Director of Translational Science, Hepatology

Role Summary

Director of Translational Science, Hepatology. Reporting to the Executive Director Translational Research, RIITU, responsible for innovative disease area translational initiatives to inform therapy area and project biomarker strategies, enabling earlier and higher confidence project-related decisions and PoM/PoC/MoA alignment in Hepatology.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Clinical Teams, Research Technologies and Development to identify, establish biomarkers for decision making across clinical development phases, including disease-relevant biomarkers, mechanistic/surrogate biomarkers, patient stratification, and differentiated response prediction; deploy into clinical studies and interpret results.
• Provide strategic translational leadership to develop and execute disease strategies supporting discovery and development of differentiated therapeutics; evaluate business development opportunities.
• Evaluate novel techniques and technologies (e.g., spatial transcriptomics) to inform translational initiatives and biomarker development; validate human assays to enhance translation and predictive value using resources like the Human Cell Atlas and multi-omics data.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate translational research and biomarker strategies across the drug development lifecycle.
• Establish and maintain external partnerships with academia, CROs, and other partners to access technologies, reagents, biosamples, and biomarker expertise; build a network of experts and KOLs to stay at the forefront of the field.
• Provide mentorship and professional development for the team; manage resources, budgets, and timelines; represent RIITU at portfolio governance reviews.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g., Cell/Molecular Biology, Genetics, Pharmacology, Physical Chemistry or related field).
• Experience in translational science and biomarker development within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.
• Recognised translational/biomarker expert with publications and contributions to the field.
• Understanding of translation and biomarker implementation in Hepatology; experience in a clinical trial setting and authoring/regulatory documents.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements, industry standards, and best practices in Translational Research and biomarker development/validation.
• Broad knowledge of technologies and methods used in translational research; proven track record in biomarker-driven program decisions.
• Experience leading external collaborations and evaluating business development opportunities; strong management and matrix leadership skills.
• Ability to adapt to a fast-paced research environment with strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

Skills

• Strategic leadership in translational science and biomarker development
• Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management
• External partnership development and evaluation
• Advanced knowledge of translational technologies and analytical approaches
• Strong communication, mentoring, and project management abilities

Education

• Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline (as listed above)

Additional Requirements

• Work Location: United Kingdom or United States with hybrid on-site/remote model