Senior Scientific Director, Protein Engineering

Who We Are:

Neurocrine Biosciences is a leading biopharmaceutical company with a simple purpose: to relieve suffering for people with great needs. We are dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing life-changing treatments for patients with under-addressed neurological, psychiatric, endocrine and immunological disorders. The company's diverse portfolio includes FDA-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia, chorea associated with Huntington's disease, classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome, endometriosis* and uterine fibroids*, as well as a robust pipeline including multiple compounds in mid- to late-phase clinical development across our core therapeutic areas. For more than three decades, we have applied our unique insight into neuroscience and the interconnections between brain and body systems to treat complex conditions. We relentlessly pursue medicines to ease the burden of debilitating diseases and disorders, because you deserve brave science. For more information, visit neurocrine.com, and follow the company on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and YouTube. (*in collaboration with AbbVie)

About the Role:

The Senior Scientific Director, Protein Engineering provides scientific and strategic leadership for Neurocrine’s protein engineering and biologics discovery capabilities. This individual will lead an established team of protein engineers while expanding the organization’s technical expertise, platforms, and capabilities to enable the discovery and development of next-generation biotherapeutics.

The successful candidate will be an accomplished scientific leader with a demonstrated record of innovation in antibody and protein engineering, biologics drug discovery, and organizational leadership. This role partners closely with Discovery Biology, Pharmacology, Translational Sciences, CMC, Preclinical Development, and external collaborators to advance protein therapeutic programs from target identification through candidate selection and IND-enabling studies.

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Your Contributions (include, but are not limited to):

Scientific Leadership

• Lead and provide strategic direction for Neurocrine’s Protein Engineering function, establishing scientific priorities that support the company’s biologics portfolio

• Guide discovery programs from target assessment through lead generation, optimization, candidate selection, and transition into development

• Drive innovation in antibody and protein engineering technologies to enable novel therapeutic modalities and differentiated biologics

• Evaluate and implement emerging technologies, platforms, and computational approaches that enhance biologics discovery

Organizational Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop an existing high-performing team of protein engineers while recruiting additional scientific talent to support portfolio growth

• Foster a collaborative, innovative, and inclusive scientific culture that promotes technical excellence and career development

• Build organizational capabilities through investment in new technologies, workflows, and scientific expertise

• Establish and maintain productive collaborations with CROs, academic partners, and strategic technology providers

Drug Discovery & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with multidisciplinary teams to accelerate biologics programs through discovery and into IND-enabling studies

• Provide scientific leadership in candidate selection, developability assessment, and optimization strategies

• Contribute to portfolio strategy, program governance, and decision-making through data-driven scientific recommendations

• Ensure protein engineering activities align with project timelines, quality standards, and strategic objectives

Scientific Excellence

• Maintain expertise in advances in protein engineering, antibody therapeutics, biologics development, and regulatory expectations

• Present scientific strategy and program updates to senior leadership, governance committees, and external scientific audiences

• Publish impactful scientific findings and contribute to intellectual property generation that strengthens Neurocrine’s competitive position​

Requirements:

Required Qualifications

• PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Protein Engineering, Immunology, Structural Biology, or a related discipline with 10+ years of relevant industry experience in biologics discovery and development; OR

• Master’s degree with 20+ years of relevant experience; OR

• Bachelor’s degree with 22+ years of relevant experience

• Proven track record of scientific leadership in biologics drug discovery and development, including advancing antibody and/or protein therapeutic candidates from discovery through candidate selection and into IND-enabling development

• Extensive expertise in protein engineering, antibody engineering, and structure-function relationships of therapeutic proteins

• Expertise with protein conjugation technologies, multispecific antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, or other next-generation biologic modalities

• Demonstrated success leading and developing high-performing scientific teams in an industry environment

• Experience establishing, growing, and evolving protein engineering capabilities, technologies, and organizational infrastructure

• Deep understanding of biologics discovery workflows, including molecular design, lead optimization, developability, and candidate selection

• Strong experience in protein construct design, molecular biology, recombinant protein expression in mammalian and microbial systems, purification, and biochemical and biophysical characterization

• Working knowledge of antibody discovery technologies, including display platforms, affinity maturation, multispecific antibodies, engineered scaffolds, or related biologic modalities

• Demonstrated success managing external collaborations, CROs, and strategic partnerships

• Strong publication and/or patent record demonstrating innovation in protein therapeutics

• Excellent scientific communication skills with experience presenting to executive leadership, governance committees, and external scientific audiences

• Ability to develop long-term scientific strategy while effectively translating strategic priorities into executable research plans

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Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing therapeutic antibodies or other biologic modalities in neuroscience, endocrinology, immunology, inflammation, or related therapeutic areas

• Expertise in computational protein design, machine learning-enabled protein engineering, or AI-assisted molecular design

• Experience with high-throughput screening technologies, protein display platforms, and developability assessment

• Familiarity with LC-MS characterization of therapeutic proteins and antibodies

• Working knowledge of regulatory expectations supporting biologics development through IND submission

Leadership Competencies

• Visionary scientific leadership with the ability to define and execute long-term strategy

• Proven ability to influence across functions and lead within a matrixed organization

• Strong mentoring, coaching, and talent development skills

• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities

• Ability to balance scientific innovation with execution to deliver high-quality therapeutic candidates

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Neurocrine Biosciences is an EEO/Disability/Vets employer.

We are committed to building a workplace of belonging, respect, and empowerment, and we recognize there are a variety of ways to meet our requirements. We are looking for the best candidate for the job and encourage you to apply even if your experience or qualifications don’t line up to exactly what we have outlined in the job description.

Biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for neurological and endocrine disorders. Headquartered in San Diego, CA.

neurocrine.com