Job Abstract

JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Our mission is to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications. To accomplish this, JDRF has invested more than $2.5 billion in research funding since our inception. We are an organization built on a grassroots model of people connecting in their local communities, collaborating regionally for efficiency and broader fundraising impact, and uniting on a national stage to pool resources, passion, and energy. We collaborate with academic institutions, policymakers, and corporate and industry partners to develop and deliver a pipeline of innovative therapies to people living with T1D. Our staff and volunteers in chapters across the United States and our five international affiliates are dedicated to advocacy, community engagement, and our vision of a world without T1D. For more information, please visit www.jdrf.org or follow us on Twitter @JDRF.
 
As a JDRF team member, you can look forward to interesting and challenging work, building strong relationships with fellow staff and our network of volunteers, and having a meaningful impact on the lives of everyone affected by this devastating disease. JDRF supports a diverse and inclusive workforce and is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

JDRF is hiring a Scientist within the Research Department to work in all areas of the JDRF research portfolio, including Cures and Improving Lives (IL). The scientist role will help us achieve our vision of a world without T1D through the development of therapies across the research portfolio. (For more information on JDRF’s scientific strategy, visit our website:

https://grantcenter.jdrf.org/research-strategy/).  The new Scientist will be part of a highly interconnected and fast-moving team that is responsible for setting and driving the global research strategy for T1D. In this new position, the Scientist will support the Cures portfolio, including the Prevention/Early detection of T1D, Cell Therapy, and Disease Modifying Therapies areas, as well as the IL portfolio including diabetes devices (e.g. automated insulin delivery [AID] systems, insulin pumps, CGMs), novel insulins and non-insulin therapies for metabolic control, therapies for long-term complications, and mental health.

The Scientist will be responsible for scouting and building new opportunities across industry and academia. In this role the Scientist will have the responsibility to identify and develop new scientific projects with external collaborators, in close coordination internally with JDRF’s Research team including the scientific leads in Cures and IL, the partnerships team, and the research operations team. The Scientist will serve as a T1D expert and will function as a knowledge resource to academics and industry representatives looking for opportunities to partner with JDRF. The scientist will also scout for opportunities to bring new research areas or scientific partnerships to JDRF.

The JDRF research portfolio consists of projects with diverse partners including academia, industry, funding organizations, and others in the United States and abroad. Due diligence and landscape analysis activities are a requisite part of this proactive portfolio build up. This role will focus on identifying and building projects (pre-award), and not on management of an active research portfolio of grants and partnerships (post-award).

In this role, the scientist will also be responsible for representing and communicating JDRF research strategy and progress with various stakeholders ranging from internal and external scientists, board members, senior management, JDRF supporters and volunteers.  Therefore, strong interpersonal and communication skills are key. JDRF scientists develop and deliver presentations for live audiences and contribute to written documents about the research we support.

The mission of JDRF is highly focused on T1D, so the candidate should have a strong interest in human disease, understand the basic concepts of discovery and translational research, and be passionate about bringing in opportunities from outside the T1D field. Experience with product development and translational research is desired but not required.

This position will report to the VP of Research and will participate in multiple aspects of the JDRF research program including providing scientific input to accelerate the progress of therapeutic areas, contributing to future research strategies aligned with JDRF’s mission, and leveraging opportunities and optimizing relationships within the US and international research communities.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Strategy and Planning

• Contribute expertise to strategic planning efforts to advance the research portfolio across all areas of the JDRF Research Strategy (https://grantcenter.jdrf.org/research-strategy/) including metabolic therapies, insulins, diabetes devices, diabetes, diabetes complications, immunology, cell/organ transplantation, allogenic rejection, autoimmunity, stem cell development, gene editing, xenotransplantation, engineering, biomaterial science and others.
• Maintaining up-to-date scientific knowledge in T1D-relevant areas
• Analyze scientific landscapes to determine how JDRF can expand areas of interest
• Being a critical and strategic thinker

Pre-award portfolio

• Development of new research opportunities with internal and external stakeholders (academic scientists, industry partners, etc.).
• Participation in scouting, securing, and managing research partnerships with companies, other non-profit organizations, governmental agencies, etc.
• Collaborate with other JDRF scientists and non-scientific staff (program administrators, clinical trial managers, business development colleagues, regulatory and health policy experts) to identify gap-filling funding opportunities

Partnering

• Creating partnership-ready projects through critical review and strategic planning.
• Liaising with researchers from academia, industry, and other funding agencies to exchange information, develop collaborations, and address challenges of mutual interest where appropriate. 

Communication

• Generate and deliver presentations on JDRF Research strategy and progress to lay and expert stakeholders.
• Communicate research strategy to large audiences or at one-on-one meetings with the purpose of building new opportunities and/or partnerships.

Qualifications

Ph.D. (or equivalent degree) in biomedical sciences with at least 3-4 years of postdoctoral experience drug or product development experience preferred.

• Working expertise in one or more of the following areas required:
  • Design and execution of clinical trials in relation to diabetes and/or autoimmune disease
  • Design and operation of partnered research projects, including complex projects and consortia involving multiple collaborators, and across academia and industry
  • Glucose lowering drugs
  • Long-term complications of T1D
  • Diabetes devices
  • Beta cell biology
  • Immunology
  • Human genetics; genetic factors, assessment of genetic risk, and predictive biomarkers of disease progression
  • Mechanisms of human diseases, especially autoimmune disease
  • Allo and xenogeneic cell/organ transplantation
  • Cell/tissue engineering (gene editing and/or immune engineering)
  • Other areas of interest: implantable scaffolds, vascularization, cell encapsulation
  • Non-profit experience, including grant-making experience

• Ability to create, operate and innovate within highly matrixed team environments with high level of independence.
• Exceptional collaboration and relationship-building skills. Ability to interface with stakeholders of highly diverse backgrounds. Must develop, maintain, and cultivate relationships.

• Demonstrate creativity and ability to think strategically regarding scientific and technical opportunities or roadblocks, and to conceive and build new projects.
• Ability for and interest in developing expertise in new scientific areas
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Target Salary - $90k - $105k

Essential Functions:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.  The employee frequently is required to use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools or controls.  The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, sit, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds, and infrequently up to 50 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Additional information:

Requests for medical, religious, and other exemptions will be considered on an individual basis. JDRF will comply with all federal, state, and local laws.

JDRF supports a diverse and inclusive workforce.
JDRF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 
All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.