Associate Director, Electrophysiology & Cellular Pharmacology

Unlocking Potential in Challenging Drug Targets

Join a dynamic drug discovery environment to drive innovative therapies from concept to discovery. This role provides scientific, strategic, and operational leadership for programs targeting ion channels, GPCRs, transporters, and related therapeutic areas. Working closely with biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients, the focus is on delivering excellence in assay development and program management.

Core Responsibilities

• Oversee and manage a portfolio of electrophysiology and cellular pharmacology programs for diverse clients.
• Lead assay development, optimization, validation, and implementation activities.
• Act as a subject matter expert in ion channel pharmacology and electrophysiology.
• Provide strategic guidance on experimental design, data interpretation, and project direction.
• Troubleshoot complex scientific challenges to ensure successful project outcomes.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships, serving as a trusted scientific advisor.
• Contribute to business development through proposal support, study design, and client presentations.
• Support the growth and advancement of electrophysiology and ion channel capabilities.
• Collaborate with senior leadership on departmental strategy, resource planning, and capability development.
• Mentor, develop, and manage scientists, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence.

Key Skills and Requirements

• A PhD in Pharmacology, Physiology, Neuroscience, Cell Biology or a related life science discipline, or equivalent industry experience.
• Extensive industry experience in electrophysiology, including manual and/or automated patch clamp techniques.
• Strong expertise in ion channel biology, ion channel pharmacology and drug discovery research.
• Experience supporting and leading ion channel-focused drug discovery programmes within a CRO, biotechnology or pharmaceutical environment.
• Broad scientific knowledge across multiple target classes, with the ability to design assays, troubleshoot experiments and provide expert scientific oversight.
• Proven experience managing complex client-facing scientific projects.
• Strong communication skills with demonstrated experience presenting data to external stakeholders.
• Experience contributing to scientific proposals, business development activities and strategic programme planning.
• Previous line management, mentoring and team leadership experience.

What's on Offer

The successful candidate will join a highly collaborative drug discovery organisation supporting a diverse range of biotechnology and pharmaceutical partners worldwide. Benefits include:

• Competitive salary package
• Private medical insurance
• Life assurance
• Enhanced pension scheme
• Employee assistance programme
• Enhanced family-friendly policies
• Generous annual leave allowance
• Paid volunteering day