Raven StealthCo- Director/Senior Director, Biology

Company Background

We are a well-funded, stealth-mode biotechnology company developing next-generation oligonucleotide-based therapeutics for a high-value disease area with significant unmet medical need. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was incubated and funded by a leading life sciences venture group. We are led by an experienced founder-CEO with a strong track record of building and scaling biotechnology companies. The company has completed a robust incubation process and is backed by a substantial seed investment.

Our disease focus represents a large, multi-billion-dollar market with significant room for improvement over existing therapies. We are building a first-of-its-kind integrated platform leveraging tailored oligonucleotide chemistry, targeted delivery, and state-of-the-art analytics to develop first-in-class and best-in-class therapeutics.

The company is currently operating in stealth mode as we commit to building and scaling quickly to create transformational medicines with significant market potential. Our platform is designed to address multiple disease indications at scale, including both primary and adjacent therapeutic areas.

Opportunity

The company is in the discovery stage and will invest heavily in its emerging platform for oligonucleotide delivery. Our disease focus offers strong translatability from animal models to humans, which provides a potentially rapid and efficient path to the clinic. Given the company's recent funding and commitment to building a first-in-class platform with clear therapeutic targets and indications, we are recruiting a Principal Scientist, Analytical Chemistry. This individual will be responsible for developing analytical methods and characterizing our oligonucleotide conjugates for our targeted delivery platform.

The Position

The Senior Director/Director Biology will report directly to the Head of Research/CSO. This individual will work closely with cross-functional leaders to translate the delivery platform into therapeutic programs with deep biological insights. The Senior Director/Director will hold a key position in formulating and implementing the scientific strategy for development of our disease biology platform from in vitro assays to in vivo pre-clinical pharmacology in various models and species, as well as in recruiting, mentoring, and coaching the skilled scientific team under their leadership.
Specific responsibilities for the Senior Director/Director Biology include:
● Build a research team of 3 while strategically leveraging consultants and CROs to accelerate early-stage discovery
● Lead a deep understanding of initial indication area biology by developing relationships with KOLs and extending further insights into the MOA of lead target(s) utilizing physiological and next-generation “omic” measurement tools
● Synthesize large datasets alongside mechanistic insights in cell biology and physiology to identify and prioritize novel targets actionable via company's platform
● Develop and own the suite of in vitro and in vivo assays needed for lead indication biology, including endpoint measurements for target manipulation across relevant cell types
● Lead and manage CRO partnerships supporting in vivo pharmacology, including design and evaluation of readouts across relevant disease models
● Collaborate with the VP of Delivery to analyze the biodistribution and pharmacodynamic metrics of the delivery platform, including assessments of proximal oligonucleotide effects on target genes (e.g. IHC, spatial transcriptomics, and mass spectrometry)
● Contribute to company-level strategic decisions on target and program selection, with particular attention to how biology findings inform platform development
● Communicate strategy and progress to internal and external stakeholders, including supporting fundraising efforts and strategic partnering as the company matures
● Track developments in lead indication biology and the competitive landscape

The Individual

• The Senior Director/Director is a hands-on builder — someone equally comfortable at the bench, managing a small team, and interpreting complex datasets to make program decisions.
  The ideal candidate brings demonstrated success delivering preclinical therapeutic programs, with deep mastery of at least one relevant area of biology, significant in vivo pharmacology experience, and a track record of translating novel ideas into rigorous, reproducible results.
• Prior experience in our specific indication is a plus but not a requirement. This person will also represent the company credibly to the Board, investors, and the broader biotechnology community, and must be an effective mentor and manager.

At a personal level, we are looking for someone who is intellectually curious, collaborative, humble, and driven. The candidate will have the adaptability to thrive in an early-stage environment where priorities shift and roles are broad. The Senior Director/Director must bring sound judgment, strong organizational instincts, and the ability to move fluidly between hands-on experimental work and strategic thinking. We are building a culture where the science and the team come first; this person should embody that ethos and bring the interpersonal range to lead effectively within it.

From an educational perspective, we are seeking an individual with a Ph.D. and/or M.D. in a relevant discipline such as chemistry or protein engineering. It is understood that education, while an important index of achievement, orientation, and intellectual capacity, will not constitute the primary variable in this decision process. Personal characteristics, leadership abilities, technical fluency, creativity, work ethic, behavioral flexibility and demonstrated accomplishments will serve as key components in the evaluation of candidates. This person will be based on-site at the company’s headquarters in Cambridge, MA.