Director, Translational Science

Summary

Join Tarsus Pharmaceuticals as their Director, Translational Science, a pivotal scientific and strategic role in developing and expanding their product pipeline. You will leverage your biology/pharmacology expertise to bridge cutting-edge translational medicine environments and create groundbreaking products. This position connects discovery and clinical development, supporting projects at their interface. Key responsibilities include serving as a subject matter expert, establishing external partnerships, collaborating with internal experts, assisting with project strategies, executing experiments, and developing internal expertise in disease areas like ophthalmology. You will also contribute to internal and external innovation by evaluating assets, prioritizing hypotheses, and building relationships. The role requires a PhD or MD/PhD in a relevant life science field with 5+ years of pharmaceutical experience (or commensurate experience with a lower degree).

Requirements

• PhD or MD/PhD degree in Biology, Pharmacology, Molecular or Cell biology or related life sciences field with greater than 5 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical or industry setting
• Candidates with a B.S. or M.S, with the commensurate level of experience will also be considered
• Knowledge and solid understanding of emerging research, mechanisms of action and disease models preclinically and clinically
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including writing, reviewing, and editing scientific documents
• Strong interpersonal skills, diplomacy, and positive-influencing abilities
• Exceptional communication, influencing and partnering skills to drive decision-making within a multi-disciplinary, matrix teams
• Effective project management skills
• Strong presentation skills; must be able to provide succinct, strategic, and actionable insights
• Proactive self-starter who can lead work independently, with the ability to see the next step and anticipate issues
• Scientifically independent
• Enterprise and entrepreneurial mindset

Responsibilities

• Subject Matter Expert in Pharmacology, Pathophysiology and drug target biology
• Establish and maintain strong external partnerships with key opinion leaders, academic institutions and other external partners
• Partner with key internal experts across the company including Clinical Development, Innovation Lab and Business Development (BD) to execute translational strategy from preclinical development through candidate selection and contribute to translational strategies in early clinical development through early Proof of Concept
• Assist with stage-appropriate project translational strategy for a differentiated asset to address unmet patient need with key “Go/No Go” decision points
• Execute experiments to support MOA-related translational questions as well as overall understanding of the disease treatment approaches
• Develop deep internal expertise in disease areas within focus areas including ophthalmology, which are prioritized by the company. Identify possible mechanisms, disease models, preclinical POC approaches
• Generate clear, testable translational hypothesis to address unmet needs (mechanism of action, pharmacodynamics, patient selection)
• Assess relevant models, liaise with CROs and interact with academic experts to evaluate potential assets
• Partner with BD and bring scientific expertise to evaluate and triage external assets and opportunities, identify main risk and mitigation plan and build additional evidence to enable Go/No Go decisions
• Partner with Innovation Lab team to prioritize various hypothesis, identify possible assets, generate evidence to enable advancement into clinical development
• Build open relationships with peers and external partners to ensure best decision making

Benefits

• Health, dental and vision insurance benefits
• Generous paid time off, including vacation, holidays, and personal days
• The expected base pay range for this position is $180,000 - $252,000 plus bonus, stock equity, and comprehensive benefits
• Remote work is an option