Driving The Power of Innate and Adaptive Tumor Immunity
About Us
Turnstone Biologics’ mission is to deliver breakthrough cancer immunotherapies by advancing two leading and complementary platforms targeting tumor immunity, to improve survival for people with cancer.
Turnstone Biologics is a privately-held clinical stage biotech company with offices in New York (USA) and Ottawa (Canada). Turnstone’s proprietary vaccinia virus platform is engineered to drive coordinated immune activation, potent viral activity plus local expression of encoded therapeutics, while the TIL cell therapy platform leverages clinically validated protocols to add industry-leading cell selection strategies. Our development programs drive innate and adaptive tumor immunity to provide benefit to the millions of cancer patients underserved by current treatment options.
Our scientific founders, Drs. John Bell, David Stojdl and Brian Lichty, are world leaders in the oncology and immunotherapy fields. Collectively, they have authored more than 200 publications in leading journals, and have spent years engineering and developing technologies to create the next generation of powerful, targeted therapies for cancer patients.
Our passionate team of leaders in oncology have decades of experience in biotechnology, academia and pharmaceutical drug development. With comprehensive capabilities in immuno-oncology discovery, basic research, translation, clinical development, manufacturing, and commercialization, we are committed to bringing new medicines to people with cancer to improve their lives.
Our Science
Turnstone Biologics is focused on driving innate and adaptive tumor immunity through the development of two independent, yet complementary platforms, built on a foundation of validated clinical success.
Turnstone’s proprietary vaccinia virus platform has been engineered to stimulate the immune system, drive antigen presentation and recognition, and re-shape the tumor microenvironment. The high degree of tumor selectivity and large transgene capacity of the virus can be utilized to deliver other agents and therapeutics directly to sites of tumors throughout the body for local expression, reducing their potential for systemic toxicity.
There has been strong clinical evidence demonstrating the benefit of TIL therapy in solid tumors, however, driving clinical benefit in harder to treat, lower mutational burden cancer indications, is the next needed innovation in the field. Turnstone’s proprietary TIL platform combines leading methods for identifying relevant tumor reactive T cells from TILs with the latest advancements in cell sorting and cell rejuvenation, enabling rapid advancement of these highly promising enriched T cell therapies to address a broad range of solid tumors.
Pipeline
Turnstone is developing two highly innovative and complementary therapeutic platforms. Our RIVAL pipeline is derived from our viral immunotherapy platform, with the lead RIVAL-01 program in early clinical development. Our TIDAL pipeline is derived from our cell therapy platform, with the lead TIDAL-01 program expected to enter the clinic by the end of 2021.
Leadership
Turnstone Biologics was founded by world-leading experts in cancer immunotherapies who have defined and advanced the field over the course of multiple decades. Our leadership team includes experts from academia and the life sciences industry who share the vision of bringing innovative immunotherapies based on our unique viral and TIL therapy platforms to people with cancer.
Sammy Farah, Ph.D., M.B.A.
President & Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Sammy Farah has extensive vaccine expertise and almost 20 years of scientific, business and executive management experience in the biotechnology industry. He joined Turnstone Biologics from Synthetic Genomics Vaccines, Inc., where he served as President. Prior to that, he was Chief Business Officer of Immune Design Corp. And before then, Sammy was at Versant Ventures where he specialized in biotechnology investing and new company formation, and at Merck & Co., Inc. where he led technology support for multiple commercial vaccine franchises before joining the business development and licensing group to evaluate and execute new external technology and research partnerships. Dr. Farah earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a Ph.D. in biochemical engineering from Stanford University, and a B.S. in biochemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Mike Burgess, M.B.Ch.B., Ph.D.
President, Research & Development
Dr. Mike Burgess brings 20 years of drug research and development experience to Turnstone Biologics. At Bristol-Myers Squibb, he led strategy and execution of translational medicine, early-stage clinical trials and clinical pharmacology across all therapeutic areas, including oncology. Prior to this at Roche, Mike held several different senior leadership positions, including acting global head of Roche Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED) and Senior Vice President and Global Head of Oncology Research and Early Development. Before joining Roche, Mike spent 7 years at Lilly working on early stage oncology trials. Mike received his medical degree (MBChB) and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Bristol, UK and spent 10 years as a practicing physician in pediatrics and pediatric oncology.
José Manuel Otero, Ph.D.
SVP, Technical Operations
Dr. José Manuel (Manny) Otero has 15 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including in bioprocess development, manufacturing, and CMC of vaccines and complex biologics. He joined Turnstone Biologics from Seres Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in human microbiome therapeutics, where he was Vice President of Bioprocess Development and Manufacturing. At Seres Therapeutics, Dr. Otero oversaw the expansion of the bioprocess development and manufacturing group, and was the corporate team leader for the first synthetic microbiome therapeutic to enter Phase 1b clinical studies in the United States. Prior to that, Dr. Otero was Director of Engineering at Merck & Co.’s Vaccine Manufacturing Sciences & Commercialization division. In that role, he supported development programs for the Varivax™, Zostavax™, ProQuad™, and MMRII™ franchises. Prior to that role, he was Head of Fermentation Process Development, Vaccine Process Development within Merck Research Labs. Dr. Otero has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications. He earned a Ph.D. in chemical and biological engineering from Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, and an M.Eng. in biomedical engineering and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Saryah Azmat
SVP, Business Development & Corporate Strategy
Ms. Azmat leads lead identification, evaluation and execution of new business development opportunities and development of Turnstone’s corporate growth strategy. Ms. Azmat joined Turnstone from Bristol-Myers Squibb (“BMS”), where she was the Global Lead for Oncology Search & Evaluation. During her six-year tenure at BMS, Ms. Azmat executed over 15 transactions spanning all stages of preclinical and clinical development, in addition to her other strategic roles and responsibilities. Prior to BMS, she was a consultant for global biopharma clients at Putnam Associates, where she managed clinical and commercial stage projects. Ms. Azmat earned a B.A. in engineering sciences and a B.E. in biomedical engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College.
Steve Bernstein, M.D.
SVP, Clinical Development and Translational Medicine
Steven Bernstein, M.D., has more than 20 years of experience as a treating physician, translational scientist and pharmaceutical executive. Prior to joining Turnstone, Dr. Bernstein served as Chair, Immuno-Oncology Translational Research and Development, and Head, Integrated Science, at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Prior to BMS, he was as an academic physician scientist most recently at the University of Rochester’s James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute, where he was Professor of Medicine, Co-Director of the Hematological Malignancy and Lymphoma Biology Programs and Co-PI of the University of Rochester/Arizona Cancer Center NCI SPORE grant in lymphoma. Dr. Bernstein was a member of the Lymphoma Working Group of SWOG, and the Scientific Advisory Boards of both the Lymphoma Research Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
David Stojdl, Ph.D.
