Director, Translational Lead, Respiratory

Job Purpose At GSK, we unite science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together. Our goal is to improve the lives of billions across the world. By bringing together our outstanding people, we can make an impact on a global scale. GSK is seeking an experienced Translational Lead with expertise in the respiratory disease area to design and deliver human translational and biomarker studies and insights that help bring the right medicines to the right patients. The successful candidate will be based in our growing Asia R&D organization in our Shanghai office and will be aligned to our global R&D Translational Sciences organization. In this role, you will partner closely with local, regional, and global colleagues across R&D Translational Sciences, Early Pipeline Unit, Clinical Development, and Regulatory to design and deliver strategic, competitive, and scientifically robust translational, clinical biomarker and diagnostic approaches aligned with global research & development strategies. You will bring deep expertise in respiratory disease area translation and clinical biomarkers to inform target engagement, pharmacodynamics, mechanism of action, and patient selection, while incorporating Asia-specific scientific, regulatory, and innovation landscape considerations. This role offers a hands-on opportunity to advance molecules into the clinic and drive impact in programs focused on COPD, asthma, Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis, Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps, interstitial lung diseases, pulmonary hypertension and other respiratory conditions. Principal accountabilities for the role will be focused on delivery in Asia, but you will also align to the global R&D Translational Sciences team, shape our translational strategy and delivery and may have the opportunity to spend time in our European and US hubs to develop and deliver that global strategy. This role supports end-to-end disease area translational science to inform therapy area and program level biomarker strategies (from preclinical to launch) to increase the probability of success from preclinical to clinical transitions and enable earlier and higher confidence asset related decisions. This includes generation of foundational data as well as disease biomarker development and validation that allows timely deployment of tools/biomarkers to support Proof of Mechanism (PoM), signs of clinical efficacy, Proof of Concept (PoC), and pairing Mechanisms of Action (MoAs) with patient subtypes to predict and evaluate responder populations. Key Responsibilities 1. Lead Respiratory Translational Strategy in China Lead and/or contribute to developing innovative translational strategies in Respiratory for assets ranging from preclinical to clinical stage of development. Develop biomarker strategies aligned with clinical development plans to generate data that informs on target engagement, pharmacodynamics, mechanism of action and patient stratification/selection. 2. Drive Biomarker Execution & Data Delivery Oversee implementation of biomarker assays and testing strategies, ensuring timely, high-quality data generation and reporting to support clinical development, integrated evidence plan and regulatory decision-making. Provide scientific expertise and technical guidance to enable timely biomarker sample collection and analysis including from high dimensional assays to deliver high quality biomarker data. Provide input on biomarker-related elements of clinical study documentation for study start and reporting of biomarker data generated from clinical trials. 3. Operate Effectively in a Matrixed Development Environment Represent Asia R&D and Translational Sciences functions in China at Early Development Team (EDT), Clinical Matrix Teams (CMT) and clinical trial study teams (ST). As part of the CMT and clinical ST, establish clear decision-making criteria to enable biomarker-informed clinical decisions. Collaborate with cross-functional teams including clinical, translational sciences, biology, and medical affairs to ensure end-to-end biomarker data generation for asset needs and reverse translation to support the pipeline. 4. Enable Regulatory, External, and Innovation Impact Provide biomarker and diagnostic support for regulatory submissions and region-specific governance processes. Identify biomarker/diagnostics data gaps in respiratory and broader translational sciences and conduct landscaping of Asia external innovation and establish strategic scientific external partnerships. Manage interactions with external laboratories, vendors, and collaborators, and maintain awareness of emerging biomarker technologies and innovation trends across Asia. Foster a network of external experts and key opinion leaders to stay at the forefront of translational science and biomarker advancements across the industry. Provide translational input and oversight on biomarker related activities for scientific collaborations. Impact GSK have an active clinical-stage portfolio in respiratory, and strong early pipeline of future medicine opportunities. This role strengthens our respiratory work and delivery of medicines to patients by delivering high-quality, biomarker-driven insights that enable data-driven decision-making and translational medicine approaches. Through close partnership with regional and global teams, the Translational Lead connects Asia clinical programs to global development priorities and accelerates translation of science into meaningful patient outcomes. Why You? You are an experienced, ambitious and forward-thinking scientist with deep expertise in biomarkers and a strong understanding of how translational data informs clinical development. You thrive in matrix environments, communicate clearly, and deliver results with rigor and urgency in fast-paced development settings. Basic Qualifications We are looking for professionals with these required skills to achieve our goals: Ph.D. in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g., Cell/Molecular Biology, Genetics, Pharmacology, Physical Chemistry or related field) with minimum of 5 years relevant industry experience in the application of biomarkers in clinical trials. Experience in translational science and biomarker development in a clinical trial setting within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry. Respiratory disease area knowledge and understanding in translational/biomarker development and implementation. Experience of working in a clinical trial setting, working as part of a clinical study team and experience of authoring and oversight of clinical and regulatory documents. Demonstrated experience analyzing and interpreting clinical biomarker data to inform development decisions. Strong working knowledge of biomarker technologies, assay platforms, and GCP principles. Knowledge of regulatory requirements, industry standards, best practices and compliance considerations in Translational Research and biomarker development and validation. Experience in managing external collaborations with academic partners and CROs. Strong interpersonal, matrix leadership and communication skills as well as ability to thrive in a matrix environment. Proficient in both English and Chinese. Preferred Qualifications If you have the following characteristics, it would be a plus: Demonstrated scientific capability as evidenced by publications, research reports, and external presentations. Up to date knowledge and deep understanding of major molecular and genomic assay technologies and platforms. Hands-on experience in bioinformatic analysis. Experience with novel technologies e.g., spatial transcriptomics and AI/ML. Knowledge and expertise in Fibrosis and ECM Biology. Knowledge and experience in COPD, asthma, Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis, Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps, interstitial lung diseases, pulmonary hypertension and other respiratory conditions. Familiarity with Asia and global regulatory expectations for biomarkers and diagnostics. Experience managing external laboratories, vendors, or research collaborations. GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law. This Position Description is to provide a framework for job understanding between employee and manager. It may not cover or contain the full listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice and at the discretion of the management of the Company. The position description is not used in the assignment or assessment of any GSK level or grade used in the Job Evaluation Process.