Associate Director, Head of Cellular Lead Profiling

Role Summary

The Associate Director, Head of Cellular Lead Profiling leads Takeda’s Lab of the Future initiative, driving AI-integrated DMTA cycles for small and large-molecule discovery. Responsible for strategy, design, and execution of cellular lead profiling assays on fully automated platforms, with emphasis on assay miniaturization and end-to-end digitalization. Partners with medicinal chemistry, DMPK, data science/AI, and automation engineering to ensure cellular testing delivers fast, reliable, and insight-rich decision support across the discovery portfolio. Location: Cambridge, MA (hybrid).

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Vision:
  • Define and execute the global strategy for biochemical lead profiling in support of Takeda‚Äôs DMTA cycle, aligned with the Lab of the Future roadmap.
  • Champion automation, robotics, and AI/ML to increase throughput, data quality, and decision speed across biochemical assays.
  • Establish and refine a vision for fully integrated workflows from design to reporting.
• Cellular Assay Development & Profiling:
  • Collaborate with Drug Discovery Units to design, develop, and validate robust cellular assays (e.g., High Content, reporter, CTG, GPCR) for primary, secondary, and mechanistic profiling.
  • Lead a core facility supporting multiple modalities to ensure seamless operation and timely data delivery.
  • Drive assay miniaturization to 384- and 1,536-well formats without compromising data quality or reproducibility.
  • Implement best practices for assay performance monitoring, QC, and continuous improvement (e.g., Z‚Äô, S/B, controls).
• Leadership, Collaboration & People Development:
  • Build and develop a high-performing team of scientists and research associates in cellular assay development, screening, and automation.
  • Foster innovation, scientific rigor, operational excellence, and safety.
  • Represent lead profiling capabilities to internal stakeholders and external partners; influence global standards and best practices.
  • Serve as a key liaison to DDU scientists and leadership to promote cross-functional collaboration.
• Automation, Robotics & Lab Operations:
  • Oversee deployment and optimization of fully automated, robotic platforms for high-throughput DMTA assays.
  • Design scalable, modular workflows with automation engineers to support rapid reconfiguration for new targets and assays.
  • Ensure integration of instruments, LIMS/ELN, scheduling software, and data pipelines for end-to-end automation.
• AI-Integrated DMTA & Data Excellence:
  • Collaborate with AI/ML, cheminformatics, and data engineering teams to ensure assays and data are AI-ready (standardized, curated, annotated).
  • Establish data standards and governance for cellular lead profiling to enable longitudinal data mining and cross-program learning.

Education

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Chemical Biology, or related field plus 6+ years of relevant industry/postdoctoral experience; or M.S. with 12+ years; or B.S. with 14+ years in pharma/biotech R&D with emphasis on cellular assay development and lead profiling.
• Experience embedding AI/ML and advanced analytics into DMTA processes and decision-making.

Qualifications

• Hands-on familiarity with scheduling software, LIMS/ELN, and data pipeline tools used in automated labs.
• Experience in hit-to-lead and lead optimization support, including interpreting cellular data in the context of SAR and portfolio strategy.
• Prior leadership role in a lab-of-the-future, high-throughput screening, or fully integrated discovery platform environment.
• Proven ability to drive change and transformation in complex, global R&D organizations.
• Proven track record of developing and validating cellular assays for drug discovery and running assays on automated platforms; ability to miniaturize assays to at least 384-well and preferably 1,536-well formats.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and communication skills; ability to influence at senior leadership levels across diverse teams.