SVP, Discovery Research
Dr. David Stojdl pioneered the exploration of host-virus interactions critical to oncolytic therapy to guide the clinical development of more effective virus platforms. At the Ottawa Regional Cancer Centre, he first identified VSV as an oncolytic virus and defined the archetypal role of interferon signaling in tumor-specific oncolytic virus targeting. Since joining the CHEO Research Institute in 2004, Dr. Stojdl has discovered and developed several novel oncolytic vector platforms, including the Maraba oncolytic virus platform. Dr. Stojdl also directs the CHEO Automated Screening Centre (CASC), leveraging state-of-the-art high-throughput robotic screening technology to uncover new insights for the clinical development of oncolytic virus biotherapies. Dr. Stojdl is a professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ottawa. He was a scientific co-founder and consultant to Jennerex Biotherapeutics (later acquired by SillaJen Biotherapeutics). He received a Ph.D. from the University of Ottawa and an M.S. and B.S. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Western Ontario.
Caroline Breitbach, Ph.D.
VP, R&D Programs and Strategy
Dr. Caroline Breitbach joined Turnstone Biologics from SillaJen Biotherapeutics (formerly Jennerex) where she was Vice President, Clinical and Translational Research. In that position, she oversaw translational and early-stage clinical development of an oncolytic immunotherapy and contributed to lead candidate development from Phase 1 through initiation of Phase 3 evaluation. Previously, she worked in Dr. John Bell’s group at the University of Ottawa, where she evaluated acute effects of oncolytic viruses on the tumor immune microenvironment. She earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Ottawa and an Honor’s B.Sc. in microbiology and immunology from McGill University.
Maura Campbell, Ph.D.
VP, Intellectual Property & Contracts
Dr. Maura Campbell has spent more than 20 years in technology transfer and the management and commercialization of intellectual property (IP). She has business management experience in all key sectors of biotech, including private and public companies, universities and research institutes, and government-funded public sector research organizations (National Centre of Excellence [NCE]). Maura joined Turnstone Biologics from VBI Vaccines where she served as Director, Intellectual Property. She also was with the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) as a Senior Research Program Manager, where she oversaw the oncolytic vaccine project commercialization. Earlier in her career, Maura was the Director of Intellectual Property for PainCeptor Pharma Corporation, the Manager of Technology Transfer & Commercialization for the OHRI, and the Manager of Technology Transfer at the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems at NCE. She has served as an IP consultant to a number of Canadian start-ups including Neurochem, Conjuchem, Aonix, AMRIC and Sussex Research Labs. Maura received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Ottawa, and an M.Sc. and a B.Sc. in biochemistry from Queen’s University in Kingston.
Karen Major
VP, Regulatory
Karen Major has 18 years of Regulatory Affairs experience, specializing in the global development of biotechnological oncology products. Prior to joining Turnstone, she was Sr. Director Regulatory Affairs at Arbutus Biopharma, focusing on chronic HBV. Prior to that, she held the same position at Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, developing siRNA-LNP products in oncology, infectious disease and metabolic indications. Karen led the Regulatory Affairs departments at YM BioSciences (acquired by Gilead in 2013) and Viventia Biotechnologies. Karen holds an honors BSc in Pharmacology and Toxicology from the University of Toronto, a post-graduate diploma in Regulatory Affairs and Quality Operations from Seneca College, and a Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC) from RAPS.
Adina Pelusio
VP, Clinical Operations
Adina Pelusio has more than 15 years of experience in drug development, most recently as the Vice President, Clinical Operations at SillaJen Biotherapeutics (formerly Jennerex, Inc), where she spent a decade advancing oncolytic viruses in clinical trials. In addition to overseeing the Clinical Operations department at SillaJen, she managed and pioneered the medical educator role to expand hospital personnel comfort and knowledge globally with oncolytic viruses. Prior to Jennerex, Ms. Pelusio served as a SWAT Senior Clinical Research Associate at PPD, a large, global CRO, where she was tasked with study rescue and served on a technology committee assigned with developing training for CRAs and project teams on new technologies within the field.
Jerel Davis, Ph.D.
Chairman & Director,
Versant Ventures
Dr. Jerel Davis is a Managing Director at Versant Ventures and is based in Vancouver. Since joining Versant in 2011, he has played a critical role in launching and investing in a number of Versant’s portfolio companies including Quanticel Pharmaceuticals, Crispr Therapeutics, Blueline Bioscience, Northern Biologics and several of the Inception Sciences discovery start-ups. He has also led Versant’s execution of build-to-buy structured acquisitions with Celgene, Roche and Bayer. Over the last few years, Jerel has focused on establishing Versant’s presence in Canada, including the launch of new companies in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Prior to joining Versant, Jerel was Associate Principal at McKinsey and Company where he advised pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and molecular diagnostics companies. He has worked in a number of healthcare markets globally including the United States, Europe, China, Russia and India. Jerel was a post-doctoral researcher at Stanford University and worked in research at Amgen.
Brad Bolzon, Ph.D.
Director,
Versant Ventures
Brad Bolzon, Ph.D., is a Managing Director and Chairman of Versant. He combines 13 years of global pharmaceutical industry experience and a similar tenure as a venture capitalist. Brad is the architect of Versant’s investment strategy. His track record consists of successive outlier returns including Amira (sale), Okairos (sale), Speedel (sale), Quanticel (sale), Novira (sale), Flexion (2014 IPO), Crispr (2016 IPO), BioTie (sale), Jecure (sale), Inception (multiple sales) and BlueRock (sale), and he continues to manage several other promising investments.
Prior to joining Versant, Brad served as Executive Vice President, Global Head of Business Development, Licensing & Alliances at Roche. Under his leadership, Roche established alliances with over 75 venture-backed biotech companies worldwide and transformed its R&D pipeline into an industry leader. Prior to that, Brad held executive roles at Eli Lilly in drug discovery, clinical research, regulatory affairs and business development. He earned Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in Pharmacology from the University of Toronto.
Sammy Farah, Ph.D., M.B.A.
