AcelaBio - Director, Translational Sciences

AcelaBio is looking for a Director of Translational Sciences to join its leadership team. The role blends scientific leadership and oversight of AcelaBio's Scientific Operations function, encompassing assay development, digital image analysis, and bioinformatics in support of global clinical study and R&D activities. The position includes oversight of day-to-day technical activities and scientific staff, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, while remaining directly engaged in complex technical work as a subject matter expert. AcelaBio is executing a planned restructuring to build out corporate operations independence from its sister organization, Alimentiv, and is seeking candidates who have navigated corporate transitions, restructuring, or startup scaling.

Responsibilities

Maintain oversight of scientific operations for assay development, digital image analysis, and bioinformatics commercial and R&D programs, ensuring alignment with organizational strategies and client needs; Lead the design, development, optimization, and validation of immunostaining including multiplex IHC/IF, ISH, and spatial biology assays, image analysis pipelines, and computational/bioinformatics tools; Drive innovation initiatives to expand and differentiate AcelaBio's scientific service portfolio; Ensure scientific rigor, reproducibility, and regulatory alignment (GxP, CAP/CLIA) across all commercial project and R&D activities; Perform hands-on assay development work, including designing, optimizing, and validating IHC, multiplex IF, ISH, and spatial biology assays; Directly develop and validate image analysis algorithms and pipelines for priority programs; Serve as the assigned lead scientist on select sponsor projects; Build, lead, and mentor a team of scientists and technical staff supporting assay development, image analysis, and bioinformatics; Manage staffing, resource planning, performance management, and professional development for direct reports; Foster close collaboration between the Scientific Operations team and the Laboratory, Project Operations, and Business Development team; Serve as a role model and mentor, promoting a high-performing, collaborative scientific culture; Foster high quality client relationships throughout the project life cycle; Serve as the senior scientific point of contact for sponsors, act as a point of escalation, and support staff in troubleshooting and issue resolution; Represent AcelaBio's scientific capabilities at client meetings, industry conferences, and scientific forums; Support business development through RFP responses, scientific proposal development, and bid defense activities; Review and approve analysis plans, validation reports, study reports, and technical/scientific documentation; Participate as a member of the leadership team in departmental and organizational strategic planning; Develop and manage the Scientific Operations budget in coordination with the Executive Team; Maintain awareness of industry trends, competitive landscape, and emerging technologies; Ensure compliance with quality systems, SOPs, and regulatory requirements across all scientific deliverables; Own department leadership accountabilities, including scientific policy and process development, quality and compliance monitoring, staff resource planning, and development and performance management

Requirements

Ph.D. or M.Sc. in pathology, cell biology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, biomedical engineering, or a related scientific discipline; 10+ years of experience in assay development, digital pathology/image analysis, and/or bioinformatics within a CRO, biopharma, or regulated research environment; Proven scientific and strategic leadership experience, with a track record of translating vision into innovative, scalable solutions and business impact; Deep technical expertise in one or more of the following areas: immunostaining/IHC, multiplex IF, ISH, spatial biology, digital image analysis, and bioinformatics, with a demonstrated ability to remain hands-on in complex scientific work; Experience building, leading, and developing high-performing scientific or technical teams in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment; Strong client-facing skills, including the ability to communicate complex scientific concepts to a range of technical and non-technical stakeholders and build trusted partnerships; Working knowledge of assay validation requirements and regulatory frameworks, including GxP and clinical research standards; Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and collaborate effectively across scientific, laboratory, operational, and commercial teams to deliver impactful results