Scientist II, Assay Development & Screening in Cambridge

About Parabilis Medicines

Parabilis Medicines is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to creating extraordinary medicines for patients with serious diseases by unlocking biologically important targets long considered undruggable. The company has pioneered a new class of alpha-helical peptides – Helicons™ – capable of modulating intracellular proteins that have historically been beyond the reach of conventional medicines. The company’s lead investigational medicine, zolucatetide, is the first and only direct inhibitor of the β-catenin:TCF interaction, a central node in the Wnt/β-catenin pathway that has eluded drug developers for decades. Zolucatetide is being evaluated in the clinic across multiple Wnt/β-catenin-driven diseases, including desmoid tumors, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and a range of other solid tumor indications. Beyond zolucatetide, Parabilis is advancing additional Helicon-based programs focused on other challenging targets where we believe our medicines could have life-altering impact.

What’s the opportunity?

Parabilis Medicines is seeking a driven bench scientist who thrives at the intersection of discovery and execution, someone equally energized by building new assays from scratch and delivering the screening data that drives real program decisions. You will split your time between two equally important mandates: developing new assays that address emerging scientific challenges across our Helicon platform, and supporting the screening workflows that drive SAR determination and molecule progression. We are looking for a scientist who thinks deeply about biological problems, translates them into testable hypotheses, and builds assays that generate mechanistic insight and actionable data. Over time, you will have the opportunity to introduce automation and new technologies into your work and the broader platform, expanding the team's capabilities as our pipeline grows. If you are a rigorous experimentalist who takes pride in data quality, moves fluidly across assay formats, and finds genuine satisfaction in watching creative science directly shape drug discovery, we want to hear from you.

Key responsibilities:

• Develop new assays: Design and validate fit-for-purpose biochemical and cell-based multiplexed assays that address emerging biological questions across the Helicon platform, taking them from concept to robust execution and generating the mechanistic insights that guide program strategy.
• Deliver decision-quality screening data: Execute multiplexed screening workflows with the rigor and reproducibility to turn every dataset into actionable insights that directly drive SAR and molecule progression.
• Expand platform capabilities: Identify and introduce automation, new technologies, or workflow improvements into existing and new assays to grow the team’s throughput and capabilities over time.

What you’ll need to be successful:

Required qualifications

• PhD in Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, or a related discipline, with 2-4 years of post-doctoral or industry experience.
• Exceptional hands-on assay development expertise across both biochemical and cell-based formats, with a track record of taking assays from early concept to reliable, high-quality tools that directly serve program needs.
• Demonstrated ability to dissect complex biological phenomena, formulate clear hypotheses, and design experimental assays that generate data illuminating both SAR and underlying mechanisms.
• Breadth of experience across multiple assay formats, including binding assays, target engagement and functional biochemical assays, and cell-based readouts, with a strong instinct for selecting the right assay for the right question.
• Quantitative and rigorous approach to data quality, with a strong command of experimental controls, variability analysis, and QC frameworks that ensure data reliably drives scientific conclusions and advances discovery.
• Effective cross-functional communicator with a collaborative, ownership-driven approach and the ability to work across chemistry, biology, and data-focused teams.
• A builder mindset with strong scientific judgment, including the ability to identify bottlenecks, propose pragmatic solutions, and execute with urgency.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience with or strong interest in laboratory automation, liquid handling robotics, or scripting tools to improve workflow efficiency.
• Familiarity with high-throughput screening and peptide chemistry and/or peptide discovery concepts.

Core Values

Parabilis Medicines is a team of passionate pioneers who are trailblazing the future of precision medicine with the aim of making a meaningful difference in the lives of patients. The company is committed to promoting an inspiring and flourishing working environment for all employees across the business, in all departments, and driving innovation for patient benefit.

• Growth-Minded. We’re inventing a new class of medicines—one applicable to therapeutic targets that have been dreamt about, but always considered impossible to drug. Our work requires us to be curious, humble and adaptable.
• In(ter)dependent. We are fiercely independent as a leader in defying the limitations of current therapeutic modalities, and interdependent as a team as we work collaboratively to shift drug discovery paradigms and provide patients with better treatment options.
• Patient-focused. We are deeply focused on patient outcomes, and all energy in the company is focused on science as it translates to patient impact.
• All-In. We’re All-In on solving some of the hardest scientific challenges and delivering one of the most effective new classes of drugs in history.

The base salary range for this position is $120,000-$145,000, depending on experience, qualifications, and internal practices. Parabilis’s total compensation package also includes an annual target bonus, equity, and a comprehensive suite of competitive benefits designed to support our employees’ overall well-being. As an equal opportunity employer, Parabilis Medicines values an inclusive workplace and welcomes applicants of all backgrounds and experiences. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.