Principal Scientist - Oncology Discovery

At Roche you can show up as yourself, embraced for the unique qualities you bring. Our culture encourages personal expression, open dialogue, and genuine connections,  where you are valued, accepted and respected for who you are, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally. This is how we aim to prevent, stop and cure diseases and ensure everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Join Roche, where every voice matters.

The Position

A healthier future. It’s what drives us to innovate. To continuously advance science and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they need today and for generations to come. Creating a world where we all have more time with the people we love. That’s what makes us Roche.

This position is located within our Discovery Research Units within the Oncology Discovery organization dedicated to the discovery and development of novel cancer therapeutics. We collaborate closely with functions in Therapeutic Modalities, Pharmaceutical Science as well as within the oncology therapeutic area to translate hypotheses into innovative therapeutics.

The Opportunity

As a Scientist Discovery Oncology, you will work within a collaborative team of motivated and scientifically rigorous scientists and associates to conduct preclinical research and advance our clinical and preclinical drug programs in the field of cancer cell biology and/or cancer immunotherapy. You will translate basic research findings into therapeutic strategies, utilizing genetic and pharmacological approaches to understand target mechanisms of action, generate patient stratification strategies and identify rational drug combinations that can be translated into the clinic.

• Target discovery & drug validation: Drive high-impact research streams to identify, evaluate, and functionally validate novel cell surface antigens and drug candidates for solid and hematological malignancies. This includes guidance of Oncology Discovery colleagues in designing and executing cell-based workflows (e.g., primary immune co-cultures, receptor density profiling, antigen internalization kinetics and cellular trafficking, off-target liabilities, mechanist mode of action evaluation of new drug candidates in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo).

• Cross-functional scientific lead: Represent Cell Surface Targeting as RTL, target champion and biological lead in matrix drug discovery teams, partnering with specialists in Protein Engineering, Therapeutic Modalities, Computational Sciences, Pathology, Biomarkers, and Translational Medicine.

• External Innovation (EI) SPOC for Discovery: Lead biology/discovery evaluations across Triage, Non-Confidential, Pre-DD, and DD stages for assets from Discovery through DevGo (handing over to EDO post-DevGo). Deliver clear Go/No-Go recommendations. Identify critical scientific questions for DD in preDD setting, co-author Pre-DD and DD-request slide decks, and present at governance check-ins. Lead biology DD activities, directly oversee Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) studies and data reporting, and contribute to final DD reports and governance presentations.

• Multi-omics & dataset integration: Integrate functional genomics, proteomics, single-cell transcriptomics, and patient-derived translational models into robust biological rationales.

• Research innovation & publications: Author scientific publications, patents, and technical documentations while introducing novel experimental platforms to accelerate early pipeline targets.

Who You Are

• You hold a Ph.D. degree in Cancer Biology, Molecular/Cellular Biology, Immunology, Biochemistry, or a closely related field, along with 5+ years of postdoctoral or biotech/pharmaceutical industry experience in oncology research.

• Deep expertise in large molecule drug discovery, cell surface receptor biology, antibody - antigen interactions, and membrane protein functional characterization incl. associated expertise in core technologies as FACS is a must.

• Strong familiarity with targeted therapeutic modalities, such as monoclonal antibodies, T-cell bispecifics/engagers is an immediate need.

• An experienced discovery scientist and rigorous data evaluator who critically assesses early-stage biology packages for assets and platform technologies, designs and manages MTA studies, and presents clear, evidence-based Go/No-Go recommendations to governance bodies.

• Excellent communication, matrix collaboration, and problem-solving skills with a strong track record of scientific impact (publications or patent filings).

Are you ready to make a difference for our patients? We are looking forward to your application – join us now and become part of our journey!

Who we are

A healthier future drives us to innovate. Together, more than 100’000 employees across the globe are dedicated to advance science, ensuring everyone has access to healthcare today and for generations to come. Our efforts result in more than 26 million people treated with our medicines and over 30 billion tests conducted using our Diagnostics products. We empower each other to explore new possibilities, foster creativity, and keep our ambitions high, so we can deliver life-changing healthcare solutions that make a global impact.

Let’s build a healthier future, together.

Roche is an Equal Opportunity Employer.