Career Center

Are you energized by a scientific leadership role that allows you to enhance scientific capabilities and foster an environment of new ideas and innovation?  If so, this Senior Director, Complex In Vitro Models role could be an ideal opportunity to explore.

As the Senior Director Complex In Vitro Models you will be responsible for delivering an integrated enterprise strategy for sustained, portfolio driven growth in R&D by application of human-relevant and translatable complex in vitro models. You will lead the implementation and evolution of biologically relevant in vitro technologies and deliver a strong impact at GSK through increased adoption, impact (attrition reduction), and modernization driving the coordination and prioritization of activities. The role requires the individual to identify external innovation and be a key influencer in the external environment through connections with external experts and key opinion leaders.

Key Responsibilities:

This role will provide YOU the opportunity to lead key activities to progress YOUR career, these responsibilities include some of the following.

• Lead, manage and mentor an agile team of scientists driving efficient and well prioritized discovery, characterization and development of appropriate complex biologic models to progress the portfolio connecting with stakeholder strategy
• Accountable for recruiting, developing and deploying a team of deep CIVM SMEs
• Accountable for maintaining GSK visibility and current-awareness of external innovators and innovations, lead due diligence, develop partnerships, collaboration, and/or alliances as appropriate.
• Drive the effective transfer of internal and or external capabilities that have reached an appropriate state of maturity relative to performance criteria and desired characteristics
• Provide a centralized core of support for the development, application and continued innovation of complex in vitro models
• Provide high quality scientific and strategic guidance which impact model development, validation, relevance, conduct, analysis and reporting
• Coordinate the complex in vitro model matrix to leverage existing internal expert knowledge and skills, and raise awareness of novel complex in vitro model platforms, as well as influence Research Unit’s commitment to CIVM development, validation and implementation
• Leverage resource from within the GSK and external scientific community through networking and maximize the use of the stakeholder interactions to focus on the needs of the portfolio
• Ensure organizational and platform integration to enable a continuous evolution of capability, aligned with the needs of the portfolio
• Raise awareness and provide expert advice and recommendations on complex in vitro platforms based on scientific merit, practicality and the potential to impact drug discovery and development at GSK
• Advocate a culture of scientific challenge and peer review of existing models and of new technological opportunities. Proactively collaborate with preclinical and clinical scientists across the organization to increase the translational value of pre-clinical decision-making ultimately leading to attrition reduction
• Engage scientists in pro-active scientific dialogue to build inter-disciplinary bridges and a pre-clinical to clinical line of sight across GSK and external partners
• Develop team members for greater enterprise and translational thinking, to emphasize focus on defining the biological question(s)
• Foster an environment encouraging open communication, inspiring creative innovation and encouraging the team to exceed their own expectations.

Basic Qualifications:

We are looking for professionals with these required skills to achieve our goals:

• PhD in Cellular Biology/Molecular Biology or an equivalent life sciences degree
• 10 years or more in biopharmaceutical experience in drug discovery and development
• Experience developing and implementing CIVMs, including work with human biological materials/samples
• Highly knowledgeable about the CIVM external innovator landscape in academia and private sectors
• Experience with the qualification and use of animal alternatives
• Experience leading a group responsible for delivering tactical and operational management of research programs with Complex In Vitro Models
• Experience in establishing baseline characteristics; compares with benchmarks; establishes strategy that meets business needs for operational metrics to meet business needs for the portfolio
• Experience to coach, mentor, develop, execute comprehensive talent management and performance manage staff
• Experience in delivering change management

Preferred Qualifications:

If you have the following characteristics, it would be a plus:

• 15 years biopharmaceutical experience in drug discovery and development
• Develops and maintains internal and external networks of technical experts to draw upon for expertise, advice, and service
• A strong external profile and being viewed externally as a key opinion leader
• Experience of communicating to senior management on functional line contributions and impact on the portfolio
• Ability to work routinely across boundaries and establish cross functional matrix collaborations and teams
• Track record of competency in leadership skills, critical thinking, proactive operational excellence, and strategic planning with the ability to build networks and manage by influence across a diverse and inclusive customer and stakeholder base
• Strong customer focus and ability to influence across the enterprise

About GSK

GSK is a global biopharma company with a special purpose – to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together – so we can positively impact the health of billions of people and deliver stronger, more sustainable shareholder returns – as an organisation where people can thrive. Getting ahead means preventing disease as well as treating it, and we aim to impact the health of 2.5 billion people around the world in the next 10 years. We’re uniting science, technology and talent to make a difference in more people’s lives, and revolutionizing the way we do R&D. We’re combining the power of genetic and genomic insights into what causes disease, with the speed and scale of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to make better predictions about who a treatment might work for, and why. We believe this powerful combination of data and technology holds the key to fundamentally transforming medical discovery for the better, improving R&D success rates and shaping how even the most challenging diseases, like neurological conditions and cancer, can be both prevented and treated. Our pipeline currently comprises of more than 60 vaccines and medicines acr...oss four core therapeutic areas including infectious diseases, HIV, oncology and immunology as well at pursuing other science-led opportunities outside our core areas. Many have the potential to be first or best-in-class opportunities for patients and since 2017, we’ve delivered 13 major approvals and more than doubled the number of potential new vaccines and medicines in Phase 3 and registration to 23. In 2021 we delivered four major product approvals: Cabenuva for HIV, Jemperli for endometrial cancer, Xevudy for COVID-19 and Apretude, our new long-acting medicine for HIV prevention. Our success absolutely depends on our people. While getting ahead of disease together is about our ambition for patients and shareholders, it’s also about making GSK a place where people can thrive. We want GSK to be a workplace where everyone can feel a sense of belonging and thrive as set out in our Equal and Inclusive Treatment of Employees policy. We’re committed to being more proactive at all levels so that our workforce reflects the communities we work and hire in, and our GSK leadership reflects our GSK workforce.

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