Legend Biotech is a global biotechnology company dedicated to treating, and one day curing, life-threatening diseases. Headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, we are developing advanced cell therapies across a diverse array of technology platforms, including autologous and allogenic chimeric antigen receptor T-cell, T-cell receptor (TCR-T), and natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapy. From our three R&D sites around the world, we apply these innovative technologies to pursue the discovery of safe, efficacious and cutting-edge therapeutics for patients worldwide.
Legend Biotech entered into a global collaboration agreement with Janssen, one of the pharmaceutical companies of Johnson & Johnson, to jointly develop and commercialize ciltacabtagene autolecuel (cilta-cel). Our strategic partnership is designed to combine the strengths and expertise of both companies to advance the promise of an immunotherapy in the treatment of multiple myeloma.
Legend Biotech is seeking an Associate Director, Translational Science as part of the Early Drug Development team based in Somerset, NJ.
Role Overview
The Associate Director of Translational Science will bridge the gap between early-stage discovery research and clinical development. This role requires a unique blend of deep immunological expertise and advanced computational proficiency. You will be responsible for designing and executing translational strategies, identifying biomarkers, and leveraging large-scale multi-omic datasets to provide actionable insights into mechanism of action (MoA), patient stratification, and drug resistance in both autoimmune and oncology disease area.
Key Responsibilities
- Translational Strategy: Lead the development and execution of program-specific translational plans from lead optimization through Phase II clinical trials.
- Data Integration & Analysis: Oversee the analysis of high-dimensional datasets (e.g., scRNA-seq, CITE-seq, flow cytometry, and spatial transcriptomics) to identify pharmacodynamic markers and predictive signatures, to interpret and provide insight into the biological mechanisms.
- Clinical Collaboration: Partner with Clinical Development and Clinical Operations to implement biomarker assays in clinical protocols and ensure high-quality data collection.
- External Partnerships: Manage relationships with Contract Research Organizations (CROs) and academic collaborators for specialized assay development and advanced data processing.
- Cross-Functional Leadership: Represent Translational Science on program teams, providing expert input on disease biology, target engagement, and competitive landscape.
- Scientific Communication: Author high-quality technical reports, regulatory documents (IND/IB/NDA), and contribute to peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.
Requirements
- PhD or MD/PhD in Immunology, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or a related field.
- 5+ years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry or an equivalent academic leadership role within translational research.
- Extensive knowledge of human auto-immune disease and oncology diseases, specifically in areas such as immuno-oncology, autoimmune diseases, or cell therapy (CAR-T/TCR-T).
- Demonstrated experience with genomic data analysis. Practical and hand on experience data analysis pipeline, ability to guide data integration, knowledge integration from multiple datasets is essential.
- Proven track record in the development, validation, and clinical implementation of complex biomarkers.
- Experience working with relevant disease areas, deep understanding of the biological mechanisms related to diseases(auto-immune, oncology, or/both).
- Strong understanding of regulatory requirements for biomarker-driven clinical trials.
- Excellent project management skills with the ability to lead multiple programs in a fast-paced environment.
- High scientific curiosity, driven, motivated in deep understanding of the biology behind both disease and therapies.
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The base pay range below is what Legend Biotech USA Inc. reasonably expects to offer at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on experience, skills, qualifications, and geographic location. The company reserves the right to modify this range as needed and in accordance with applicable laws.
Other Types of Pay: Performance-based bonus and/or equity is available to employees in eligible roles.
Benefits and Paid Time Off: Medical, dental, and vision insurance as well as a 401(k) retirement plan with a company match that vests fully on day one. We offer eight (8) weeks of paid parental leave after just three (3) months of employment, and a paid time off policy that includes vacation time, personal time, sick time, floating holidays, and eleven (11) company holidays. Additional voluntary benefits include flexible spending and health savings accounts, life and AD&D insurance, short- and long-term disability coverage, legal assistance, and supplemental plans such as pet, critical illness, accident, and hospital indemnity insurance. We also provide voluntary commuter benefits, family planning and care resources, well-being initiatives, and peer-to-peer recognition programs; demonstrating our ongoing commitment to building a culture where our people feel empowered, supported, and inspired to do their best work.
Please note: These benefits are offered exclusively to permanent full-time employees. Contractors are not eligible for benefits through Legend Biotech.
EEO Statement
It is the policy of Legend Biotech to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, related medical conditions and lactation), gender identity or gender expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic under applicable federal, state or local laws or ordinances.
Employment is at-will and may be terminated at any time with or without cause or notice by the employee or the company.
Skills Required
- PhD or MD/PhD in Immunology, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or a related field.
- 5+ years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry or equivalent academic leadership in translational research.
- Extensive knowledge of human autoimmune disease and oncology, including immuno-oncology and cell therapy (CAR-T/TCR-T).
- Demonstrated hands-on genomic and multi-omic data analysis experience and ability to develop/guide data analysis pipelines and integrate multiple datasets.
- Experience analyzing datasets such as scRNA-seq, CITE-seq, flow cytometry, and spatial transcriptomics.
- Proven track record in development, validation, and clinical implementation of complex biomarkers.
- Strong understanding of regulatory requirements for biomarker-driven clinical trials (e.g., inputs for IND/IB/NDA).
- Experience leading translational strategies across early development and collaborating with Clinical Development and Clinical Operations.
- Experience managing external partnerships with CROs and academic collaborators and strong project management skills.
Legend Biotech Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Legend Biotech and has not been reviewed or approved by Legend Biotech.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered competitive for many roles, with base rates often described as good or above local industry averages. Feedback suggests posted figures for titles like Specialist, Scientist, and certain HR roles sit above common national benchmarks.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) company match that vests on day one is repeatedly highlighted as a standout element. Immediate vesting increases the tangible value of the retirement offering from the start of employment.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO structures commonly include vacation, personal, sick time, floating holidays, and around 11 company holidays. Several postings outline clear day allocations, signaling breadth and clarity in time-off design.
Legend Biotech Insights
What We Do
Legend Biotech is a global, commercial-stage biotechnology company developing and manufacturing novel therapies. We explore and apply innovative technologies to deliver cutting-edge options for patients around the world. Our corporate headquarters is located in Somerset, NJ, and our manufacturing footprint includes facilities in the United States, China and the Belgium.
