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Director, Inflammatory Disease Research

Boston, Massachusetts
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  • Job Level: Senior
  • Travel: Minimal (if any)

At Takeda, we strive to provide transformational opportunities for every member of our team, and we empower our people to take charge of their futures. In an environment that fosters lifelong learning and a growth mindset, you’ll have the support you need to thrive — at work and beyond.

Job ID R0141006 Date posted 12/21/2024 Location Boston, Massachusetts

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Job Description

At Takeda, we are a forward-looking, world-class R&D organization that unlocks innovation and delivers transformative therapies to patients. By focusing R&D efforts on three therapeutic areas and other targeted investments, we push the boundaries of what is possible to bring life-changing therapies to patients worldwide.

Objective / Purpose:

The GI2-Drug Discovery Unit at Takeda is building a new team of experienced, innovative and collaborative drug discovery scientists to build an industry-leading portfolio of drugs for a range of inflammatory diseases with high unmet medical.

We are seeking an experienced research scientist and drug hunter to lead biology and cross-functional drug discovery teams focused on inflammatory and autoimmune disease.

The Director Inflammatory Disease Research will:

  • Be responsible for driving internal and external partnered research from new target identification, and technology platform development through early clinical proof-of-concept, to create therapeutic opportunities for patients with Inflammatory diseases.
  • Recruit, retain, and develop a world class, highly innovative Inflammation research group
  • Be a strong scientific thinker with significant experience leading discovery and development of therapies for inflammatory diseases
  • Lead the identification of novel innovative inflammation drug discovery and developmental science through the preclinical pipeline in support of candidate selection, as a key part of this role
  • Be accountable for defining and alignment on the preclinical and early clinical inflammation disease research elements for one or more drug discovery projects in partnership with other research leaders
  • Interface with the business development group and review innovative external opportunities
  • Help maintain the Takeda culture that promotes creativity, open communication, collaboration, collegiality, and a high sense of urgency. Maintain the highest quality of scientific foundations of the company’s drug discovery process.

Accountabilities:

  • Lead research programs in collaboration with internal and external partners focused on the development of novel drug candidates for the treatment of inflammatory disease
  • Have extensive experience developing and/or evaluating novel small molecule, biologic or nucleic acid therapeutics
  • Support, evaluate and/or identify business development opportunities to enhance project and/or pipeline progression
  • Be a highly collaborative and energetic scientist with superior communication skills, who can balance multiple, collaborative projects and act as senior scientific consultant to and leader of early-stage matrix project teams
  • Invests time in helping others to enhance their skills and perform at a higher level.
  • Build strong relationships and collaborate effectively with other interfacing Takeda functions.

Education & Competencies (Technical and Behavioral):

  • PhD degree in Immunology or a closely related discipline with 10+ years’ experience
  • 7 years of Industry experience required
  • 7 years of managerial experience required

Desired technical skills

  • Knowledgeable and experienced in all aspects drug discovery and development for Inflammatory or Autoimmune diseases through to POC, including contributing to regulatory documentation
  • Experienced with validation of drug targets and the exploratory drug development process with a proven track record of developing and leading innovative therapeutic programs in the biopharmaceutical industry
  • Extensive experience developing and/or evaluating novel small molecule, biologic or nucleic acid therapeutics
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English. 
  • Desired behavioral competencies
  • Forward thinking with the ability to recommend, influence and implement organizational change and continuous innovation.
  • Ability to build strong relationships and collaborate effectively with other interfacing Takeda functions. 
  • Comfortable challenging the status quo and bringing forward innovative solutions.
  • Ability to take risks implementing innovative solutions, accelerating time to market
  • Proven skills as an effective team player who can engender credibility and confidence within and outside the company

This position is currently classified as “hybrid” by Takeda’s Hybrid and Remote Work policy.

Takeda Compensation and Benefits Summary

We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. We are committed to equitable pay for all employees, and we strive to be more transparent with our pay practices.

For Location:

Boston, MA

U.S. Base Salary Range:

169,400.00 - 266,200.00

The estimated salary range reflects an anticipated range for this position. The actual base salary offered may depend on a variety of factors, including the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.The actual base salary offered will be in accordance with state or local minimum wage requirements for the job location.