Director,
Turnstone Biologics
Dr. Sammy Farah has extensive vaccine expertise and almost 20 years of scientific, business and executive management experience in the biotechnology industry. He joined Turnstone Biologics from Synthetic Genomics Vaccines, Inc., where he served as President. Prior to that, he was Chief Business Officer of Immune Design Corp. And before then, Sammy was at Versant Ventures where he specialized in biotechnology investing and new company formation, and at Merck & Co., Inc. where he led technology support for multiple commercial vaccine franchises before joining the business development and licensing group to evaluate and execute new external technology and research partnerships. Dr. Farah earned an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a Ph.D. in biochemical engineering from Stanford University, and a B.S. in biochemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Robert Gould
Director,
Fulcrum Therapeutics
Robert Gould joined Fulcrum as president and CEO at the time of the company’s launch in 2016, bringing over 30 years of experience to the role. Previously, he served as president and CEO of Epizyme from 2010 to 2015. Prior to joining Epizyme, Robert served as director of novel therapeutics at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard from 2006 to 2010. Robert spent 23 years at Merck where he held a variety of leadership positions, culminating in the role of vice president, licensing and external research. Throughout his time at Merck, Robert was instrumental in advancing more than 20 compounds from discovery into clinical development in multiple therapeutic areas. Robert received a B.A. from Spring Arbor College and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and completed postdoctoral studies at the Johns Hopkins University.
Rishi Gupta, J.D.
Director,
OrbiMed
Rishi Gupta is a private equity partner at OrbiMed. Prior to that, he was a healthcare investment banker at Raymond James & Associates, served as manager of corporate development at Veritas Medicine and was a summer associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Rishi has published scientific articles on the mechanisms of HIV entry into host cells and legal articles on intellectual property laws in the developing world. In addition to Turnstone Biologics, he serves or has served on the boards of Dimension Therapeutics, Symbiomix Therapeutics, Avitide, Verona Pharma, ChemoCentryx and Sientra. He has also been actively involved with OrbiMed’s investments in Acceleron Pharma, CoGenesys, Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Adimab, Receptos, Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Seragon Pharmaceuticals, Alector, Arsanis, Biotie, Invitae and ORIC Pharmaceuticals. Rishi earned a J.D. from the Yale Law School and an A.B. degree magna cum laude in biochemical sciences from Harvard College.
Stefan Larson, Ph.D.
Director,
Sectoral Asset Management
Dr. Larson joined Sectoral in 2018 as Partner – Private Equity, responsible for leading biotechnology private equity investments. Prior to joining Sectoral, Dr. Larson was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence and later Venture Partner with Versant Ventures, where he led the establishment of their Toronto-based Discovery Engine and was the founding CEO of Northern Biologics. Dr. Larson was also a co-founder of two medical device companies: Perimeter Medical Imaging, and Tornado Spectral Systems. He began his career at McKinsey & Company in San Francisco and Toronto. Dr. Larson received his B.Sc. in Biology from McGill University, and his M.Sc. in Molecular and Medical Genetics from the University of Toronto, prior to completing his Ph.D. in Biophysics at Stanford University.
Patrick Machado
Director,
Former CFO/CBO Medivation
Patrick Machado is a co-founder of Medivation, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, and has served on its Board of Directors since April 2014. Prior to his retirement in April 2014, Mr. Machado served as Medivation’s Chief Financial Officer since its inception in September 2003 and as its Chief Business Officer since December 2009. From 1998 until 2001, Mr. Machado was employed by ProDuct Health, Inc., a privately-held medical device company, as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel from 1998 to 2000, and as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2000 to 2001. From 2001 until 2002, Mr. Machado served as a consultant to Cytyc Corporation, to assist with transitional matters related to Cytyc Corporation’s acquisition of ProDuct Health, Inc. Mr. Machado received a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. and B.S. in German and Economics, respectively, from Santa Clara University.
Jeff Courtney
In Memoriam
Jeff Courtney helped to form Turnstone Biologics and was an outstanding leader for FACIT (Fight Against Cancer Innovation Trust). Jeff’s life’s work and warm personality inspires all of us at Turnstone Biologics to drive forward our mission to help cancer patients, and we greatly miss his presence, leadership and friendship.
Partners
We are backed by top-tier investors and are partnered with multinational biopharmaceutical companies who are committed to Turnstone’s growth and developing transformative technologies that advance the treatment of cancer. Since our inception in 2015, we have raised $92 million in venture capital financing and executed two large biopharma partnerships with upfronts totaling over $200 million and with deal values in excess of $1 billion each.
In December 2019, Turnstone Biologics announced a global collaboration and license agreement with Takeda to develop novel viral immunotherapies from Turnstone’s proprietary vaccinia virus platform for a broad range of cancer indications.
In November 2017, Turnstone Biologics entered into a strategic research, option and license agreement with AbbVie to develop candidates from our maraba virus platform.
News
Careers
We continue to build a world-class team of specialists as we collaborate to transform cancer care. If you’re a passionate person, and our mission and science excite you, Turnstone Biologics might be for you.
Turnstone Biologics’ team works with a sense of urgency to fulfill our mission. Our decision-making is driven by science and our therapeutics are designed with the patient in mind. We value transparency, innovation, integrity and purpose. Our employees, with their relentless drive and expertise, are the basis of our success.
Team Opportunities
Turnstone Biologics is dedicated to excellence and innovation in every aspect of our science and business. We are actively looking for exceptional individuals who share our passion for developing and delivering next-generation cancer immunotherapies. We offer competitive compensation and benefits and are an equal opportunity employer.
Turnstone Biologics (“Turnstone”), a privately held clinical stage biotech company, is developing breakthrough cancer immunotherapies by advancing two leading and complementary platforms that drive innate and adaptive tumor immunity, to provide benefit to the millions of cancer patients underserved by current treatment options. Turnstone’s proprietary vaccinia virus platform is engineered to drive coordinated immune activation, potent viral activity, and local expression of encoded therapeutics. The innovative TIL cell therapy platform leverages clinically validated treatment protocols and has been specifically designed to extend beyond the use of bulk TILs to enrich for the most relevant T-cells for tumor eradication, preserving broad antigen diversity and minimizing time to treatment for patients. The Company has an ongoing Phase 1/2a trial in solid tumors (RAPTOR) for its leading oncolytic virus candidate, RIVAL-01, and is expecting to file an IND for the lead TIL therapy candidate, TIDAL-01, in 2021.
