Senior Director, Protein Analytics & Biophysics

Here's how you will contribute:

• Set and drive the multi-year scientific and organizational vision for Protein Analytics & Biophysics, aligning functional strategy with Generate's platform, portfolio, and company priorities.
• Define the next generation of biophysical, biochemical, developability, and protein-protein interaction measurement capabilities for protein therapeutics, with a particular focus on miniaturized, pooled, high-throughput, and nanoscale approaches.
• Lead the continued evolution of conventional analytical and interaction workflows, including HPLC/UPLC, LC/MS, electrophoretic, thermal stability, light scattering, plate-based, and biosensor-based platforms, ensuring rigor, reproducibility, and decision relevance.
• Build a strategy that connects conventional analytical and biosensor technologies with emerging pooled or massively multiplexed approaches, enabling Generate to measure protein attributes at scales that match the output of generative design.
• Partner with Prototyping, Technology, Automation, Data Sciences, Machine Learning, Protein Sciences, Biology, and CMC/Tech Ops to design, operationalize, validate, and scale new assay concepts into production-quality capabilities.
• Identify, evaluate, and implement external and internal technologies that can unlock smaller sample volumes, richer attribute profiles, higher throughput, improved sensitivity, or new classes of protein interaction and developability data.
• Establish data standards, quality expectations, assay controls, and analytical frameworks that allow high-throughput measurements to be used confidently for model training, candidate triage, and program decision-making.
• Ensure the function generates high-quality, decision-enabling data across Discovery, Candidate Selection, and early Development, including developability, stability, specificity, affinity, kinetics, and manufacturability-relevant attributes.
• Drive operational excellence across the function, including prioritization, resource planning, milestone delivery, metrics, continuous improvement, and clear communication of tradeoffs.
• Represent the function with executive stakeholders and external partners, translating complex scientific strategy into clear, compelling, and actionable plans.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Lead as a strong people leader and culture builder who develops trust, accountability, scientific ambition, and collaboration across a multidisciplinary organization.
• Build, coach, and develop a high-performing team of managers, senior scientists, and technical experts, creating clear growth paths and succession strength within the function.
• Guide the team through transition with empathy and clarity while raising the technical bar for platform innovation, cross-training, and multidisciplinary biophysics.
• Foster an inclusive, transparent, and feedback-rich environment where individuals are empowered to take initiative, share knowledge, and continuously improve.
• Set a high bar for both technical excellence and partnership, making collaboration across functions a visible standard for success.
• Partner effectively across functions to advance shared company goals.
• Develop leadership capability across the organization by mentoring managers, growing future leaders, and strengthening Generate's broader scientific culture.
• Manage external collaborations, CRO strategy, academic relationships, vendor partnerships, and technology scouting efforts that increase scale, speed, and scientific differentiation.

The Ideal Candidate will have:

• Ph.D. in Biophysics, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Chemical Biology, Bioengineering, Synthetic Biology, Protein Engineering, or a related scientific discipline; or equivalent depth of industry experience.
• 12+ years experience in biopharma, biotechnology, synthetic biology, protein engineering, or a related field, with substantial leadership experience in protein analytics, biophysics, developability, and protein-protein interaction characterization.
• Significant progressive experience in biopharma, biotechnology, synthetic biology, protein engineering, or a related field, with substantial leadership experience in protein analytics, biophysics, developability, and protein-protein interaction characterization.
• A track record of building, inventing, or scaling novel assay platforms for protein therapeutics, especially miniaturized, pooled, multiplexed, microfluidic, barcode-enabled, sequencing-enabled, cell-based, or nanoscale biophysical or biochemical measurements.
• Demonstrated ability to move beyond single-sample, low-throughput paradigms and create experimental systems that generate high-dimensional, quantitative data at the scale needed for AI/ML-enabled protein design.
• Deep technical expertise across conventional analytical and biophysical methods, such as HPLC/UPLC (SEC, RP, HIC, IEX), LC/MS, CE-SDS, cIEF, DSF, DSC, DLS, SEC-MALS, SPR, BLI, and related technologies.
• Strong understanding of protein-protein interaction measurement, including affinity, kinetics, specificity, cross-reactivity, epitope/binning, avidity, and context-dependent binding behavior.
• Strong quantitative mindset and experience using data quality, assay statistics, modeling, and informatics to shape scientific strategy, technology investment, and operational decision-making.
• Experience partnering closely with prototyping, automation, engineering, computational, and technology teams to translate exploratory assay concepts into robust, reproducible, and scalable capabilities.
• Demonstrated success as a senior people leader, including leading leaders, developing senior scientific talent, and scaling high-performing teams through periods of change.
• Exceptional collaboration and communication skills, with a clear track record of influencing across complex, matrixed organizations and engaging executive stakeholders with clarity, candor, and credibility.
• Experience advancing biologics programs across Discovery and early Development, with an understanding of developability considerations, candidate selection, and downstream impact.
• Commitment to building an inclusive, collaborative, and high-accountability culture where people and science can thrive together.

Preferred / Nice to Have

• Experience creating platform capabilities that support machine learning-enabled discovery, closed-loop experimental systems, or large-scale design-build-test-learn cycles.
• Experience with pooled screening strategies, DNA-encoded or barcode-linked readouts, sequencing-based measurements, display technologies, high-throughput synthetic biology, or massively multiplexed protein interaction datasets.
• Experience developing assays that require very low material input, operate at micro- or nanoscale, or integrate microfluidics, acoustic dispensing, advanced imaging, high-content detection, or next-generation automation.
• Experience serving as an external scientific spokesperson, thought leader, founder-like platform builder, or conference presenter in biophysics, protein analytics, developability, protein engineering, or high-throughput interaction biology.
• Familiarity with regulatory expectations and analytical strategy in support of candidate selection and early development.