Senior Director, Platform Technology Development & Therapeutic Innovation
Flagship Pioneering
Company Summary:
Metaphore Biotechnologies, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company building the next generation of biological therapeutics. Inspired by nature, our mission is to transform patient lives by unlocking the power of biological therapeutics with a new mimic-discovery platform.
Flagship Pioneering is a biotechnology company that invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health or sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in more than $90 billion in aggregate value. Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity’s most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture. Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE’s “Change the World” list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies, and has been twice named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies. Learn more about Flagship at www.flagshippioneering.com.
The Position
Metaphore Biotechnologies is seeking an experienced and collaborative scientific leader to join our Discovery Sciences & Technology team as Senior Director, Platform Technology Development & Therapeutic Innovation. This is a high-impact role responsible for advancing Metaphore’s synthetic biology and protein engineering platform, leading therapeutic discovery efforts, and building the foundational tools and technologies that drive our pipeline forward.
The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with strategic thinking, cross-functional leadership, and a people-first mindset. You bring scientific rigor, creativity, and a proven ability to lead high-performing teams, while modeling the leadership values that define our culture: accountability, emotional intelligence, clear communication, and a commitment to shared success.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead end-to-end development of therapeutic programs, from target identification to IND-enabling candidate nomination, leveraging and expanding Metaphore’s synthetic biology and protein engineering toolkits.
- Drive platform innovation by developing and optimizing technologies and workflows that enhance scalability, reproducibility, and translatability across discovery efforts.
- Translate strategic priorities into actionable scientific roadmaps in close collaboration with Platform leadership and Innovation teams.
- Serve as a thought leader and subject matter expert across synthetic biology, phage and display technologies, combinatorial libraries, and high-throughput assay development.
- Foster strong cross-functional partnerships with Discovery, Computational Science, Translational Science, and Operations teams to integrate data-driven approaches and machine learning into platform development.
- Recruit, mentor, and inspire a high-performing team of scientists; create a supportive, collaborative, and psychologically safe environment that enables individuals and teams to thrive.
- Ensure scientific excellence, data integrity, and operational efficiency through best practices in experimental design, documentation, and decision-making.
- Communicate project strategy, key milestones, and outcomes to stakeholders across the organization with clarity and influence.
- Manage external partnerships with CROs and academic collaborators as needed, ensuring alignment and quality of deliverables.
- Contribute to the development and protection of Metaphore’s intellectual property through platform and therapeutic innovations.
Qualifications
- PhD in Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, Biophysics, or related field with 12+ years of relevant industry experience, including 5+ years in scientific leadership roles.
- Extensive experience in CRISPR and synthetic biology, including engineering complex mammalian systems and expanding synthetic biology toolsets.
- Deep expertise in phage display, combinatorial libraries (yeast, RNA display, SELEX, DEL), high-throughput screening, and assay development.
- Familiarity with structural biology, NGS technologies (PacBio and Illumina), and biophysical/cellular characterization methods.
- Proficiency in applying machine learning tools to protein engineering and data interpretation.
- Proven track record of leading cross-functional programs and mentoring teams within fast-paced, matrixed environments.
- Strong communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills, with a demonstrated ability to influence across technical and executive audiences.
At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background.
Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, “FSP”) do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.