At Turnstone, the science drives decision making and our therapeutics are designed with the patient foremost in mind. We continue to build a world-class, high-performing company that embraces being a learning organization with a sense of urgency. Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding thereafter are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? If you are a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
Position Overview:
Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? At Turnstone, the science drives decision making, and our drugs are designed with the patient in mind. Like the disease we’re fighting, our platform is complex, and transformative. If you’re a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
Position Overview:
In this role you will support Turnstone Management and Project/Program leaders to provide Project Management and Alliance Management support to Turnstone Research and Development programs:
Position Overview:
Support Preclinical/Discovery Research Management and Functional Leads to provide Project Management and Operations support to Preclinical/Discovery Research projects:
Project Management (40%)
Ensure that projects in the Preclinical/Discovery Research function are supported with appropriate and consistent Project Management expertise, including:
Integration of functional program plans into a overarching Preclinical/Discovery Research Functional Plan and ensuring appropriate communication to internal stakeholders
Help guide the definition of functional plans that include scope, timelines, milestones, deliverables, key Go/NoGo decisions points, resources, and budgets
Tracking, management and analysis of the over-reaching functional timeline, milestone, and budget data
Ensuring that changes to Functional Plan are appropriately communicated to the appropriate stakeholders
Coordinating functional meetings as needed to meet deliverables, track decisions and follow up on action items
Work with management to identify functional risks and facilitate the creation of mitigation strategies and appropriately document those items
Operational Support (60%)
Ensure that projects in the Preclinical/Discovery Research function are supported with appropriate, consistent and centralized Operational expertise, including:
o Manage and execute procurement processes on behalf of the function
o Perform budgeting and forecasting processes on behalf of the function
o Manage and execute financial processes on behalf of the function
o Execute business operations processes on behalf of the function
o Manage IT implementations within the function
o Manage and deliver on corporate reporting requirements on behalf of the function
Work closely with the Program Management Function to help develop cross-functional processes/tools and implement them within the Function
Delegate operational responsibilities as appropriate in consultation with Preclinical/Discovery Research leadership
What’s in it for you?
In this role, you will have the opportunity to develop your ability to think both strategically and drive fast-paced execution. With our company size and growth we will give you plenty of opportunities for you to be an inspirational and collaborative co-functional leader. Passionate about being a part of a critical function of a growing company and continuous learning? We will have plenty of that for you!
We are in the early stages of building strategies, structures and process so this role will be busy and expanding. You would have the opportunity to create something new and ‘WOW!’ all of us and grow right along with the company.
Experience & Qualifications:
-
Qualifications:
This role will support Preclinical/Discovery Research Management located in Ottawa, Canada
MSc or BSc Degree
3+ years experience in a project management role in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical company
Familiar with drug development process and a demonstrated understanding of preclinical and discovery research
Experience with cell therapy programs preferred
Ability to foster business relationships with internal and external business partners
Proven ability to influence others to get things done without formal authority
Ability to facilitate, negotiate and communicate in a cross-functional team environment to achieve overall functional goals.
Self-motivated, comfortable in fast-paced small company environment with minimal direction and able to adjust workload based upon changing priorities
Effective communication, interpersonal skills, collaboration and negotiation skills
Highly organized and efficient, close attention to details and able to orchestrate multiple projects simultaneously
Able to represent and communicate functional timelines/priorities at senior management meetings
Proficiency in using Microsoft Office suite – Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Project
To Apply:
Please click here to apply!
Turnstone Biologics welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected will be invited for an interview.
Turnstone Biologics (“Turnstone”), a privately held clinical stage biotech company, is developing breakthrough cancer immunotherapies by advancing two leading and complementary platforms that drive innate and adaptive tumor immunity, to provide benefit to the millions of cancer patients underserved by current treatment options. Turnstone’s proprietary vaccinia virus platform is engineered to drive coordinated immune activation, potent viral activity, and local expression of encoded therapeutics. The innovative TIL cell therapy platform leverages clinically validated treatment protocols and has been specifically designed to extend beyond the use of bulk TILs to enrich for the most relevant T-cells for tumor eradication, preserving broad antigen diversity and minimizing time to treatment for patients. The Company has an ongoing Phase 1/2a trial in solid tumors (RAPTOR) for its leading oncolytic virus candidate, RIVAL-01, and is expecting to file an IND for the lead TIL therapy candidate, TIDAL-01, in 2021.
At Turnstone, the science drives decision making and our therapeutics are designed with the patient foremost in mind. We continue to build a world-class, high-performing company that embraces being a learning organization with a sense of urgency. Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding thereafter are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? If you are a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
Position Overview:
Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? At Turnstone, the science drives decision making, and our drugs are designed with the patient in mind. Like the disease we’re fighting, our platform is complex, and transformative. If you’re a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
In this role you will support Turnstone Management and Project/Program leaders to provide Project Management and Alliance Management support to Turnstone Research and Development programs:
Ensure that programs in the Research and Development portfolios are supported with appropriate and consistent Project/Program Management support, including:
- Facilitating the development of cross functional strategy and ensuring appropriate communication to internal stakeholders
- Defining program level plans that include scope, timelines, milestones, deliverables, key Go/NoGo decisions points, resources, and budgets
- Tracking and owning program timeline, milestone, and budget data
- Leading the team through planning for cross functional transitions
- Ensuring that changes to program timelines are appropriately communicated to the team and Leadership
- Coordinating team meetings as needed to meet team deliverables, track decisions and follow up on action items
- Work with the team to identify program risks and develop mitigation strategies
- Ensure that corporate alliances and/or academic collaborations are supported with Alliance management support, including:
- Facilitate joint team meetings at appropriate frequency to meet the needs of the team
- Ensure internal team and leadership team is aware of and working towards meeting collaboration expectations
- Understanding Turnstone positions on strategic goals and ensuring appropriate communication to partner
- Ensure team is meeting contractual obligations and flagging to leadership when contractual interpretation is required
What’s in it for you?
In this role, you will have the opportunity to develop your ability to think both strategically and drive fast-paced execution. With our company size and growth we will give you plenty of opportunities for you to be an inspirational and collaborative co-functional leader. Passionate about being a part of a critical function of a growing company and continuous learning? We will have plenty of that for you!
Experience & Qualifications:
Requirements:
- MSc or BSc Degree
- 7+ years experience in a project management role in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical company
- PMP Project Management Certificate preferred
- Experience with cell therapy programs preferred
- Familiar with drug development process and a demonstrated understanding of the clinical development process
- Ability to foster business relationships with internal and external business partners.
- Proven ability to influence others to get things done without formal authority.
- Demonstrated ability to map out new business processes and improve existing processes
- Ability to facilitate, negotiate and communicate in cross-functional team environment to achieve overall project goals.
- Self-motivated, comfortable in fast-paced small company environment with minimal direction and able to adjust workload based upon changing priorities
- Effective communication, interpersonal skills, collaboration and negotiation skills
- Highly organized and efficient, close attention to details and able to orchestrate multiple projects simultaneously
- Able to represent and communicate project timelines/priorities at senior management meetings
Proficiency in using Microsoft Office suite – Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Project.
To Apply:
Please click here to apply!
