Senior Scientist, Discovery

Company Summary:

Metaphore Biotechnologies, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company building the next generation of biological therapeutics. Inspired by nature, our mission is to transform patient lives by unlocking the power of biological therapeutics with a new mimic-discovery platform.

Flagship Pioneering is a biotechnology company that invents and builds platform companies, each with the potential for multiple products that transform human health or sustainability. Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in more than $90 billion in aggregate value. Many of the companies Flagship has founded have addressed humanity's most urgent challenges: vaccinating billions of people against COVID-19, curing intractable diseases, improving human health, preempting illness, and feeding the world by improving the resiliency and sustainability of agriculture. Flagship has been recognized twice on FORTUNE's "Change the World" list, an annual ranking of companies that have made a positive social and environmental impact through activities that are part of their core business strategies and has been twice named to Fast Company's annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies. Learn more about Flagship at www.flagshippioneering.com.

Position Summary:

Metaphore Biotechnologies is seeking a highly motivated and collaborative Senior Scientist to join our Discovery team to lead platform innovation and therapeutic discovery initiatives, advancing projects from concept through validation. The ideal candidate will apply their deep expertise in mammalian cell engineering, assay development, and workflow optimization to enhance our platform capabilities and enable cross-functional discovery efforts.

One of the key responsibilities of the role will be building and expanding Metaphore's synthetic biology and functional screening capabilities to support state-of-the-art protein engineering and function-first high-throughput screening. This will include designing novel mammalian reporter systems to interrogate binding and activity, often integrated with cell display and engineering technologies. Familiarity with NGS (Illumina, PacBio), biologics development, cell-based assays, and synthetic biology is required. Experience with the incorporation of machine learning for protein engineering and strong analytical skills are major assets.

Success in this role requires a balance of independent scientific ownership and collaborative execution. You will work across a highly multidisciplinary team including Discovery, Computational Science, Research Informatics, Protein Sciences, and Preclinical development. We are looking for a strategic, curious, and adaptable scientist with excellent communication, documentation and organizational skills - someone passionate about driving innovation and translating science into transformative therapeutics. This is a lab-based position.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead innovation across the synthetic biology and protein engineering platform, expanding and refining Metaphore's platform capabilities.
• Spearhead ideation and execution of technology development and execution of discovery activities for all portfolio programs, with a focus on novel screening and selection workflows for hit identification and lead optimization.
• Establish and champion best practices in experimental design, data rigor, and documentation to ensure high-quality, reproducible outcomes and regulatory compliance.
• Act as our subject matter expert in synthetic biology, guiding ideation and troubleshooting of complex experimental systems, innovating and advancing the application of bioengineering tools to discovery and optimization of biotherapeutics.
• Assemble and guide cross-functional project teams within a matrixed environment, collaborating with functional leads to align resources and drive integrated research plans.
• Contribute to Metaphore's intellectual property portfolio through innovative platform advancements and therapeutic discoveries.
• Communicate project updates, key insights, and strategic milestones to internal stakeholders, including progress in developing function-based selection methodologies.-based selection methodologies

Qualifications:

• PhD in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics, or related field with 5+ years of biotech/pharma experience leading therapeutic discovery, particularly in mammalian cell engineering, assay development, and high-throughput screening. Previous industry experience is a must.
• Deep expertise in assay optimization and validation
• Proficient in Flow cytometry and Ligand-binding assays
• Extensive experience with CRISPR and/or other mammalian synthetic biology tools, including engineering complex cell reporter systems and cell display, with a strong track record of building synthetic biology toolsets.
• Proficient in antibody and/or biologics display technologies for hit discovery.
• Experience with NGS (PacBio and Illumina) and various biophysical characterization and cellular activity assays.
• Proven ability to independently lead innovation projects and advance discovery programs.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills with a focus on therapeutic relevance and platform/tool development.
• Exceptional scientific rigor, organizational skills and documentation practices.
• Highly adaptable with strong communication skills, capable of thriving in fast-paced, cross-functional environments.
• Demonstrated scientific excellence and passion for innovating in synthetic biology and protein engineering.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous experience managing direct reports and CROs
• Skilled in molecular biology, combinatorial libraries (e.g., yeast, phage, RNA display, SELEX, DEL), and high-throughput screening approaches.
• Familiarity with laboratory automation systems (though role is not a central focus).
• Experience in the development of protein therapeutics.
• Experience working in a matrix organizational structure.

At Flagship, we recognize there is no perfect candidate. If you have some of the experience listed above but not all, please apply anyway. Experience comes in many forms, skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. We are dedicated to building diverse and inclusive teams and look forward to learning more about your unique background.

Recruitment & Staffing Agencies: Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated Flagship Lab companies (collectively, "FSP") do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to FSP or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Flagship Pioneering's internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of FSP, and FSP will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.