Pioneering Medicines: Associate Medical Director, Explorations (Physician Scientist)

What if... We could harness the power of Flagship’s scientific platforms and create novel treatment options that benefit more patients, sooner?

Pioneering Medicines, a division of Flagship Pioneering, is building a world-class biopharmaceutical R&D capability focused on conceiving and developing life-changing treatments for patients by harnessing the power of Flagship's scientific platforms and applying those innovative approaches to serious diseases with unmet medical need. Unique to Pioneering Medicines’ approach is the opportunity to combine platforms to create truly novel and potentially transformative treatments. 

About Flagship Pioneering:

Flagship Pioneering conceives, creates, resources, and develops first-in-category life science platform companies to transform human health and sustainability. Since its founding in 2000, the firm has originated and fostered over 100 scientific ventures, generating more than $34 billion in aggregate value and conducting over 50 clinical trials for novel therapeutic agents.

Position Summary:

Pioneering Medicines is seeking a curious, driven physician-scientist with both clinical and basic science experience to imagine and create transformative therapies enabled by Flagship’s broad array of novel platforms and technologies. This individual would report to the VP, Clinical Development and Leader, Explorations, Pioneering Medicines.

The core accountability for this role is leading new product concept explorations. Explorations are the iterative hypothesis generation and refinement process that Flagship has used to create novel platforms.  Pioneering Medicines has adapted this process to the development of new therapeutic product concepts. An Explorer must be facile at gathering, reviewing, and integrating information regarding a potential therapeutic across multiple domains, including epidemiology, pathobiology, existing treatments, genetics, *“omics”, biomarkers, in vitro and in vivo model systems and data, etc., etc. The Explorer will work with a team that includes a project leader, scientist, and individuals experienced in the various aspects of clinical development, but is accountable for moving the exploration forward, including consultation with outside experts to refine hypotheses. When completed, the Explorer will participate in presenting the concept to key stakeholders.

Individuals in this role will also be expected to provide clinical input as regards the challenges requiring solutions – the unmet need and the patient journey – both in and outside of their training and prior experience. Depending on experience, the individual would also contribute to clinical development plans including evaluation of trial designs, endpoints, and relevant regulatory guidance.

Flagship is an experiment in institutional, entrepreneurial innovation practiced in the context of a small company with an insurgent mindset.  We are seeking individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit, strong communication skills, and comfort working in and contributing to a dynamic and cross-functional team environment.  The level of the role will be commensurate with the education and years of experience of the identified candidate.

Key Responsibilities:

• Participates in high impact, high profile product Explorations each year across therapeutic areas and diseases in context of Pioneering Medicines’ portfolio strategy, may lead explorations depending on
• Imagines transformational clinical outcomes and proposes scope and objectives of each Exploration
• Is accountable, working with a small team, to generate the greatest variation in product concepts as possible with unconstrained thinking and while avoiding getting anchored to a few ideas
• Proactively seeks to subject the diversity of our ideas to selection pressures. Is skilled in eliciting expert critiques of our product concepts that challenge the current dogma in that field
• Defines precisely a few select product concepts at the end of the Exploration, can articulate the platform capabilities and technologies required to develop such a product
• Engages in a process with leadership of prioritizing the most compelling concepts that could become ProtoCos, Flagship’s first stage of development
• Build strong relationship across Flagship and the dozens of Flagship platform companies as part of understanding the capabilities of each platform, present and planned.
• Balances unconstrained, highly creative thinking with an Exploration Method that has been designed to create product concepts with transformational clinical outcomes at the end of an Exploration process that runs several months
• Establishes a close partnering relationship with each team member. Contributes to a high-energy team spirit and high functioning team and leads in a way that is consistent with Pioneering Medicines’ values

Minimum Qualifications:

• Medical Degree (MD or DO preferred)
• Basic scientific training (e.g., PhD or substantial research experience including peer-reviewed publications) / recognized scientific expertise
• Clinical training/experience, clinical development experience are a plus
• Extremely resourceful and effective in highly uncertain circumstances
• Strong prioritization skills
• Able to quickly and adaptively acquire and synthesize information
• Comfortable entering new space scientifically and clinically, and able to do so effectively
• Willing to consider unreasonable approaches to challenging problems – able to let go of the assumption that it cannot be done
• Effectively utilizes information technology systems and project management tools and systems
• Demonstrated ability to work well with others within and across functions/teams
• Able to lead a team through a challenging, mentally taxing exploration
• Able to influence project team decisions and challenge team member recommendations
• Strong communication skills both written and verbal; able to foster open communication; possesses good conflict resolution skills
• Ability to distill information from team meetings, governance presentation topics, etc., and synthesize the information into a coherent story for the audience as appropriate.

Values and Behaviors

• Entrepreneurial spirit and mission-oriented towards breakthrough therapies.
• Courage to take bold risks to advance novel treatments.
• Ability to motivate and encourage colleagues at all levels.
• Fostering a growth-oriented, high-energy environment.
• Holding oneself and others accountable for commitments.

WHAT WE OFFER:

• Impactful role in a company recognized for transformative contributions.
• Dynamic startup culture with inspiring colleagues and leaders.
• Support for groundbreaking advancements in healthcare and sustainability.
• Opportunities for professional growth in an innovative environment.
• Comprehensive employee benefits and rewards program.

Join Pioneering Medicines and be part of a mission-driven organization dedicated to advancing human health and sustainability through scientific innovation.

More About Flagship Pioneering: 

We are creative optimists, and we would love for you to consider joining our team!  See all our open opportunities across Flagship Pioneering’s Ecosystem!

Flagship Pioneering conceives, creates, resources, and develops first-in-category life sciences companies to transform human health and sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, the firm has applied a unique hypothesis-driven innovation process to originate and foster more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in over $34 billion in aggregate value. To date, Flagship is backed by more than $4.4 billion of aggregate capital commitments, of which over $1.9 billion has been deployed toward the founding and growth of its pioneering companies alongside more than $10 billion of follow-on investments from other institutions. The current Flagship ecosystem comprises 41 transformative companies, including:  Axcella Health (NASDAQ: AXLA), Denali Therapeutics (NASDAQ: DNLI), Evelo Biosciences (NASDAQ: EVLO),  Foghorn Therapeutics, Indigo Ag, Kaleido Biosciences (NASDAQ: KLDO), Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), Rubius Therapeutics (NASDAQ: RUBY), Sana Biotechnology, Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB), and Syros Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SYRS).