Director / Senior Director, Biology

Apply →

Location: Onsite 2-3 days/week in Santa Cruz, CA

Reports To: Head of Biology

Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt

About the Company

Unnatural Products (UNP) is a Series B biotech company at the forefront of macrocyclic peptide drug discovery. Our mission is delivering first-in-class macrocycle therapeutics for high impact disease areas. UNP’s approach couples machine learning-based in silico tools with massively parallel peptide chemistry to enable the discovery and rapid optimization of highly non-natural macrocyclic peptides aimed at extracellular targets, undruggable intracellular targets, and beyond.

Based in Santa Cruz, CA, we are a passionate team of scientists and operators doing high-quality science in a beautiful setting—where innovation and work-life balance go hand in hand. Come shape the future of UNP with us!

The Role

UNP is seeking an accomplished biologist and project leader to lead our cell biology and in vivo pharmacology group as Director/Senior Director, Biology. This is a hands-on leadership role for a scientist with direct responsibility for the cellular and in vivo pharmacology aspects of our drug discovery projects.

Reporting to the Head of Biology, the successful candidate will partner closely with the leader of our early discovery and protein sciences group, as well as with other scientific leaders in chemistry and DMPK. They will be accountable for the design, execution, and interpretation of the cellular and in vivo pharmacology strategy across UNP’s portfolio, will serve as biology project lead on one or more programs, and will build and develop the team of scientists delivering that work.

We are looking for a strong scientist, ideally with a background in immunology and/or inflammation. Equally important is a drug hunter’s mindset of advancing molecules toward patients, and a bias toward the experiment that changes a decision. The role can be filled at Director or Senior Director level depending on the experience the successful candidate brings.

What the Role Involves

  • Leading UNP’s cellular biology and in vivo pharmacology group of experienced scientists 

  • Owning the cell biology and in vivo pharmacology strategy across the portfolio by selecting and qualifying models, designing studies that answer the critical project questions, and interpreting the resulting data

  • Building testing cascades that connect biochemical, cellular, and in vivo assays, matched to each project’s goals and competitive positioning

  • Serving as biology project lead on one or more discovery programs, accountable for biology deliverables from hit identification through development candidate nomination

  • Managing contract vivarium operations and external CRO partnerships, ensuring studies are well designed, well executed, and delivered on timeline and budget

  • Partnering with chemistry, DMPK, computational, and program management so that biology is a full contributor to project strategy and decision-making

  • Contributing to translating in vitro and in vivo data into exposure-response and PK/PD understanding that informs compound progression and candidate selection

  • Recruiting, mentoring, and developing scientists, and building a culture of scientific rigor, transparency, and accountability within the group

  • Contributing biology assessments to new target evaluation, including tractability with UNP’s macrocyclic peptide platform

  • Presenting data and recommendations to the scientific leadership team, and representing UNP’s biology externally with partners and KOLs as required

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Therapeutic Area Expertise

  • Depth in immunology and/or autoimmune disease biology; additional experience in metabolic disease is valuable 

In Vitro and In Vivo Pharmacology

  • A strong scientific leader with a proven ability to design, execute, and interpret cellular pharmacology and PK/PD, target engagement, and efficacy studies in relevant models

  • Experience developing and qualifying cell-based assays, including primary cell and translationally relevant systems

  • Experience with both extracellular and intracellular targets; experience with peptides or other beyond-rule-of-five modalities is an advantage

  • Knowledge of what in vivo data are needed to support IND-enabling studies and the transition toward first-in-human

Drug Discovery Delivery

  • A track record of delivery in drug discovery, having contributed substantively to programs progressing from hit identification through lead optimization to development candidate

  • Fluency in quantitative pharmacology, thinking in terms of exposure-response relationships, PK/PD, and what the data mean for human dose prediction

  • Ability to interpret data rigorously and use it to support or challenge key project decisions

  • Track record of operating in rapidly moving projects, anticipating and responding to fast-paced scientific advancement

Leadership and Working Style

  • A people manager with a track record of developing scientists at early and mid-career stages

  • Collaborative and transparent: shares data openly and contributes to a culture of rigorous scientific critique

  • A clear and direct communicator who can present complex biology to non-biologists, chemistry teams, and external partners with precision and focus on key information

  • Goal- and project achievement-oriented, setting clear objectives and keeping scientific work anchored to project milestones

  • Organized, decisive, and comfortable being hands-on in a small-company environment

Qualifications

  • PhD in immunology, pharmacology, cell biology, or a related field

  • Director level: 8+ years of drug discovery experience in biotech or pharma, including direct people management

  • Senior Director level: 12+ years of drug discovery experience, including several years leading a group or function

  • Demonstrated experience leading in vivo pharmacology within a discovery organization

  • Experience working on small molecule or peptide programs preferred

  • Track record of cross-functional collaboration with medicinal chemistry and DMPK teams

Why Join Us?

In this role you will have a direct hand in accelerating the discovery of novel peptide therapeutics to treat diseases with high unmet medical need—and a clear line of sight from the assays you build to the molecules that reach patients. We value integrity, transparency, curiosity, and a collaborative spirit. If you are passionate about people and biotech, we’d love to talk.

The salary range for the Director / Senior Director, Biology is $220,000 to $300,000. Title and compensation will be competitive and commensurate with the candidate’s career experience, qualifications, and the responsibilities of the position.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants and welcome individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, or any other status protected by law.