Preclinical Pharmacology and External Scientific Operations Lead (Shanghai)

Position Overview

Orum Therapeutics is pioneering the next generation of precision medicine by combining targeted protein degradation (TPD) with antibody specificity. As our first scientific operations hire in China, you will serve as the technical and cultural bridge between our Lexington/Daejeon hubs and Chinese vendor/CRO partners in preclinical development activities. Through management of these external resources and application of your preclinical pharmacology expertise in collaboration with internal teams, you will drive scientific rigor, operational excellence, and strategic advancement of Orum projects and programs. As such, you will support the external preclinical development of Orum’s Degrader-Antibody Conjugate (DAC) pipeline, including the lead GSPT1-directed programs and novel payload discovery efforts.

Key Responsibilities

• Vendor Scouting & Selection:
• • In collaboration with project and/or program teams, identify, evaluate, negotiate, select, and onboard specialized vendors and/or CROs with capabilities in areas such as in vitro activity assays, in vivo efficacy and toxicology studies, linker-payload synthesis, complex bioconjugation, and other preclinical studies.
  • Ensure adherence to project and/or program timelines, budgets, and quality standards.
• Strategic Vendor Oversight:
  • Leverage the global vendor/CRO ecosystem, particularly in China, to optimize cost-effective, high-quality R&D solutions while maintaining rigorous scientific oversight, data integrity, and IP protection.
  • Serve as the primary liaison between internal project and/or program teams and external partners to align priorities, timing, and deliverables.
• Pharmacology Leadership and Preclinical Studies Oversight:
  • Provide preclinical pharmacology expertise to cross-functional development of projects and/or programs
  • Oversee in vivo preclinical studies (e.g., PK, efficacy, toxicology) using validated, well characterized models (CDX, PDX, humanized mice) to evaluate DAC candidates for oncology and autoimmune indications.
  • Guide vendor/CRO execution to ensure studies are scientifically rigorous, robust, and strategically aligned with early research and IND-enabling programs.
• Platform Support & External Capability Expansion:
  • Contribute to the advancement of Orum’s TPD²® platform by developing partnerships with external organizations in China that provide specialized computational and experimental capabilities, including physics-based modeling, AI/ML-driven drug design, and advanced research workflows.
• Audit Coordination & Compliance Facilitation:
  • Coordinate GLP/GMP audits of vendors/CROs, managing communication, schedules, documentation, and follow-up actions.
  • Serve as the liaison between Orum teams, external partners, and auditors to ensure smooth GLP/GMP audits.
• Intellectual Property & Legal Collaboration:
  • Partner with legal and program teams to implement agreements that safeguard Orum’s proprietary platforms, ensuring clear data ownership and compliance with China-specific IP regulations.
• Cross-Border Leadership & Communication:
  • Represent Orum as a senior authority, guiding large external vendor/CRO teams, bridging global and local stakeholders, and ensuring seamless collaboration across R&D hubs.
  • Serve as the go-to person for drug development involving Chinese vendor/CRO resources.

Required Qualifications & Skills

• Experience: 7–10+ years in biotech/pharma, with demonstrated expertise in managing complex therapeutic modalities (e.g., DACs, ADCs, TPDs) and coordinating external development programs.
• Pharmacology Expertise: Proven track record in preclinical pharmacology, including oversight of in vivo efficacy and toxicology studies using molecularly characterized CDX, PDX, or humanized mouse models for oncology or autoimmune programs.
• Scientific Knowledge: Solid understanding of targeted protein degradation mechanisms, E3 ubiquitin ligase biology, and antibody-mediated intracellular delivery.
• Operational & CRO Management: Skilled in coordinating cross-border projects, managing vendor/CRO partners, negotiating timelines and budgets, and ensuring scientific quality and compliance.
• International & Local Experience: Combines international scientific training (U.S./Europe) with substantial operational experience in the Chinese vendor/CRO and regulatory landscape.
• Language Skills: Fluent in Mandarin and English, both oral and written, to engage local partners and communicate with global leadership, project and program teams.
• Education: PhD in Pharmacology, Biology, Organic/Medicinal Chemistry, or a related field.

Cultural & Operational Perks

• Influential Leadership: Represent Orum as a senior authority, providing guidance and oversight for large-scale external teams and CRO partnerships.
• Modern Work Infrastructure: Full home-office setup stipend to enable seamless virtual collaboration with global R&D leadership and cross-functional teams.

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