Sr. Scientist II

Company Description

Deciphera is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing important new medicines to improve the lives of people with cancer. We are leveraging our proprietary switch-control kinase inhibitor platform and deep expertise in kinase biology to develop a broad portfolio of innovative medicines.

In addition to advancing multiple product candidates from our platform in clinical studies, QINLOCK® is Deciphera’s FDA-approved switch-control kinase inhibitor for the treatment of fourth-line gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). QINLOCK is also approved for fourth-line GIST in Australia, Canada, China, and Hong Kong.

Deciphera (NASDAQ: DCPH) is a publicly traded company headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Our state-of-the-art research facility is located in Lawrence, Kansas. 

We offer an outstanding culture and opportunity for personal and professional growth based on our “PATHS” Core Values:

• Patients – places the importance of improving the lives of patients and their caregivers at the forefront of every day’s work.
• Accountability – for our performance and the way we work with coworkers and other stakeholders.
• Transparency – in our intent and actions to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Honesty and Integrity – fosters trust and strives to deliver on our and the company’s promises.
• Stewardship – values and uses wisely the resources and investments provided to the company.

Job Description

The Role:

We are seeking a talented, collaborative, highly motivated and self-driven individual to join our Biological Sciences oncology drug discovery group. This Senior Scientist II level role requires working closely with the wider multidiscplinary research team to discover new small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer.

The successful candidate will work independently, but also as an integral part of a larger team to achieve collective goals. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding in the fields of contemporary cancer biology, drug discovery and oncology and will apply this to challenging ongoing and new drug discovery programs.

This position will report to a Senior Principal Investigator, Biological Sciences, and work onsite at our research facility in Lawrence, Kansas.

What You’ll Do:

• Design and conduct rigorous experiments to identify and validate potential novel drug targets using state of the art approaches including multiomics based approaches
• Conceive, develop, and optimize biologically relevant assays, including biochemical and cellular assays, to determine the therapeutic potential of rationally designed targeted small molecules
• Work closely with the Senior Principal Investigator to explore and develop actionable biomarkers with potential for translational application.
• Work collaboratively with biologists, and medicinal chemists, to design studies and oversee their execution with external partners to advance drug discovery programs
• Guide and mentor junior scientists within and outside of the laboratory environment
• Document experimental design, data analyses and interpretation in an ELN and LIMS system
• Stay abreast of the latest scientific and technological advancements in the field
• Author technical reports and presentations to effectively communicate data and analyses
• Add to Deciphera culture of collaboration and shared mission to solve complex biological problems
• Adhere to corporate policies including safety and compliance

Qualifications

• A PhD in Cancer Biology, Molecular Biology, , Biochemistry or a related field with 5+ years of drug discovery experience at a biotechnology or pharmaceutical company.
• Experience of contemporary oncology drug discovery is highly preferred
• Technical skills required: laboratory experience with molecular and cell biology techniques
• The ability to think and work independently to design and execute on complex experiments
• Flexibility and capability to work on multiple research programs simultaneously
• Other: Computer skills with MS Office (Excel, Word, PPT) and scientific graphing software
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Strong track record of publications in peer reviewed journals and/or presentations at high caliber scientific conferences highly preferred

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION

Deciphera is committed to equal employment opportunity and values diversity. To ensure that we comply with reporting requirements and to learn more about how we can increase diversity in our candidate pool, we invite you to voluntarily provide demographic information in a confidential survey at the end of this application. Providing this information is optional. It will not be accessible or used in the hiring process, and has no effect on your opportunity for employment. This information will also be treated confidentially. Our commitment to increasing diversity in our candidate pool does not affect our commitment to equal employment opportunity, including our ongoing commitment to make all hiring and other employment decisions solely on a nondiscriminatory basis.