Associate Director, Translational Science

About the Role

The Associate Director, Translational Science will be a scientific and strategic thought partner instrumental in developing and building the pipeline at Tarsus. They will be responsible for bringing biology/pharmacology expertise and can readily bridge cutting-edge translational medicine environments to develop category-creating products. The role connects the discovery and clinical development organization and aims to support projects at the interface between concept and early development to IND enabling studies.

Let’s talk about some of the key responsibilities of the role:

• Subject Matter Expert in Pharmacology, Pathophysiology and Drug Discovery.
• Establish and maintain strong external partnerships with key opinion leaders, academic institutions and other external partners
• Partner with key internal experts across the company including Innovation Lab and Business Development (BD) for asset evaluation, and development strategies up to and through IND enabling studies.
• Advance preclinical strategies overseeing development of animal models, study design and execution at external CRO demonstrating POC, PK/PDs relationship and dose selection.
• Develop stage-appropriate project strategies for pipeline programs assuring a differentiated asset to address unmet medical need with key “Go/No Go” decision points.

Translational biology/pharmacology:

• Develop deep internal expertise in disease areas within ophthalmology, which are prioritized by the company. Identify possible mechanisms, disease models, preclinical POC approaches.
• Generate clear, testable translational hypothesis to address unmet needs (mechanism of action, pharmacodynamics, patient selection).
• Assess relevant models, liaise with the best CRO and interact with academic experts to evaluate potential assets.

Internal and External Innovation:

• Partner with BD and bring scientific expertise and rigor to evaluate and triage external assets and opportunities, identify main risk and mitigation plan and build additional evidence to enable Go/No Go decisions.
• Partner with Innovation Lab team to prioritize various hypothesis, identify possible assets, generate evidence to enable advancement into clinical development.
• Build open relationships with peers and external partners to ensure best decision making.

Factors for Success:

Minimum Requirements/Qualifications:

• PhD or MD/PhD degree in Biology, Pharmacology, Molecular or Cell biology or related life sciences field.
• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical or industry setting; preference for individual with experience in ophthalmology.
• Knowledge and solid understanding of emerging research, mechanisms of action and disease models preclinically and clinically.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including writing, reviewing, and editing scientific documents.
• Strong interpersonal skills, diplomacy, and positive-influencing abilities.
• Exceptional communication, influencing and partnering skills to drive decision-making within a multi-disciplinary, matrix teams.
• Effective project management skills.
• Strong presentation skills; must be able to provide succinct, strategic, and actionable insights.
• Proactive self-starter who can lead work independently, with the ability to see the next step and anticipate issues.
• Scientifically independent.
• Enterprise and entrepreneurial mindset.

Tarsus Competencies:

• Decision Making - Demonstrates strong decision-making by applying structured analysis to complex challenges, balancing competing priorities and long-term impacts while engaging stakeholders and driving solutions aligned with organizational goals.
• Collaboration and Team Building - Promotes collaboration by aligning diverse teams around shared goals, fostering healthy debate to advance outcomes, and building strong networks that strengthen organizational effectiveness and cross-team learning.
• Outcome Driven - Demonstrates strong outcomes focus by aligning teams around shared priorities, proactively addressing risks and dependencies, and driving cross-functional accountability to sustain progress and deliver results.

A Few Other Details Worth Mentioning:

• The position will be based in our beautiful Irvine office, complete with onsite gym, pool, snacks, drinks, and occasional catered meals. We provide a hybrid work environment. Remote work is an option.
• We are passionate about our culture! Our Tarsans live our values of commitment to patients, empowerment to champion innovation, and teamwork to amplify impact!
• This position reports directly to our VP, Translational Science.
• Some travel may be required – up to 20%

At Tarsus, we understand the importance of attracting and retaining top talent. The expected base pay range for this position is $150,000 - $210,000 plus bonus, stock equity, and comprehensive benefits. The base pay range reflects the target range for this position, but individual pay will be determined by additional factors such as job-related skills, experience and relevant education or training. Our benefits include health, dental and vision insurance benefits to ensure your well-being. We believe in work-life balance and offer generous paid time off, including vacation, holidays, and personal days. For more details regarding Tarsus benefits, please visit: https://eb.alliant.com/26tarsusbenefitssnapshot.

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