Turnstone Biologics welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected will be invited for an interview.
Turnstone Biologics (“Turnstone”), a privately held clinical stage biotech company, is developing breakthrough cancer immunotherapies by advancing two leading and complementary platforms that drive innate and adaptive tumor immunity, to provide benefit to the millions of cancer patients underserved by current treatment options. Turnstone’s proprietary vaccinia virus platform is engineered to drive coordinated immune activation, potent viral activity, and local expression of encoded therapeutics. The innovative TIL cell therapy platform leverages clinically validated treatment protocols and has been specifically designed to extend beyond the use of bulk TILs to enrich for the most relevant T-cells for tumor eradication, preserving broad antigen diversity and minimizing time to treatment for patients. The Company has an ongoing Phase 1/2a trial in solid tumors (RAPTOR) for its leading oncolytic virus candidate, RIVAL-01, and is expecting to file an IND for the lead TIL therapy candidate, TIDAL-01, in 2021.
At Turnstone, the science drives decision making and our therapeutics are designed with the patient foremost in mind. We continue to build a world-class, high-performing company that embraces being a learning organization with a sense of urgency. Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding thereafter are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? If you are a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
Position Overview:
Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding are what we call ‘another Wednesday at Turnstone’? At Turnstone, the science drives decision making, and our drugs are designed with the patient in mind. Like the disease we’re fighting, our platform is complex, and transformative. If you’re a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
As the Head of Drug Substance Process Development, you will provide leadership to a team of Scientists and Engineers and drive the development strategy for early clinical development through commercialization for all upstream and downstream process development across our suite of viral-based drug products. Reporting to the head of viral development, you will:
· Participate as an active member of the Viral Development leadership team, to support overall analytical and process development needs across Drug Substance and Drug Product development
· Participate in a cross-functional matrix team (Clinical, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Regulatory, Quality, Tech Ops) to develop overall Drug Substance development strategy for a suite of viral-based products (RIVAL pipeline)
· Provide leadership and guidance to a team of Scientists and Engineers
· Provide a depth of technical leadership for process development spanning cell line and media development, cell strain optimization, bioreactor design, selection and control strategies, harvest, lysis, clarification, chromatography and separation/filtration technologies
· Represent Turnstone CMC externally at our expansive international CDMO network
· Work closely with the Analytical Development team to ensure appropriate and robust assays are in place to support process characterization studies
· Participation in regulatory strategy and document authoring/reviewing for interactions with FDA, EMA, Health Canada, MFDS, and other jurisdictions as they emerge
· Drive corporate and departmental objectives to completion through strong collaboration with a broad range of internal functions, in particular Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance
Experience & Qualifications:
In this role, you will have the opportunity to develop your ability to think both strategically and drive fast-paced execution. With our company size (approximately 100 team members, and growing fast!) we will give you plenty of opportunities to be an inspirational and collaborative co-functional leader. Passionate about being a part of a critical function of a growing company and continuous learning? We will have plenty of that for you!
We are in the early stages of building strategies, structures and process so this role will be busy and expanding. We also have opportunities for you to be a mentor to other team members. You would have the opportunity to create something new and ‘WOW!’ all of us and grow right along with the company.
The Details
Turnstone Technical Operations is a virtual organization, where the majority of our wetbench work is executed at third party CMO/CRO partners. We have offices in Ottawa, Canada and San Diego, USA and this role would ideally inspire you to relocate. Most of our virus development team is stationed in Ottawa and most of our partnerships are in Europe – therefore being in Ottawa would be ideal, but if you believe you can be successful in San Diego, we would love to speak with you! This role is best suited for someone with the following:
· 8-10 years of overall experience within the biotech/pharmaceutical industry
· Minimum of 3 years of leadership experience demonstrated as either having direct reports, and/or demonstrated leadership across complex projects and cross functional teams
· Scientist or Engineer with advanced degree (PhD strongly preferred but not required)
· Experience with process scale up, deployment and technology transfer of complex biological processes in a GMP manufacturing environment, and process qualification/validation are strongly preferred
· Strong interpersonal skills required
· Proven expertise and technical depth in upstream process development (mammalian cell culture expression systems, ideally for the manufacture of live-viruses), and/or downstream process development is required
· Educated in one of the following fields: Biochemical Engineering, Biological/Biomedical Engineering, Virology, Biology, or Biochemistry
· Broad exposure to different biological drug products. Experience working with viruses considered a very strong asset.
· Self-motivated and efficient, able to manage responsibilities with an appropriate sense of urgency, and function effectively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
· The candidate must exude a mature communication style that matches the Turnstone style: respectful, transparent, with a high degree of integrity and humility
· Able to manage competing priorities effectively and adapt to changing priorities
· Analytical and quantitative approach to problem solving, with the ability to self-start and independently investigate technically challenging problems
To Apply:
Please click here to apply!
Turnstone Biologics welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected will be invited for an interview.
Turnstone Biologics (“Turnstone”), a privately held clinical stage biotech company, is developing breakthrough cancer immunotherapies by advancing two leading and complementary platforms that drive innate and adaptive tumor immunity, to provide benefit to the millions of cancer patients underserved by current treatment options. Turnstone’s proprietary vaccinia virus platform is engineered to drive coordinated immune activation, potent viral activity, and local expression of encoded therapeutics. The innovative TIL cell therapy platform leverages clinically validated treatment protocols and has been specifically designed to extend beyond the use of bulk TILs to enrich for the most relevant T-cells for tumor eradication, preserving broad antigen diversity and minimizing time to treatment for patients. The Company has an ongoing Phase 1/2a trial in solid tumors (RAPTOR) for its leading oncolytic virus candidate, RIVAL-01, and is expecting to file an IND for the lead TIL therapy candidate, TIDAL-01, in 2021.
