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Overview of the role:

Reporting to the CSO, you will provide scientific and strategic leadership for antibody drug discovery at Nucleome Therapeutics as the company enters a pivotal phase of pipeline expansion. This role will establish and accelerate biologics capabilities aligned with Nucleome’s proprietary genetics and 3D gene regulation platform, helping translate first-in-class targets into a growing portfolio of therapeutic programmes.

We are looking for an experienced antibody discovery leader with a strong track record of advancing biologics from target concept through to clinical candidate selection. Working closely with platform biology, translational, and executive teams, you will shape discovery strategy, guide programme decisions, mentor scientists, and oversee external partnerships to ensure high-quality, data-driven delivery across the biologics portfolio.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership for antibody discovery and engineering, establishing biologics capabilities aligned to the company’s genetics platform and pipeline priorities.
• Lead programmes from target validation through candidate nomination, defining discovery and engineering strategies, guiding experimental design, and driving key scientific and go/no-go decisions.
• Evaluate target tractability, programme feasibility, and scientific risk, providing rigorous, data-driven recommendations to support portfolio prioritisation and investment decisions.
• Partner closely with immunology, functional genomics, translational, and platform biology teams to integrate biological insight into antibody discovery and development strategies.
• Design and oversee screening cascades and assay strategies for functional and biophysical characterisation of antibodies, including binding, kinetics, mechanism of action, and developability assessment.
• Provide oversight and scientific direction to CROs and external collaborators, ensuring work is delivered to a high standard and in line with programme objectives and timelines.
• Contribute to the growth and development of internal scientific capability through mentoring, coaching, and supporting high-performance delivery across discovery teams.
• Work closely with senior leadership to shape the future direction of the biologics portfolio and support the successful expansion of therapeutic programmes across the organisation.

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• PhD-trained scientist, or equivalent industry professional, with substantial leadership experience in antibody discovery, biologics drug discovery, and antibody engineering within a biotechnology or pharmaceutical environment.
• Deep expertise in end-to-end antibody discovery and engineering, with a strong track record of leading programmes from target validation through candidate selection and shaping scientific strategy in a fast-paced biotech or pharmaceutical setting.
• Experience leading CROs, external collaborators, and cross-functional partnerships to deliver biologics discovery programmes effectively and to a high scientific standard.
• Strong experience in designing and implementing antibody screening and characterisation strategies, including functional, biochemical, and biophysical assays such as ELISA, SPR/BLI, and cell-based assays.
• Solid understanding of protein expression, developability, and analytical assessment, including stability, aggregation, manufacturability, and readiness for downstream CMC activities.
• Experience applying in silico or computational design approaches to antibody engineering would be advantageous.
• Demonstrated ability to drive process and system improvements, identify opportunities for change, and adopt new technologies to enhance efficiency, quality, and ways of working.
• Proven ability to interpret complex data sets and make robust, data-driven go/no-go recommendations to support programme progression and portfolio decision-making.
• Strong communication, influencing, and leadership skills, with the ability to work effectively across scientific disciplines and engage credibly with senior stakeholders and executive leadership.
• A proactive and enthusiastic self-starter with a strong work ethic and a commitment to scientific excellence.
• A hands-on, pragmatic approach, with the flexibility to contribute wherever needed to support the wider business