Lead Scientist, Discovery Biology
Lead early discovery biology for a small Cambridge team that needs someone credible enough to make scientific calls and practical enough to stop every assay becoming a custom project.
About the role
Own discovery biology direction for an early-stage UK programme portfolio and make sure scientific decisions are fast, defensible, and proportionate to the evidence available. You will lead target evaluation, shape assay priorities, and help founders avoid burning months on elegant work that does not change the go or no-go decision.
Role details
- Stage
- Seed-stage discovery company, 19 people, biology group still taking shape
- Reporting line
- Founding team with close access to board-level scientific updates
- Rhythm
- Hybrid in Cambridge with regular lab and partner-facing presence
What you'll do
- Lead target and mechanism decisions: Pull together internal evidence, external literature, and practical feasibility to decide which biological questions deserve more time and which should be closed quickly.
- Set the assay agenda: Decide what needs to be built internally, what can stay with external partners, and where assay standardisation would create more leverage than one more bespoke readout.
- Represent biology upward and outward: Translate scientific risk and momentum clearly for founders, investors, and external collaborators without sanding off the inconvenient caveats.
- Shape the next hires and operating model: Help define future scientific headcount and the working model for a biology function that is still early enough to be shaped properly.
Requirements
- PhD in pharmacology, molecular biology, cell biology, immunology, or a related field, plus substantial biotech or pharma discovery experience.
- Track record of making target, mechanism, or assay decisions in settings where the evidence was incomplete and the timeline mattered.
- Ability to operate as a lead scientist without hiding behind process or waiting for perfect organisational structure.
- Strong written and verbal communication, especially when explaining scientific risk to non-specialists or cross-functional partners.
- Comfort with a hybrid role that mixes scientific depth, external management, and leadership-level judgement.
Nice to have
- Experience with translational readouts, biomarker thinking, or genetics-informed target evaluation.
- Prior exposure to CRO management, partner oversight, or board-facing scientific updates.
- Time spent in a startup where the first scientific systems had to be built from scratch.
- Familiarity with computational or multi-omics inputs used in discovery prioritisation.
Tools and environment
Target assessment, Assay strategy, External partner management, Translational framing, Biomarker logic, Scientific diligence
Compensation and package
- Base salary
- £100k-£122k, with flexibility for rare startup-ready discovery depth
- Equity
- Meaningful option package plus annual performance bonus
- Benefits
- Private medical, pension, and flexible working support
- Timing
- Active search tied to upcoming programme selection decisions this year
Interview process
- 1.Exploratory call: Initial conversation covering level, Cambridge-based expectations, and whether the role fits your appetite for early-stage leadership.
- 2.Founder discussion: Deep conversation on scientific judgement, pace, and how you decide what evidence is enough to move a programme.
- 3.Working session: Review a condensed discovery brief and explain what you would prioritise, standardise, or stop.
- 4.Final meetings: Panel with key scientific stakeholders, references, and compensation discussion.
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