Associate Director, Neuroscience

About Voyager Therapeutics

Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VYGR) is a biotechnology company dedicated to leveraging the power of human genetics to modify the course of – and ultimately cure – neurological diseases. Our pipeline includes programs for Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and multiple other diseases of the central nervous system. Many of our programs are derived from our TRACER™ AAV capsid discovery platform, which we have used to generate novel capsids and identify associated receptors to potentially enable high brain penetration with genetic medicines following intravenous dosing. Some of our programs are wholly owned, and some are advancing with partners including Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease; Novartis Pharma AG; Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.; and Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. For more information, visit www.voyagertherapeutics.com.

*Voyager Therapeutics® is a registered trademark, and TRACER™ is a trademark, of Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. *

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly motivated Associate Director to join our Neuroscience team at our facility in Lexington, Massachusetts. This is an ideal position for an individual who has a strong scientific background and proven track record in Neurodegeneration and Gene Therapy. The candidate should have impeccable organizational skills and the ability to excel in a team-oriented, fast-paced, biotech environment. This candidate would provide strategic and scientific input on target advancement, while implementing clear Go/No Go decisions to drive Research programs to value inflection milestones. Additionally, strong communication skills will be essential, as this role will need to inform and align with key stakeholders (from Research, Development and, Senior Leadership) on program status and strategies.

As a central point of contact for discovery and preclinical research, this Associate Director will need to lead the design and interpretation of data ranging from in vitro target validation to in vivo development and then implement key data driven decisions. This position will be supporting a cross-disciplinary research team in the discovery of promising therapeutic candidates for the treatment of various neurodegenerative diseases. Aligned with that, this individual will need to work closely with a multi-disciplinary discovery research team, being responsible for the design and execution of research studies to support cutting edge therapeutic programs and platform discovery research in neurodegenerative and allied disease areas. A background in Huntington’s Disease is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute experiments, analyze data, and report readouts (both written and verbal) for AAV platform discovery research.
• Support the Research team in completion of in vitro and in vivo screens to support target validation through lead characterization.
• Strong working experience in analyzing DNA, mRNA and protein assays from both tissue and cell culture studies.
• Collaborate with the research team to analyze data and independently deliver effective presentations summarizing data and key decisions to all stakeholders (Internal and External Research teams and Senior Leaders)
• Ensures maintenance of industry-quality records to provide documentation.

Requirements

• A PhD degree with 10+ years or MS with 16+ years or BS with 17+ years’ experience in the field of Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Pharmacology or related discipline is required.
• Strong preference for a candidate with experience in Huntington’s Disease and/or AAV gene therapy.
• Prior related experience, ideally with a biotechnology or other life sciences company, is preferred but not required.
• Previous management experience required.
• Strong background in iPS cell and primary neuronal cultures, and in vivo experimental methods including pharmacology and efficacy readouts to support candidate nomination and characterization.
• Outstanding problem-solving skills.
• Ability to read and interpret the literature to support advancement of programs and/or platform discovery research.
• Ability to be highly productive in a fluid and fast-paced work environment.
• Good communication skills and ability to multi-task.
• Developments of pre-clinical program plans in research, communication of status and progress, and sharing of expertise with others.
• Strong commitment to accountability for completion of projects in accordance with team and company goals.
• Excellent organizational skill and attention to detail.
• Thrives in a team-oriented, fast-paced, and cross-disciplinary start-up biotech environment.