Chief Scientific Officer – Job Description
The Bridging Barriers in Brain Cancer (B3C) program aims to transform the lives of people affected by brain cancer by developing pioneering new medicines capable of crossing the blood‐brain barrier. Led by WEHI, B3C is establishing a platform‐enabled drug discovery and development pipeline, focused on targeted drug conjugates designed to deliver potent anti‐cancer therapies into the brain. B3C brings together a highly multidisciplinary team across partner organisations and has the long‐term ambition of transitioning B3C into a successful biotech spinout.
About the Position
Reporting to the Centre Director, the B3C Chief Scientific Officer is a senior leadership role responsible for setting the scientific vision and driving delivery of B3C's research and translational objectives. The role will provide strategic oversight across all scientific workstreams, ensure scientific excellence and integration across partner organisations, and guide portfolio prioritisation and decision‐making.
Key Responsibilities
* Set the scientific vision and lead the delivery of B3C's research and translational objectives.
* Provide strategic oversight across all scientific workstreams, ensuring scientific excellence and integration across partner organisations.
* Guide portfolio prioritisation and decision‐making.
* Lead and mentor scientific teams and work closely with workstream leads to align discovery, preclinical development, and translational activities.
* Play a role in the scientific governance of the program, including target selection processes, data integration, milestone review, and go/no‐go decision frameworks.
* Collaborate with the Centre Director and Program Operations Manager to shape the program's evolution toward external investment, commercial partnerships, and spinout.
* Represent B3C externally, engaging with scientific advisory boards, funders, industry partners, and the broader research community.
Selection CriteriaEssential Knowledge and Skills
* PhD or MD/PhD in a relevant scientific discipline.
* Significant leadership experience in drug discovery and development, either in neurology, oncology or related therapeutic areas.
* Demonstrated experience advancing assets from early discovery through preclinical development.
* Strong understanding of translational science and the pathway toward clinical and commercial development.
* Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and integrate complex scientific programs.
* Experience operating within or alongside industry, biotech, or translational environments.
* Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage scientific, governance, and industry audiences.
Desirable Knowledge and Skills
* Experience with drug conjugates, biologics, or blood‐brain barrier targeting strategies.
* Prior involvement in biotech formation, licensing, or investment processes.
* Experience working across multi‐institutional or international collaborations.
* Familiarity with regulatory considerations relevant to early‐stage therapeutic development.
Terms of Appointment
This position is available for a period of five years, in a full or part‐time capacity (0.6–1.0FTE). Salary is Research Employee Level D ($173,441–$191,080). Very attractive salary packaging options are available for general living expenses, meal entertainment, novated leasing and more. 12% superannuation payable, plus up to a further 5% after the first 6 months of service via our matching superannuation scheme.
EEO Statements
WEHI actively encourages applications from people with disabilities, culturally, religiously and linguistically diverse people, and people with diverse genders and sexualities. WEHI is working to create a future where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples will be engaged at the scientific frontier and strongly encourages any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to apply.
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