Senior Director, Head of Biology

About Vesalius and Flagship Pioneering

Vesalius is a company within Flagship Pioneering, an organization dedicated to accepting "impossible missions" to enable bigger leaps in science. Our core values guide us through uncertainty and toward lasting impact. We are building a causality-driven discovery platform that translates human genetic evidence into rigorous, disease-relevant biological validation.

We are committed to building diverse and inclusive teams. We recognize that great candidates often bring unique strengths without fulfilling every single qualification listed. If you have some of the experience but not all, we encourage you to apply anyway. We look forward to learning more about your background and your specific interest in Flagship.

About the Role

As the Head of Biology, you will lead the biological strategy and target validation across our platform. This role exists to bridge the gap between human genetic evidence—including GWAS, rare variants, Mendelian randomization, and functional genomics—and the development of preclinical programs across multiple therapeutic areas.

You will serve as the research project lead for preclinical drug discovery programs, driving timelines, data quality, and the scientific narrative from early stages through development readiness. Your work will involve partnering closely with data science, chemistry, and platform operations to integrate multi-omic datasets, enabling rapid learning cycles and high-quality decisions.

In this position, you will build and mentor a high-caliber biology team, establishing standards for scientific rigor, reproducibility, and decision-quality. You will provide subject-matter leadership in neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Parkinson's disease, while contributing meaningfully to cardiovascular and immune-mediated biology. The role requires a modality-agnostic mindset to lead target validation across small molecules, biologics, oligonucleotides, and emerging modalities.

Hiring Process

We invite you to apply if you are passionate about translating human genetics into therapeutic solutions. Our process is designed to evaluate both your scientific expertise and your fit within our fast-paced, ambiguity-tolerant culture.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Flagship Pioneering and its affiliated companies are equal opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.