategy & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Represent the Pharmacology & Bioassays group on cross-functional project teams, translating complex data into actionable recommendations and clear articulation of program risks.
• Collaborate closely with Protein Engineering, HTS, and Disease Biology to drive cohesive, milestone-aligned experimental plans.
• Identify data gaps, propose scientifically sound solutions, and guide planning to ensure programs remain on track with the right assays and decision-making metrics.
• Support in vivo study design by developing complementary in vitro/ex vivo assays to inform MOA, PD biomarkers, and dose selection.

Operational Excellence

• Build and maintain state-of-the-art workflows and technologies relevant for cell-based and ex vivo assay systems (e.g., primary cell systems, cytokine/receptor signaling assays, flow cytometry, high-content imaging).
• Implement best practices for assay robustness, statistical rigor, documentation, and reproducibility.
• Manage team resources, timelines, and workload across multiple programs in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Evaluate and oversee external collaborations, including CROs and academic groups, as needed.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• PhD in Pharmacology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Immunology, or a related discipline with 5-7+ years of industry experience, or an equivalent combination of advanced degree and experience.
• Demonstrated track record of scientific leadership and team development.
• Proven experience supporting or leading antibody drug development programs.

Scientific Expertise

• Deep expertise in pharmacology and mechanistic biology of biologics, including antibodies, bispecifics, and other engineered protein therapeutics.
• Strong background in cell biology, including primary cell systems, cytokine biology, receptor–ligand interactions, signaling pathways, and effector function mechanisms.
• Extensive experience developing, executing, and troubleshooting in vitro/ex vivo functional assays, such as:
• Primary immune-cell or primary-cell functional assays
• 3D/complex multi-component cell-based assay systems
• Signaling pathway and reporter-based assays
• Cytokine/chemokine readouts (ELISA/MSD)
• Flow cytometry and high-content imaging
• ADCC/CDC or other immune-effector assays (when relevant)
• Demonstrated experience advancing biologic drug candidates through key stages of drug development, including target validation, lead optimization, and IND-enabling studies, with direct contribution to at least one successful IND submission.

Leadership & Interpersonal Skills

• Proven ability to lead and inspire scientific teams while maintaining high standards of quality and rigor.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex biological data into program-relevant insights.
• Highly collaborative, strategic, proactive, and adaptable to evolving priorities.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic biotech environment and influence across functions.

How We Thrive Together: Absci’s Core  Values 

• We Believe in the Impossible
• We are one team with one finish line
• We embrace our differences
• We deliver Results
• We do the right thing
• Innovate because lives depend on it.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $160,000 -190,000/year. The range provided is based on what we believe is a reasonable estimate for the base salary range for this job at the time of posting. Actual base salary pay will be based on a number of factors, including skills, competencies, experience, and other job-related factors permitted by law.

Absci offers highly competitive salaries and benefits, including medical, dental, vision insurance, unlimited vacation, parental leave, employee assistance program, voluntary life and disability insurance, annual bonus potential, and 401(k) with a generous company match.