Vice President, Gene Editing Core

Role Summary

The Vice President, Gene Editing Core leads a highly cross-functional team applying state-of-the-art genomic and molecular biology tools to advance genome editing therapies. This role oversees the planning, execution, and delivery of projects to support early research and development studies, develops assays and reagents to characterize gene editing outcomes including on- and off-target effects as well as structural variant assessment. It supports the advancement of platform improvements and novel nucleases into therapeutic programs and leads activities to drive discovery projects to development candidates, manage gene editing analysis technologies and platforms, and oversee gene editing component production (sgRNA, mRNA). The role drives strategic vision, cross-functional collaboration, external partnerships, and delivery of high-quality results aligned with organizational goals.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning and Leadership: Creates and leads vision of genomics innovation to support research in developing gene-editing therapies
• Collaborates across Platform Innovation and Delivery Innovation to advance novel nucleases, insertion strategies, new technologies, delivery advancements, and develop assays to assess potential unintended genomic changes
• Supports screening efforts generating data in support of advancing pipeline programs and platform improvements including guide RNA, messenger RNA, and delivery optimization as well as novel nuclease advancement
• Oversees NGS production efforts, running AMP-seq, off-target discovery, off-target confirmation, and structural variant analysis
• Collaborates with Pre-Clinical NGS for assay transfer, validation, and scale-up
• Partners with computational biology, software engineering, and automation on data analysis, data capture, and workflow optimization
• Evaluates and adopts new technologies and platforms to improve methods and technology in support of the company’s strategic direction
• Oversees the budget and resource allocation of the Genomics Core, including equipment purchases, ensuring timely delivery of services across all relevant company projects
• Ensures proper documentation, sample tracking, compliance with regulations, guidelines, and standards related to genomic research, data management, and biosafety protocols
• Communicates with users, providing guidance, and bringing in external consultant and collaborators as needed
• Works with clinical, regulatory, and product development teams to integrate gene editing and genomics insights into workflows, and other business processes
• Serves as a functional representative for program teams, providing expertise and guidance on gene editing methods to support development candidate nomination and regulatory filing
• Fosters a culture of collaboration, innovation, teamwork, and communication, and handles discipline and termination of employees in accordance with company policy

Supervisory Responsibilities

Provide strategic direction and oversight to the Computational Biology team, ensuring efficient and effective daily operations. Foster a high-performing team through:

• Talent acquisition and recruitment
• Comprehensive training and development programs
• Strategic staff assignment and resource allocation
• Coaching and mentoring to enhance individual and team performance
• Development and implementation of key performance metrics and evaluation frameworks

Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of scientists, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and teamwork
• Oversee the daily workflow of the Gene Editing Core teams, ensuring efficient and effective operations
• Grow and maintain a high-performing team, including hiring, training, staff assignment, coaching, mentoring, and performance management

Skills

• Extensive experience in genomics, including sequencing technologies and genomic data analysis
• Familiarity with industry regulations and standards related to genomic research and data management
• Experience with genomic technologies including NGS, ddPCR, single-cell genomics, and spatial transcriptomics
• Strong foundation in experimental design and bioinformatics
• Leadership and management of core function scientists and multiple projects
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with cross-functional teams
• Regulatory knowledge of relevant standards and guidelines
• Problem-solving and analytical skills; ability to translate complex problems into solutions
• Industry knowledge of preclinical and clinical research trends
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and prioritize multiple tasks

Education

• PhD or equivalent in a relevant field (molecular biology, biochemistry, genomics, etc.)

Experience

Candidate with a Ph.D. must have at least 8 years of related professional experience. Those with a master’s or bachelor’s degree require a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience. Additionally, 7+ years of experience directly managing people is required.