Principal Scientist, Translational Medicine

Umoja Biopharma is a game-changing biotech start-up with locations in Seattle, WA and Louisville, CO, focused on transforming the treatment of cancer with a novel integrated immunotherapy platform. Our vision is to develop off-the-shelf therapies capable of treating any tumor, any time. We are a diverse and growing team working in brand-new facilities in downtown Seattle, Washington, and Louisville, Colorado, and we are looking for innovative thinkers who are excited by groundbreaking science and technology, and passionate about squaring up to the challenges inherent to cutting edge drug development. We are committed to the principles of Diversity Equity and Inclusion and strongly invite applications from enthusiastic individuals who share our commitment and help position Umoja as a leader in this front.

We at Umoja believe in the importance of stories; we are looking for great people to join our team to help us create more stories for ourselves, for you, and most importantly for patients and their families.

Umoja Biopharma – Your Body. Your Hope. Your Cure.

Position Summary
The Umoja Biopharma Translational Medicine team is seeking a highly motivated Principal Scientist to help advance investigational products through clinical phase studies and lead efforts to elucidate mechanisms of response, relapse, and resistance. This role offers the opportunity to lead translational medicine efforts on designated clinical studies and to support key trial objectives, including but not limited to safety, pharmacokinetics (PK)/ pharmacodynamics (Pd), immunogenicity, disease biology, and exploratory biomarker identification. This role will report directly to the Director of Translational Medicine and will be responsible for designing and executing translational strategies, driving relevant internal and external bioanalytical assay development, and integrating clinical insights into the pipeline. This role will also be involved in correlative studies, hypothesis-driven investigations, and reverse translation of clinical phase discoveries back into the pipeline. This role requires a combination of hands-on work in the lab and collaboration with external partners and vendors to develop and execute analytical methods. The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in immunology and cancer biology, extensive biotech/pharma experience, and a proven track record as a translational scientist in clinical trials.

This is a great opportunity to be part of an exciting startup biotechnology company and to develop the next generation of cancer immunotherapies with a portfolio that could allow greater responsibility and career opportunities.

Core Accountabilities
Specific responsibilities include:

• Serve as translational study lead for designated clinical studies, collaborating cross-functionally with clinical, regulatory, and research teams.
• Drive assay development and validation for clinical biospecimen testing (hands-on and oversight).
• Interpret complex data sets and translate findings into actionable insights for pipeline advancement.
• Manage external collaborations and vendor relationships for assay implementation and sample analysis.
• Contribute to cross-program strategic planning within the Translational Medicine group.
• Maintain complete laboratory records in line with appropriate guidance documents and/or SOPs.
• Prepare technical data reports and presentations.

The Successful Candidate Will Have

• PhD in Immunology, Cancer Immunotherapy, or related discipline with a minimum of 5+ years of relevant biotech/pharma experience in translational medicine or a Bachelor's degree in biology, immunology, molecular biology, or related field and 15+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Demonstrated leadership in translational study design and execution for clinical studies.
• Expertise in flow cytometry, molecular assays, and ligand binding assay development and validation.
• Strong communication skills in technical writing and oral presentation.
• Proven ability to work in cross-functional teams and manage complex projects with tight timelines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with cell and gene therapy development and/or clinical study development.
• Experience with single cell analytics, including high parameter flow cytometry, sequencing, spatial transcriptomics.
• Translational medicine experience spanning early Ph1 studies through pivotal study(ies) and commercial launch.

Physical Requirements

• Project-oriented work in this role will require regular on-site presence (5 days/week) to complete essential job-related functions for assisting with bioanalytical method development, execution, and in-person meetings.
• Occasional travel may be required for site visits, audits, conferences, and/or business development.
• Early mornings, evenings, and occasional weekend work may also be required to support ex-US activities.

Salary Range: $157,250 - $194,250
Benefits Offerings

Umoja Biopharma offers its employees competitive Medical, Dental, and Vision plans. Additionally, we offer Umojians access to a 401k plan through Fidelity, with a 100% match up to their first 4% deferral. Umoja also provides a generous Paid Time Off policy, employee commuter benefits, and cell phone stipend. For a full breakdown of our benefits offerings, please see the
Benefits
section of our website.