Position: Director of Scientific Operations
Location: Boston, MA
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Department: Research and Development
Employment Type: Full-time
CELLENS OVERVIEW
Cellens is a venture-backed oncology diagnostics company developing a first-in-class platform for minimal residual disease (MRD) detection, starting with one of the most highly recurrent cancers—bladder cancer. Our technology is based on proprietary and patented AI-driven computational models that leverage the biophysical properties of cells, measured through atomic force microscopy (AFM) and other advanced microscopy techniques.
Our mission is to transform how cancer recurrence is detected and monitored—moving beyond genomic and proteomic markers to identify disease using fundamental cellular biophysical differences. By capturing subtle biophysical changes associated with malignancy, we aim to deliver a robust, label-free diagnostic approach suitable for real-world clinical deployment.
THE ROLE
The Director of Scientific Operations is responsible for the day-to-day execution
and coordination of R&D programs, ensuring that scientific priorities are translated into well-managed, on-time deliverables. This role sits at the intersection of research, clinical development, and operations, providing structure, clarity, and momentum across the R&D organization.
You will serve as a key operational partner to scientific leadership, helping align priorities across departments, manage resources effectively, and remove execution bottlenecks. Success in this role requires strong scientific judgment, operational discipline, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead scientific project management across R&D, including project intake,
prioritization, timeline development, resource planning, milestone tracking,
and retrospective review. - Translate scientific and commercial objectives into clear project plans with
defined scope, owners, timelines, and dependencies. - Coordinate execution across R&D, clinical, manufacturing, QA/QC,
regulatory, and commercial teams to ensure alignment and timely delivery. - Serve as a primary operational point of contact for R&D, facilitating
communication and coordination both within the department and across the
organization. - Act as a key liaison for external scientific and clinical collaborators,
managing expectations, timelines, and deliverables in collaboration with
legal, finance, and commercial teams. - Establish and maintain effective interdepartmental communication
mechanisms, including standing meetings, reporting structures, and shared
tools. - Lead the selection, implementation, and adoption of laboratory information
management systems (LIMS) across R& - D, CLIA, Custom Applications,
Manufacturing, and QA/QC. - Proactively identify operational gaps, risks, and inefficiencies, and
independently propose or implement solutions. - Hire, manage, and mentor scientific project management and operational
support staff as the organization grows. - Provide operational and organizational support to scientific leads to enable
focus on high-impact technical work.
EXPERIENCE AND CAPABILITIES
- Ph.D. (or equivalent) with postdoctoral experience in a biological,
biochemical, or biophysical discipline. - Demonstrated experience managing complex scientific or translational
projects through to completion. - Strong organizational and project management skills, with a track record of
delivering work on time and within scope. - Excellent communication skills, including the ability to synthesize and
convey complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences. - Comfort interacting with senior stakeholders across academia, industry, and
clinical settings. - Familiarity with clinical and translational research environments; experience
working with physicians or physician-scientists preferred. - Proven ability to plan, run, and follow up on effective meetings, including
agenda setting, facilitation, decision capture, and action tracking. - Minimum of 5 years of hands-on laboratory experience in clinical
diagnostics or a closely related field. - Minimum of 5 years of project or program management experience in
industry and/or academic settings. - Familiarity with project management software tools and Agile or structured
project management methodologies. - Experience with resource planning and graphical presentation of project
plans and status. - Strong attention to detail, systems-oriented thinking, and a pragmatic
approach to problem-solving. - Comfort operating in environments with uncertainty and evolving priorities.
WHAT WE OFFER
- A leadership opportunity to translate a cutting-edge, AI-driven biophysical
markers platform into a clinically impactful diagnostic product in oncology
and beyond. - A competitive compensation package, including salary, equity, and benefits.
- A collaborative, mission-driven environment focused on improving cancer
patient outcomes through innovation in diagnostics.
