About Vicore Pharma
Vicore Pharma is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company unlocking the potential of a new class of drugs with disease-modifying potential in respiratory and fibrotic diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The company’s lead program, buloxibutid, is a first-in-class oral small molecule angiotensin II type 2 receptor agonist, which has received Orphan Drug and Fast Track designation from the United States Food and Drug Administration and is currently being investigated in the global 52-week Phase 2b ASPIRE trial in IPF.
We are a lean and agile organization with highly experienced team members who span early asset development to commercialization and patient access. Our success as a company depends on our ability to attract and retain qualified people who are highly engaged, embrace change, and enjoy a fast-paced environment. All employees are equally important to turning Vicore's ambition into reality.
The company is publicly listed on Nasdaq Stockholm’s main market and employs approximately 40 people worldwide, with offices in Stockholm (headquarters), Copenhagen, and Boston. For more information about Vicore, please visit www.vicorepharma.com.
Role Overview:
As Director of Discovery Pharmacology, the main responsibility will be leading in vitro and in vivo assay strategy and development in small-molecule discovery programs, with an initial focus on GPCR targets relevant to fibrotic diseases with flexibility to support additional therapeutic targets and disease areas as the pipeline evolves. The role is responsible for defining, validating and interpreting assays executed through CROs and collaboration partners.
This is a senior individual contributor role with no laboratory work and with a central role in discovery decision-making and mechanism-of-action understanding in a virtual R&D environment.
This role can be based in either Copenhagen, Denmark or Stockholm, Sweden. For the right candidate, a remote setting can be considered.
Key responsibilities
- Non-clinical team member for discovery-stage programs serving as biology and pharmacology expert in cross-functional discovery projects.
- Define biological hypotheses, assay cascades and decision criteria aligned with project goals and medicinal chemistry strategy.
- Design and implement robust in vitro and in vivo biological assays to assess disease-related mechanisms, ensuring scientific rigor and suitability for compound screening and characterization.
- Develop, validate, and optimize cell-based and biochemical GPCR assays (e.g. signalling, functional, pathway-specific readouts).
- Oversee assay and study execution at CROs, including protocol development, troubleshooting, data quality review and timeline management.
- Support compound profiling, selectivity assessment, and mechanism-of-action studies, including pathway bias and functional pharmacology where relevant.
- Contribute to the development and execution of tissue-based disease models and in vivo disease models, working together with internal team members and external partners.
- Analyse and synthesize complex biological datasets to support compound prioritization and progression decisions.
- Contribute biological expertise to interactions with internal non-clinical, clinical, regulatory and IP functions as needed.
- Lead translational biomarker strategy and support identification, validation and implementation of pharmacodynamic and disease-relevant biomarkers to enable target engagement assessment and clinical translation.
- Integrate translational biomarker data with pharmacology, PK/PD and disease model data to support compound differentiation, patient stratification and dose selection strategies.
- Support IP generation through biological data packages, invention disclosures and scientific rationale.
- Contribute to biological and pharmacology sections of regulatory documentation (e.g. IND/CTA), including justification of assay relevance and MoA.
- Identify and evaluate new targets, assay technologies and therapeutic approaches aligned with company strategy in diseases of interest and support scientific due diligence for external opportunities as needed.
- Engage with external experts and CRO scientists to strengthen assay quality and biological insight.
- Represent the company at scientific meetings as appropriate.
- Proactively flag risks and propose mitigation strategies to keep programs on track.
Qualifications
- PhD in pharmacology, biochemistry, cell biology or related discipline.
- Strong hands-on background (≥ 15 years) in a biotech or pharmaceutical setting.
- Experience in fibrotic disease biology with preference for background in the context of lung and/or kidney disease.
- Experience developing and interpreting cell-based and biochemical assays supporting small-molecule programs.
- Solid understanding of GPCR signalling, functional pharmacology and assay technologies.
- Experience working with CROs and managing outsourced biological work including in vivo study monitoring.
- Ability to translate complex biological data into clear project recommendations.
- Exposure to computational biology, translational data integration or AI-enabled biological analysis is advantageous.
- Knowledge of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS) is a merit.
- Experience with translational biomarker development and interpretation in support of preclinical and early clinical programs is highly desirable.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Comfortable working in a small, agile, clinical-stage organization with a virtual R&D setting.
Personal skills
- Strong individual initiative and multi-tasking abilities.
- Strong analytical, documentation and communication skills.
- Comfortable working as a senior individual contributor in a small, fast-moving biotech environment.
- Ability to communicate information clearly and lead interactions/presentations in scientific and clinical settings.
- A high level of proactivity, commitment, and energy
- Excellent problem-solving skills and a “can-do attitude”.
Travelling: Approx. 30 days per year
Availability: As soon as possible
Reporting: Chief Scientific Officer
Location
In any of our offices in Copenhagen, Denmark or Stockholm, Sweden. For the right candidate, a remote setting can be considered.
Why Join Us
Our company is dedicated to developing innovative therapies for patients with IPF and other serious respiratory conditions. As Director of Discovery Pharmacology, you will have the opportunity to make significant contributions to our scientific programs and help bring new treatments to patients in need.
We offer competitive compensation, benefits, and the opportunity to grow professionally in a collaborative environment where your expertise will be highly valued.