At Turnstone, the science drives decision making and our therapeutics are designed with the patient foremost in mind. We continue to build a world-class, high-performing company that embraces being a learning organization with a sense of urgency. Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding thereafter are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? If you are a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
Position Overview:
Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding are what we call ‘another Wednesday at Turnstone’? At Turnstone, the science drives decision making, and our drugs are designed with the patient in mind. Like the disease we’re fighting, our platform is complex, and transformative. If you’re a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
As the Associate Director of Formulation and Drug Product Development, you will provide leadership to a team of Scientists, drive the strategic development plan and direct all Drug Product (DP) and formulation development efforts to support our viral-based platforms (RIVAL). Reporting to the head of viral development, you will:
· Participate as an active member of the Viral Development leadership team, to support overall analytical and process development needs across Drug Substance and Drug Product development
· Manage a cross-functional matrix team (Clinical, Supply Chain, Regulatory, Quality, Tech Ops) to develop overall Drug Product development strategy for a suite of viral-based products
· Provide leadership and guidance to a small team of Scientists
· Drive development of improved viral delivery systems (IV infusion, IT or IM injections) to enable optimization of pharmacy DP handling and administration
· Drive the overall stability program to inform target shelf-life parameters
· Work closely with the Analytical Development team to ensure appropriate and robust assays are in place to enable stability assessments, and drug product characterization
· Lead all aspects of pre-formulation and formulation development across a range of DP images (liquid, and lyophilization)
· Drive to definition of DP critical quality attributes through forced degradation studies and advanced analytical tools
· Support biophysical analytical development and design of characterization studies
· Participation in regulatory strategy and document authoring/reviewing for interactions with FDA, EMA, Health Canada, MFDS, and other jurisdiction as they emerge
Experience & Qualifications:
Turnstone Technical Operations is a virtual organization, where nearly all of our wetbench work is executed at third party CMO/CRO partners. We have offices in Ottawa, Canada and San Diego, USA and ideally you feel motivated to relocate for this role to one of those sites. Most of our virus development team is stationed in Ottawa Canada, and most of our partnerships are in Europe – therefore relocating to Ottawa would be ideal, but if you feel you can be successful from San Diego, then let’s chat! This role is best suited for someone with the following:
· 8-10 years of overall experience within the biotech/pharmaceutical industry
· Minimum of 3 years of leadership experience demonstrated as either having direct reports, and/or demonstrated leadership across complex projects and cross functional teams
· Scientist with advanced degree (PhD strongly preferred but not required)
· Strong interpersonal skills required
· Experience developing and/or interpreting biophysical analytical methods
· Expertise developing novel formulations (experience developing live virus formulations considered a very strong asset)
· Experience working with drug transfer devices and planning pharmacy handling procedures
· Expertise managing stability programs considered a strong asset
· Educated in one of the following fields: Biochemical Engineering, Biological/Biomedical Engineering, Virology, Biology, or Biochemistry
· Experience designing, and planning accelerated studies to evaluate degradation pathways and define CQAs
· Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint
· Able to manage competing priorities effectively and adapt to changing priorities
· Self-motivated and efficient, able to manage responsibilities with an appropriate sense of urgency, and function effectively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
· The candidate must exude a mature communication style that matches the Turnstone style: respectful, transparent, with a high degree of integrity and humility
To Apply:
Please click here to apply!
Turnstone Biologics welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected will be invited for an interview.
Turnstone Biologics (“Turnstone”), a privately held clinical stage biotech company, is developing breakthrough cancer immunotherapies by advancing two leading and complementary platforms that drive innate and adaptive tumor immunity, to provide benefit to the millions of cancer patients underserved by current treatment options. Turnstone’s proprietary vaccinia virus platform is engineered to drive coordinated immune activation, potent viral activity, and local expression of encoded therapeutics. The innovative TIL cell therapy platform leverages clinically validated treatment protocols and has been specifically designed to extend beyond the use of bulk TILs to enrich for the most relevant T-cells for tumor eradication, preserving broad antigen diversity and minimizing time to treatment for patients. The Company has an ongoing Phase 1/2a trial in solid tumors (RAPTOR) for its leading oncolytic virus candidate, RIVAL-01, and is expecting to file an IND for the lead TIL therapy candidate, TIDAL-01, in 2021.
At Turnstone, the science drives decision making and our therapeutics are designed with the patient foremost in mind. We continue to build a world-class, high-performing company that embraces being a learning organization with a sense of urgency. Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding thereafter are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? If you are a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
Position Overview:
Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? At Turnstone, the science drives decision making, and our drugs are designed with the patient in mind. Like the disease we’re fighting, our platform is complex, and transformative. If you’re a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
Position Overview:
The Quality Control Technical Coordinator is at the center of the action working as a communication hub between our internal Turnstone teams (life cycle management, quality control, logistics, manufacturing operations, and analytical operations) and our international network of contract testing partners. This coordinator is the first point of contact with each contract testing organization that is pivotal to Turnstone’s GMP release, characterization, and stability testing that enables getting our products to patients. We are looking for an energetic, organized and results driven coordinator that enjoys working as part of a team and is able to balance and prioritize a long list of complex workstreams.
The QC Technical Coordinator will be the first point of contact and liaison between the contract testing partners and Turnstone. They will coordinate all day-to-day aspects of the relationship, from meeting organization, to action item tracking, timeline management, to escalation of deviations and critical needs. As part of a team at Turnstone’s Ottawa office, the role involves:
• Keeping our testing partners well appraised of future testing plans, ensuring resources are ready when we need them. This will include drafting of testing forecasts to support resource management and program timeline forecasts
• Supporting all testing submissions to our testing partners, working closely with test requestors and program leads to draft documentation (sample submission forms) and communicate testing prioritization and changes in timelines
• Organizing incoming documentation to ensure all raw data, protocol, reports, and all other critical documents are saved and promptly shared with key stakeholders
• Assisting in tech-transfers, overseeing communication between Turnstone’s and partner’s SMEs is prompt, and effective.
• Fostering good working relationships with our third-party testing partners and promptly escalating issues to Turnstone management
• Supporting regular business reviews of partners to ensure we are growing and learning from our experiences together to streamline our approaches and meet each company’s evolving needs
The QC Technical Coordinator will also perform project management duties on occasion, supporting the TIL cell therapy program lead as required. This may involve generating program Gantts, tracking action items, and maintaining program dashboards.
Experience & Qualifications:
-
Qualifications:
This role is best suited for a technical coordinator eager to learn and make a difference, looking to apply their skills in a meaningful way and stretch into new areas. They will have some or all of the following credentials or experience:
• 3+ years working in a coordination role managing several projects and priorities, while meeting tight timelines
• 2+ years partnering with external stakeholders or vendors to achieve company goals
• Diploma or Bachelor’s degree in a related Science field required
• Ability to multi-task and manage several competing priorities
• Attention to detail and highly organized
• This is a role that requires constant interface with and representation of the team. The candidate must have mature interpersonal skills, and a communication style that matches the Turnstone style: respectful, transparent, and team-oriented
• Experience building project timelines using Gantt software considered an asset
• Very comfortable using Microsoft applications (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Enthusiastic to leverage software solutions; experience with databases would be an asset.
To Apply:
Please click here to apply!
Turnstone Biologics welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected will be invited for an interview.
