Senior Scientist, Protein Engineering

About the Role

As a member of the Protein Engineering team, you will play a critical role in the discovery and development of next-generation protein therapeutics. You will be responsible for designing, producing, and characterizing proteins and antibodies, with an emphasis on engineering desired functions and evaluating drug-like properties. The ideal candidate will bring deep technical expertise in protein engineering, a strong understanding of antibody formats and developability metrics, and a collaborative mindset. This is a hands-on, on-site position.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Disease Biology and Therapeutic Binder Design teams to evaluate new targets, define therapeutic hypotheses and target molecule profiles, and plan and coordinate the execution of drug discovery programs.
• Design and carry out protein engineering efforts, including antibody format optimization and antigen design.
• Express, purify, and characterize tool and therapeutic antibodies and proteins using chromatographic techniques and biophysical/biochemical assays.
• Assess the developability profile of therapeutic molecules (e.g., stability, specificity, immunogenicity) by in silico and analytical methods.
• Collaborate with computational protein design, screening, protein science, pharmacology and biology teams to advance programs toward clinical development.
• Collaborate with computational teams and provide clear articulation of biological constraints including immunogenicity and manufacturability.
• Present data at protein engineering group meetings and at cross-functional team meetings.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and well-documented experiment records in ELN.
• Ensure compliance with laboratory safety protocols; contribute to lab organization and operational efficiency.
• Contribute to the preparation of technical reports, regulatory documentation, and scientific presentations.
• Stay current on advancements in antibody engineering and protein design.
• Mentor and develop junior scientific staff to foster a high-performing and collaborative team.
• Manage and oversee CROs for outsourced protein production, assay development, and screening, ensuring data quality and timely delivery.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline, with a strong foundation in molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology, or a related field.
• Minimum of 4 years of post-academic experience in a biotech or biopharma R&D environment supporting large molecule-based therapeutic programs.
• Extensive hands-on experience in protein engineering, including structural and functional characterization of antibodies and proteins using state-of-the-art analytical methods.
• Deep expertise in antibody formats, production, purification, and characterization.
• Proficiency in developability assessments and stability studies.
• Fluency with protein visualization and structural modeling software (e.g., PyMOL, AlphaFold).
• Experience with protein/protein interaction assays is preferred
• Experience interacting with CMC and writing IND reports is preferred.
• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to propose novel scientific approaches and a genuine interest in exploring relevant therapeutic hypotheses.
• Proactive, self-starter mindset with excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting capabilities.
• Enthusiasm for working in a fast-paced, collaborative startup environment, with a demonstrated ability to foster cooperation and knowledge sharing across multidisciplinary teams.
• A strong record of scientific achievement as evidenced by first-author publications in peer-reviewed journals or granted patents.
  
  

Compensation

Annual

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, seeking to provide an open, flexible, and friendly work environment to empower employees and provide them with a platform to develop their long-term careers. A Summary of Benefits is available for all applicants. We offer a competitive package that includes base salary, bonus, and equity.  The base pay range for this position is expected to be $150,000 to $170,000 annually; however, the base pay offered may vary depending on the market, job-related knowledge, skills and capabilities, and experience.

Xaira Therapeutics an equal-opportunity employer. We believe that our strength is in our differences. Our goal to build a diverse and inclusive team began on day one, and it will never end.

TO ALL RECRUITMENT AGENCIES: Xaira Therapeutics does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias or employees. Xaira Therapeutics is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.