Senior Director, Bioinformatics

Summittherapeutics
Palo Alto, CA
On-site

Who this role is best for

Aimed at senior bioinformatics leaders who can integrate multiomic data and drive AI/ML strategies in oncology.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with 15+ years in biotech or pharma, especially in oncology drug development
    — “Minimum of 15+ years of relevant experience in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, diagnostics, or related industries.
  • Individuals with a proven ability to lead cross-functional teams in data-driven drug development
    — “Serve as a key partner to Translational Medicine/Research, Biomarkers and Clinical Development teams.
  • Experts in multiomic data integration and biomarker discovery with a focus on oncology
    — “Lead analyses supporting biomarker discovery, patient selection, pharmacodynamic assessments, and mechanisms of response and resistance.

Things to consider

  • This role requires a strong understanding of regulatory submissions related to drug and diagnostic development
    — “Experience supporting IND, BLA, NDA, or companion diagnostic submissions preferred.
  • The candidate must be based in the U.S. due to the company's global clinical trial focus and regulatory needs
    — “Summit is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and has additional offices in California, New Jersey, the UK, and Ireland.

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with multiomic data integration and AI/ML in oncology drug development
    — “Drive implementation of machine learning and AI-based approaches for biomarker identification and predictive modeling.
  • Showcase leadership in bioinformatics strategy and cross-functional collaboration
    — “Develop and execute the company's bioinformatics and computational biology strategy across discovery, translational, and clinical programs.
  • Emphasize a track record in supporting clinical development and biomarker programs in oncology
    — “Strong track record supporting oncology, inflammation, or other therapeutic development programs.
Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · TeamLevel · Senior

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • Leading biomarker discovery projects
  • Collaborating with translational scientists and clinicians
  • Developing data-driven decision-making tools
Typical background
PhD in Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, or related fieldExperience in genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and spatial data analysis

Skills & requirements

Required

BioinformaticsGenomic AnalysisTranslational ResearchClinical DevelopmentBiomarker DiscoveryMulti-omics Data Integration

Preferred

AIMachine Learning

Stack & domain

OncologyBiopharmaceuticals

About the role

Original posting from Summittherapeutics via Greenhouse

About Summit:

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical oncology company with a mission focused on improving quality of life, increasing potential duration of life, and resolving serious unmet medical needs. At Summit, we believe in building a team of world class professionals who are passionate about this mission, and it is our people who drive this mission to reality. Summit’s core values include integrity, passion for excellence, purposeful urgency, collaboration, and our commitment to people. Our employees are truly the heart and soul of our culture, and they are invaluable in shaping our journey toward excellence.

Summit’s team is inspired to touch and help change lives through Summit’s clinical studies in the field of oncology. Summit has multiple global Phase 3 clinical studies, including:

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

HARMONi: Phase 3 clinical study which was intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC who were previously treated with a 3rd generation EGFR TKI.

HARMONi-3: Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC.

HARMONi-7: Phase 3 clinical study which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab monotherapy compared to pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC.

Colorectal Cancer (CRC)

HARMONi-GI3: Phase 3 clinical study intended to evaluate ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy compared with bevacizumab plus chemotherapy.

Ivonescimab is an investigational therapy not presently approved by any regulatory authority other than China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Summit is headquartered in Miami, Florida, and has additional offices in California, New Jersey, the UK, and Ireland.

Overview of Role: 

The Senior Director of Bioinformatics will provide scientific, strategic, and operational leadership for bioinformatics and computational biology activities supporting discovery, translational research, clinical development, and biomarker programs. This individual will work with a multidisciplinary team responsible for the analysis and interpretation of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, spatial, pathology, imaging, molecular modeling and clinical datasets to enable target identification, patient stratification, biomarker discovery, companion diagnostic development, and data-driven decision-making across the company's pipeline. 

The successful candidate will serve as a key partner to Translational Medicine/Research, Biomarkers and Clinical Development teams and will help shape the organization's long-term data and computational strategy. 

Role and Responsibilities: 

Translational Research and Biomarker Development 

Lead analyses supporting biomarker discovery, patient selection, pharmacodynamic assessments, and mechanisms of response and resistance. 

Direct integration of multiomic datasets including:  

Whole exome sequencing (WES) 

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) 

RNA sequencing 

Single-cell sequencing 

Spatial transcriptomics 

Proteomics 

ctDNA 

Digital pathology and imaging data 

Collaborate with translational scientists and clinicians to generate biologically meaningful insights that influence clinical development strategy. 

Support companion diagnostic (CDx) development and regulatory submissions. 

Molecular modeling of protein-protein interactions 

Strategic Leadership 

Develop and execute the company's bioinformatics and computational biology strategy across discovery, translational, and clinical programs. 

Interface with high-performing team of biochemists, computational biologists, and data scientists. 

Establish scientific priorities, resource plans, and technology roadmaps aligned with corporate objectives. 

Evaluate emerging technologies in AI/ML, multiomics, digital pathology, spatial biology, and real-world data analytics. 

Data Science and AI 

Drive implementation of machine learning and AI-based approaches for biomarker identification and predictive modeling. 

Establish computational methods for integrating molecular and clinical data. 

Partner with digital pathology and imaging teams on AI-enabled analyses. 

Evaluate and implement cloud-based analytics platforms and scalable computational infrastructure. 

Scientific Collaboration 

Partner closely with:  

Discovery Research 

Translational Medicine 

Clinical Development 

Biostatistics 

Companion Diagnostics 

Manage external collaborations with academic institutions, CROs, technology providers, and diagnostic partners. 

Operational Excellence 

Establish best practices for data governance, reproducibility, quality control, and regulatory compliance. 

Oversee bioinformatics infrastructure, cloud computing resources, and data management processes. 

Ensure timely delivery of analyses supporting key development milestones. 

All other duties as assigned 

Experience, Education and Specialized Knowledge and Skills: 

PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Computer Science, Statistics, Systems Biology, or related field. 

Minimum of 15+ years of relevant experience in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, diagnostics, or related industries. 

Strong track record supporting oncology, inflammation, or other therapeutic development programs. 

Experience with biomarker strategies across multiple stages of drug development. 

Experience supporting IND, BLA, NDA, PMA, or companion diagnostic submissions preferred. 

Demonstrated expertise in: 

NGS analysis pipelines 

Multiomics data integration 

Statistical genomics 

Clinical biomarker analysis 

Single-cell and spatial biology analytics 

Machine learning and predictive modeling 

Cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) 

Programming languages such as R and Python 

Data visualization and scientific communication 

Preferred Qualifications 

Oncology drug development experience strongly preferred. 

Experience supporting companion diagnostic development and precision medicine strategies. 

Understanding of FDA, EMA, and global regulatory expectations for biomarker data. 

Experience with AI-powered pathology platforms and image analysis. 

History of scientific publications in high-impact journals. 

Experience working in cross-functional teams in a matrixed environment. 

This is the pay for this position

Pay Transparency$217,000—$271,000 USD 

Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, certifications, and specific work location. This may be different in other locations due to differences in the cost of labor. The total compensation package for this position may also include bonus, stock, benefits and/or other applicable variable compensation.

Summit does not accept referrals from employment businesses and/or employment agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site. All employment businesses/agencies are required to contact Summit’s Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@smmttx.com to obtain prior written authorization before referring any candidates to Summit.

Summit Therapeutics Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and takes pride in creating and maintaining diverse environment. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training or promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Source: Summittherapeutics careers (Greenhouse)

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