Turnstone Biologics (“Turnstone”), a privately held clinical stage biotech company, is developing breakthrough cancer immunotherapies by advancing two leading and complementary platforms that drive innate and adaptive tumor immunity, to provide benefit to the millions of cancer patients underserved by current treatment options. Turnstone’s proprietary vaccinia virus platform is engineered to drive coordinated immune activation, potent viral activity, and local expression of encoded therapeutics. The innovative TIL cell therapy platform leverages clinically validated treatment protocols and has been specifically designed to extend beyond the use of bulk TILs to enrich for the most relevant T-cells for tumor eradication, preserving broad antigen diversity and minimizing time to treatment for patients. The Company has an ongoing Phase 1/2a trial in solid tumors (RAPTOR) for its leading oncolytic virus candidate, RIVAL-01, and is expecting to file an IND for the lead TIL therapy candidate, TIDAL-01, in 2021.
At Turnstone, the science drives decision making and our therapeutics are designed with the patient foremost in mind. We continue to build a world-class, high-performing company that embraces being a learning organization with a sense of urgency. Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding thereafter are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? If you are a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
Position Overview:
Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? At Turnstone, the science drives decision making, and our drugs are designed with the patient in mind. Like the disease we’re fighting, our platform is complex, and transformative. If you’re a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
Position Overview:
The Operations team in the Technical Operations department is growing. As the Operations Coordinator, you will report to the Operations Manager, TO. The responsibilities for this position span across our multi-virus and novel cell therapy platforms and will touch several teams across the company:
· Become an expert of the Technical Operations organization’s budget structure and allocation codes
· Act as a liaison between the Finance/Contract teams
· Assist in developing, controlling and maintaining the Technical Operations team budget
· Maintain a master Study Log that tracks Technical Operations invoices, quotes and contracts status to ensure adequate tracking, monitoring and controlling of the team’s budget
· Maintain a master Study Log that tracks study execution milestones to support the monthly accrual process
· Lead the review and approval process for all project work orders and quotes
· Lead the the Purchase Order request process
· Lead the invoices approval and coding processes
· Lead the monthly, quarterly and year end financial close
· Run monthly budget performance reports for projects and key leadership members as needed to help inform business performance
· Assist with communication of the budget performance reports with project managers
What’s in it for you?
In this role, you will have the opportunity to develop your ability to think both strategically and drive fast-paced execution. With our company size and growth we will give you plenty of opportunities for you to be an inspirational and collaborative co-functional leader. Passionate about being a part of a critical function of a growing company and continuous learning? We will have plenty of that for you!
We are in the early stages of building strategies, structures and process so this role will be busy and expanding. You would have the opportunity to create something new and ‘WOW!’ all of us and grow right along with the company.
Experience & Qualifications:
-
Qualifications:
This role will be located in our Ottawa, Canada or San Diego, USA offices and may require occasional travel between our locations. This role is best suited for someone with the following:
· Experience in participating/developing a small/mid-size organization’s budget
· Experience as a budget coordinator/manager working in a fast-paced organization is preferred
· Technology savviness, fluent using Microsoft Office suite (especially Excel)
· Highly organized, attention to detail, accurate and responsible
· Demonstrated ability to work well independently and as part of a team
· Self-motivated and efficient, able to manage responsibilities with an appropriate sense of urgency and function effectively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
· Ability to multitask, manage several competing priorities and meet deadlines
· The candidate must have mature interpersonal skills, and a communication style that matches the Turnstone style: respectful, transparent, and team-oriented
· Experience within the biotech/pharmaceutical industry would be considered an asset
· Bachelor’s degree in a related Science field considered an asset
· Degree in accounting is considered and asset
· Basic knowledge of molecular biology, cell biology, or virology considered an asset
To Apply:
Please click here to apply!
Turnstone Biologics welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected will be invited for an interview.
Turnstone Biologics (“Turnstone”), a privately held clinical stage biotech company, is developing breakthrough cancer immunotherapies by advancing two leading and complementary platforms that drive innate and adaptive tumor immunity, to provide benefit to the millions of cancer patients underserved by current treatment options. Turnstone’s proprietary vaccinia virus platform is engineered to drive coordinated immune activation, potent viral activity, and local expression of encoded therapeutics. The innovative TIL cell therapy platform leverages clinically validated treatment protocols and has been specifically designed to extend beyond the use of bulk TILs to enrich for the most relevant T-cells for tumor eradication, preserving broad antigen diversity and minimizing time to treatment for patients. The Company has an ongoing Phase 1/2a trial in solid tumors (RAPTOR) for its leading oncolytic virus candidate, RIVAL-01, and is expecting to file an IND for the lead TIL therapy candidate, TIDAL-01, in 2021.
At Turnstone, the science drives decision making and our therapeutics are designed with the patient foremost in mind. We continue to build a world-class, high-performing company that embraces being a learning organization with a sense of urgency. Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding thereafter are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? If you are a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
Position Overview:
Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding are what we call ‘another Tuesday at Turnstone’? At Turnstone, the science drives decision making, and our drugs are designed with the patient in mind. Like the disease we’re fighting, our platform technologies are complex and transformative. If you’re a passionate person and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
In this role, you will have the opportunity to lead a team of dedicated and high-performing scientists to direct the full life cycle of analytical assays for GMP release and characterization testing of our platform technologies of novel biotherapeutics. This role will lead a team responsible for assessing technologies to select methods to meet Quality Control needs, leading technology transfer to one of our GMP contract testing organizations, assessing feasibility, performing optimization at the partnering CTO, overseeing qualification, and examining method performance and trending to support ongoing method optimization and improvements. Current products are in early clinical development and so many assays are at the starting line of their analytical life cycle management. This is an opportunity to establish rigorous and far reaching processes for assay qualification and validation, with an eye to phase 3 and beyond. This role will necessitate partnering very closely with many other teams within Technical Operations (Bioprocess Engineering, Manufacturing Sciences, Quality Control, Analytical Operations) to generate assays that are relevant and cutting edge. This role will have elements of technical oversight, helping the team strategize and investigate technical problems, and operational oversight, ensuring that resources are used wisely and the team is supported in their efforts.
We are looking for a scientist that enjoys working as a team and growing as a leader, someone that believes that WHAT we do and HOW we do it are both critical to success. We are looking for a leader that can prioritize a heavy workload, supporting higher level discussions around regulatory implications and employee career development, as well as someone that is willing to roll up their sleeves and pitch in on the ground floor when required. You’ll have experience working with some or all the following, as they relate to analytical development:
Priority areas of interest:
Next generation sequencing and it’s use in GMP environments to support virus genome sequence and variant analysis, adventitious agents detection, and mutanome mapping
Cellular and molecular methods such as virus titering by plaque assay, genome quantitation by qPCR, impurity assessment by ELISA or qPCR, etc.