U.S. based employees may be eligible for short-term and/or long-termincentives. U.S.based employees may be eligible to participate in medical, dental, vision insurance, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, a tuition reimbursement program, paid volunteer time off, company holidays, and well-being benefits, among others. U.S.based employees are also eligible to receive, per calendar year, up to 80 hours of sick time, and new hires are eligible to accrue up to 120 hours of paid vacation.

EEO Statement

Takeda is proud in its commitment to creating a diverse workforce and providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, national origin, age, disability, citizenship status, genetic information or characteristics, marital status, status as a Vietnam era veteran, special disabled veteran, or other protected veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, and any other characteristic protected by law.

Locations

Boston, MA

Worker Type

Employee

Worker Sub-Type

Regular

Time Type

Full time

Job Exempt

Yes
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Where you fit in

Our team at Takeda is tackling some of the most challenging problems in drug discovery and development. As the newest member of our Research team, you’ll conduct purposeful, meaningful work on groundbreaking modalities that may lead to breakthrough drugs.

With our deep investment in next-generation technologies, you’ll have the resources and support to do your best work. As a part of our team, you’ll connect with brilliant minds inside and outside of Takeda. We are committed to collaborating with academia and emerging biotech companies to expand our reach and impact in cell therapy, gene therapy and data sciences.

Our team’s wide-ranging expertise includes medicinal chemistry, genomics datasets, immunofluorescence, high content imaging, flow cytometry, transcriptional profiling, multi-step synthesis, multimodal genetics, pharmacokinetics and much more. Whatever area inspires you, your work will support the progression of an innovative, industry-leading discovery pipeline and make an impact that matters to patients and society.

A career in Research at Takeda will give you everything you need to succeed professionally — and make a difference to patients, people and the planet.

  • Design and carry out experiments

  • Manage multiple projects

  • Document data

  • Mentor other scientists

Along with incredibly passionate colleagues, there’s a clear commitment to invest in the best facilities and the right equipment needed to successfully perform world-class science.

Christina Alves - Head of Biotherapeutics Process Development

Our pipeline

Our internal research capabilities and external partnerships contribute to an R&D engine that has produced exciting new molecular entities (NMEs) across our core Therapeutic Areas. Check out our pipeline and see how we’ll continue delivering a steady stream of next-generation therapies.

Learn more

What we believe in

Our values of Takeda-ism are Integrity, Fairness, Honesty and Perseverance, with Integrity as the core. These are brought to life through actions based on Patient, Trust, Reputation and Business, in that order.

Our belief in putting people first extends beyond our patients — it includes their families and communities, as well as our Takeda colleagues and their families.

We are committed to embracing our differences, valuing different perspectives, and fostering a culture of respect, inclusiveness and empowerment.

Our embedded Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) strategy enables us to attract and retain exceptional talent, drives innovation, and helps address systemic inequalities in our communities.

  • Integrity

  • Fairness

  • Honesty

  • Perseverance

Working at Takeda

  • Inclusion

    Here, you will feel welcomed, respected, and valued as a vital contributor to our global team.
  • Collaboration

    A strong, borderless team, we strive together towards our priorities and inspiring mission.
  • Innovation

    Bold initiatives, continuous improvement, and creativity are at the heart of how we bring scientific breakthroughs from the lab to patients.
  • Top Workplace

    Recognized for our culture and way of working, we’re one of only 17 companies to receive Top Global Employer® status for 2024.
  • Work-Life

    Our people-first mission extends beyond patients to include their families, communities, and our own Takeda family.
  • Empowerment

    Through trust and respect, you will have genuine support from leaders, managers, and colleagues to do your best work.

We're Steadfast In Our Commitment to Four Key Imperatives

Patient


Responsibly translate science into highly innovative medicines and accelerate access to improve lives worldwide.

People


Create an exceptional people experience.

Planet


Protect our planet.

Data & Digital


Transform Takeda into the most trusted, data-driven, outcomes-based biopharmaceutical company.

Exterior of Takeda Building

About our location

Boston, Massachusetts


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