T Cell Engineering & Translation Lead
T Cell Engineering & Translation Lead
Location: Upper East Side
Org Unit: MCC Laboratories
Weekly Hours: 35.00
Exemption Status: Exempt
Salary Range: $165,700.00 - $188,000.00
*As required under NYC Human Rights Law Int 1208-2018 - Salary range for this role when Hired for NYC Offices
Position Summary
Responsible for leading the engineering, process development, and translational advancement of TCR engineered T cell therapies from candidate nomination through clinical readiness. The role drives vector design, cell engineering, and preclinical development of next-generation TCR-T cell therapies incorporating viral and non-viral ex vivo engineering as well as in vivo T cell therapy strategies, with a blend of mechanistic discovery tightly coupled to IND-enabling preclinical development. The Team lead coordinates with and serves as a critical bridge between research and clinical team ensuring safe, scalable, and regulatory aligned products.
Job Responsibilities
- Develop effective in vivo T cell engineering strategies and delivery vectors.
- Lead optimization of vector design (viral and non-viral) to be used for in vivo and ex vivo generation of armored TCR-T cells.
- Collaborate with director of Vector Production and Quality to ensure seamless transition of preclinical products into a scalable clinical process.
- Evaluate TCR constructs for stability, reactivity, and manufacturability in collaboration with engineering and translational staff.
- Oversee development and optimization of ex vivo TCR-T manufacturing processes inclusive of transduction/transfection, expansion and formulation. Establish scalable workflows for rapid ex vivo cell engineering to enhance product potency.
- Conduct IND enabling studies integrating in vivo pharmacology, safety, potency and mechanism-of-action datasets.
- Serve as a liaison between discovery and manufacturing teams to enable technology transfer and feasibility.
- Collaborate with manufacturing team to assess product and process performance, troubleshoot issues, and drive enhancements in clinical cell therapy manufacturing.
- Collaborate with the quality team to develop bespoke assays to assess product potency.
- Ensure documentation standards consistent with future IND submissions in all IND-enabling studies.
Education
Master's Degree or Ph.D. in an appropriate field. Equivalent work experience will be considered.
Experience
10 years of experience in T cell engineering or cell/gene therapy development with demonstrated experience in lentiviral vector systems, non-viral gene engineering platforms, human T cell functional biology, in vivo gene delivery approaches.
Approximately 3 years or related experience in advanced translational acadmic center or Pharmaceutical environment, with evidence of leading IND-enabling preclinical development (industry preferred).
Track record of leading cross-functional scientific teams.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- In-depth knowledge of interpreting TCR-T cell biology, receptor engineering, and gene modification platforms.
- Knowledge of vector design principles, optimization, and safety switch technologies.
- Demonstrates ability to apply analytical methodologies for cell therapy characterization.
- Familiarity with institutional and federal regulatory documentation and compliance standards.
- Demonstrates understanding of translational development pathways from preclinical through early-phase clinical trials.
- Ability to build scalable and reproduceable identification pipelines for personalized TCR therapy programs.
Licenses and Certifications
Working Conditions/Physical Demands
Ability to work flexible hours, evenings and weekends, when requested for special projects.
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