Engaging in discussions with colleagues on their analytical needs, assessing/investigating various technologies to support those needs, and making decisions on technologies to pursue
Supporting Quality Control scientists in their suspect results investigations to ascertain root cause and path forward
Developing methods to support GMP product characterization or release and supporting the method life cycle management
Planning and leading assay qualification and validation according to principles in ICH Q2, especially as is appropriate to support early clinical development. Experience with method validation considered an asset.
Working closely with external CROs and vendors to drive projects to completion in a timely and scientifically sound manner
· Act as subject matter expert in analytical development during diligence and regulatory interactions
Experience working within GMP quality systems is a must (change control, deviations, corrective and preventive actions, document control)
What’s in it for you?
This role is best suited for a scientist with 8+ years experience in directly supporting analytical method development and qualification in support of GMP clinical product release, leading complex projects, and supporting regulatory submissions. Candidates for this roles will have directly coached and supervised a team of analytical scientists for at least 5 years and worked with external vendors to achieve a project goal. Candidates have achieved either a Masters or PhD in a relevant scientific discipline and are looking to use their knowledge in a meaningful and impactful way, while also learning about new methods, products, and processes. Learning agility is critical as the methods leveraged by the Turnstone CMC analytics team are extremely broad and cutting edge. Candidates have demonstrated the ability to manage both small and large projects, multi-tasking effectively, and having an external presence that is professional, collaborative, and influential.
Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic is highly restricted and unlikely to be necessary. However, upon resumption of regular office life, you will need to travel on occasion to our various vendors (global) and also visit our Ottawa office to stay connected, productive, and excited. This role will report to the Director of Analytical Development and Quality Control at Turnstone. Based on a mutual discussion of fit, the successful candidate(s) will reside at either the Ottawa or New York office location, though consideration will be given to anyone living in eastern North America who is able to travel on occasion (post COVID-19).
To Apply:
Please click here to apply!
Turnstone Biologics welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected will be invited for an interview.
Turnstone Biologics (“Turnstone”), a privately held clinical stage biotech company, is developing breakthrough cancer immunotherapies by advancing two leading and complementary platforms that drive innate and adaptive tumor immunity, to provide benefit to the millions of cancer patients underserved by current treatment options. Turnstone’s proprietary vaccinia virus platform is engineered to drive coordinated immune activation, potent viral activity, and local expression of encoded therapeutics. The innovative TIL cell therapy platform leverages clinically validated treatment protocols and has been specifically designed to extend beyond the use of bulk TILs to enrich for the most relevant T-cells for tumor eradication, preserving broad antigen diversity and minimizing time to treatment for patients. The Company has an ongoing Phase 1/2a trial in solid tumors (RAPTOR) for its leading oncolytic virus candidate, RIVAL-01, and is expecting to file an IND for the lead TIL therapy candidate, TIDAL-01, in 2021.
At Turnstone, the science drives decision making and our therapeutics are designed with the patient foremost in mind. We continue to build a world-class, high-performing company that embraces being a learning organization with a sense of urgency. Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding thereafter are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? If you are a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
At Turnstone, the science drives decision making and our therapeutics are designed with the patient foremost in mind. We continue to build a world-class, high-performing company that embraces being a learning organization with a sense of urgency. Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding thereafter are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? If you are a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
Position Overview:
Imagine coming to work every day where over-communication, transparency, teaching, listening, asking, thinking, working hard, and having fun are normal – actually, expected? Imagine having a coach, mentor, peers, and partners where candid feedback, self-improvement, risk taking, failing, learning from that failing, and succeeding are what we call ‘another day at Turnstone’? At Turnstone, the science drives decision making, and our drugs are designed with the patient in mind. Like the disease we’re fighting, our platform is complex, and transformative. If you’re a passionate person, and our science excites you – this opportunity may be for you.
This role will provide analytical and strategic support to Clinical Ops, Regulatory, Tech Ops and other R&D business owners. This role requires critical thinking skills, effective organizational skills, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and a strong ability to build effective relationships across the Company.
RESPONSIBILITIES
• Responsible for supporting aspects of month end close such as accruals, journal entries, account reconciliations, technical accounting and procure to pay and payroll cycle
• Assist in gathering data from key stakeholders to prepare schedules and analytics
• Work with external auditor to support the audit process
• Support the timely and accurate preparation, review and completion of all month and quarter end close package’s
• Ownership of monthly & quarterly accruals – ensure accuracy for Budget vs. Actual (BvA) and departments
• Comply with internal controls and processes over financial reporting
• Staying abreast of new accounting principles, SEC reporting and general trends within the biotechnology industry
• Assess quarterly transactions for disclosure, and assist with technical accounting and IRS ruling research including draft of memos
• Ensures integrity of the company’s accounting system, including new account, department and project set-up, financial report development and maintenance, and interfaces between payroll, equity, financial planning and expense management systems to the general ledger
• Provides support to all other teams across the company as needs arise, including special projects, system improvements or ad-hoc financial analyses as assigned
What’s in it for you?
In this role, you will have the opportunity to develop your ability to think both strategically and drive fast-paced execution. With our company size and growth we will give you plenty of opportunities for you to be an inspirational and collaborative co-functional leader. Passionate about being a part of a critical function of a growing company and continuous learning? We will have plenty of that for you!
Experience & Qualifications:
• 3+ years of relevant experience (biotech/pharma industry preferred)
• Active CPA preferred (Big four audit experience preferred)
• Strong knowledge and understanding of US GAAP and SEC Regulations.
• Proficiency in Excel and Word and ability to learn new systems quickly are required
• An independent problem-solver with strong work ethics and intellectual curiosity will thrive
• Attention to detail, ability to multi-task, and strong interpersonal skills including verbal and written communication are essential in this collaborative work environment
• Requires strong leadership and diplomacy skills to guide teams and facilitate collaboration
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance with progressive accounting experience (publicly traded company experience preferred)
• Experience with integrated systems including financial reporting, general ledger, purchasing, and payables management (NetSuite ERP a plus)
• Ability to engage peers from across the organization and direct/indirect reports
• Ability to work in a dynamic work environment across multiple geographies
• Biotech/Pharma/lifesciences experience
• Strong team orientation and highly collaborative
To Apply:
Please click here to apply!
Turnstone Biologics welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected will be invited for an interview.
Contact
New York City
920 Broadway, 16th Floor,
New York, NY 10010, US
(347) 897-5988
Ottawa
12 York Street, 3rd Floor,
Ottawa, ON K1N 5S6, CA
(613) 421-8930