Director Target Hunting and new product planning

ProQR Therapeutics is a biotechnology company listed on NASDAQ with offices in Leiden, the Netherlands and Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. ProQR is focused on the development of life-changing RNA therapies to meet the unmet needs of individuals and families with common and rare diseases. A team of 150 enthusiastic ProQRians from all walks of life and more than 30 different nationalities is up to this challenge. We have the passion and commitment to make a difference in the lives of the communities we serve. Our proprietary Axiomer® RNA editing technology platform enables the editing of specific single nucleotides in RNA using the cells' own editing machinery. Axiomer® RNA editing technology harnesses ADAR (Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNA), which is machinery present in all human cells to repair G-to-A mutations, modulate protein, and enable protective mutation functions. Axiomer could potentially yield a new class of innovative medicines and treat currently untreatable diseases.

Our Axiomer target discovery team is currently looking for a Director Target Hunting and new product planning (Full-time) to join our team.

Location: Leiden, NL (on-site).

Key Responsibilities

Discovery / Target hunting:

• Derives targets from a thorough assessment starting with biology and a deep understanding of genetics
• Shapes the identification and prioritization of disease areas for the in-house R&D pipeline and partnerships
• Is responsible for providing an early and objective view of the unmet need, market potential, standard of care, patient demographics, patient findings, and competitive landscape associated with potential target diseases
• Is responsible for identifying potential AI capabilities to help this effort

New Product Planning:

• Is responsible for designing and implementing a new product planning process
• Leads new product planning, positioning, and pre-launch investments in pipeline products, working closely with R&D program teams to drive outcome-driven, value-creating activities early in the drug development process

Market and Competitive Intelligence:

• Identifies and tracks key developments in target scientific fields, therapeutic programs and companies, and updates in the understanding of the epidemiology of target disease and conveys the latest trends and insights to stakeholders

• Develops and aligns a pipeline commercialization process to provide critical, holistic market-driven input into R&D and product development with future reimbursement, access, and payer strategies in mind

The ideal candidate has a strong background in genetics, target discovery and research – in addition to an affinity for the commercial landscape of biopharma.

Deliverables include recommendations for novel therapeutic programs to support early pipeline and long-term growth potential and developing an opportunity map for extending innovation horizons.

We expect our Director Target Hunting and new product planning to have:

• PhD/MSc in life sciences
• A genetics/medical background that understands the commercial potential of a drug
• Experience working in labs, and with an ambition to grow into target search and evaluation

ProQR as an employer

As an employer, we truly believe in the value of a workforce in which people from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to develop themselves, personally and professionally. We believe that happy and energized people, working well together in an environment in which they thrive, will do phenomenal and awesome things.

We are committed to ensuring that no employee, candidate, or job applicant receives less favorable treatment on the grounds of race, age, disability, pregnancy, religion, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, marriage, or civil partnership status. At ProQR we want to create an inclusive culture where everyone can be valued for who they are and in which individual differences and contributions in all forms are recognized and valued.

We offer an exciting and innovative working environment in a very committed organization, with the following benefits:

• 8% holiday allowance
• 30 vacation days
• An annual performance bonus
• Stock options
• A premium-free pension plan
• A commuting allowance
• A subsidized staff restaurant
• Unlimited (un)healthy snacks and drinks
• Employee events (boot camp, Rebel Café and other social events)

Do you think you can contribute to achieving our mission? If so, we’re looking forward to receiving your application by filling out our application form.

You can contact Silvia Catellani via recruitment@proqr.com if you have any questions.