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Senior Scientist, Antibody Engineering

Brisbane, California, United States

About Xaira Therapeutics

Xaira is an innovative biotech startup focused on leveraging AI to transform drug discovery and development. The company is leading the development of generative AI models to design protein and antibody therapeutics, enabling the creation of medicines against historically hard-to-drug molecular targets. It is also developing foundation models for biology and disease to enable better target elucidation and patient stratification. Collectively, these technologies aim to continually enable the identification of novel therapies and to improve success in drug development. Xaira is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and London.

About the Role

As a member of the Protein Biochemistry team, you will play a critical, lab-based role in the discovery and development of next-generation antibody therapeutics. You will be responsible for designing, producing, and characterizing antibodies, with an emphasis on engineering and evaluating their drug-like properties. The ideal candidate will bring deep technical expertise in antibody engineering, a strong understanding of biophysical developability metrics, and a collaborative mindset essential for working with AI design, screening, and disease biology teams. This is a hands-on, on-site position.

Responsibilities:

  • Conceptualize, plan, and execute antibody engineering projects, including antibody format optimization, epitope selection, affinity tuning, and Fc engineering.
  • Design expression constructs for antibodies with designed binders.
  • Express, purify, and characterize antibodies and proteins using chromatographic techniques and biophysical/biochemical assays.
  • Apply state-of-the-art analytical and biophysical methods to assess the developability of antibody-based therapeutics (e.g., stability, aggregation, immunogenicity).
  • Collaborate closely with Binder Design, Hit Discovery, In Vitro Pharmacology, and Disease Biology teams to advance programs toward clinical development.
  • Support additional workflows as needed, including binder discovery and functional assay execution.
  • Present data to internal and cross-functional teams; serve as the antibody engineering representative on core project teams.
  • Maintain accurate, timely, and well-documented experiment records in an electronic lab notebook (ELN).
  • Ensure compliance with laboratory safety protocols; contribute to lab organization and operational efficiency.
  • Contribute to the preparation of technical reports, regulatory documentation, and scientific presentations.
  • Stay current on advancements in antibody engineering, protein design, and relevant disease biology.

Qualifications:

  • Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline, with a strong foundation in molecular biology, biochemistry, structural biology, or a related field.
  • Minimum of 4 years of post-academic experience in a biotech or biopharma R&D environment.
  • Extensive hands-on experience in protein science, including the structural and functional characterization of antibodies and proteins using state-of-the-art analytical methods.
  • Deep expertise in antibody design (including monoclonals, bispecifics, and antibody fragments), purification (affinity, ion exchange, HIC, SEC), and characterization.
  • Demonstrated proficiency in antibody interaction assays (e.g., SPR, BLI), chromatographic techniques, developability assessments (e.g., thermal stability, aggregation, polyspecificity), and stability studies (e.g., forced degradation, DSC).
  • Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
  • Proactive, self-starter mindset with excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting capabilities.
  • Enthusiasm for working in a fast-paced, collaborative startup environment.
  • Demonstrated ability to foster cooperation and knowledge sharing across multidisciplinary teams.

 

Compensation

Annual

We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, seeking to provide an open, flexible, and friendly work environment to empower employees and provide them with a platform to develop their long-term careers. A Summary of Benefits is available for all applicants. We offer a competitive package that includes base salary, bonus, and equity.  The base pay range for this position is expected to be $155,000 - $175,000 annually; however, the base pay offered may vary depending on the market, job-related knowledge, skills and capabilities, and experience.

Xaira Therapeutics an equal-opportunity employer. We believe that our strength is in our differences. Our goal to build a diverse and inclusive team began on day one, and it will never end.

TO ALL RECRUITMENT AGENCIES: Xaira Therapeutics does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias or employees. Xaira Therapeutics is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

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