Novartis Posted October 26, 2026

Senior Principal Scientist/Principal Scientist, Immune Engagers

Cambridge (USA), United States FULL_TIME
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About this opportunity

#LI-OnsiteLocation: Cambridge, MA, USAAt Novartis Oncology Immune Therapeutics we discover and advance immune therapies that harness immune cells against cancer. We are seeking a highly collaborative scientist to lead biology and drug-discovery efforts for novel immune cell engagers and multispecific immune modulators. The successful candidate will combine cancer-immunology expertise, rigorous decision making and cross-functional leadership to advance programs from target validation toward clinical development and contribute to broader immune-engager strategy.

Key responsibilitiesIdentify and validate tumor-targeting strategies for immune cell engagers and/or multispecific immune modulators.Lead biology strategy and execution for multidisciplinary drug-discovery programs, defining goals, critical experiments, decision criteria and differentiated product profiles.Serve as project team leader and/or biology lead, integrating antibody engineering, disease biology, translational, pharmacology, safety, biomarker, data science and clinical perspectives.Design and interpret mechanistic studies of immune cell activation, anti-tumor activity, target biology, selectivity, resistance and safety-relevant biology.Present evidence-based recommendations, risks and development plans at governance reviews.Supervise and develop scientists while building productive internal and external collaborations.Contribute to immune-engager strategy, target and indication prioritization, and next-generation modality innovation.Minimum requirementsPhD in cancer biology, immunology or a related discipline with 5+ years of relevant research and/or industry experience; or MS with 10+ years of relevant industry experience.Strong expertise in cancer biology and/or immunology (especially T cell and/or myeloid cell biology).Expertise in tumor immunology, especially T cell mediated anti-tumor activity, tumor-associated myeloid cell biology and immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment (TME).Proficient in immune-cell functional assays and complex immunophenotyping analysis, including integrated in vitro and ex vivo assays as well as multiparameter flow cytometry.Experience in antibody, multispecific biologic and/or immune-engager discovery within cross-functional teams.Ability to formulate hypotheses, design rigorous experiments, interpret complex data and translate findings into project decisions, evidenced by a strong track record of research publications.Excellent communication, presentation, analytical and collaboration skills.Highly desirable, especially for Senior Principal ScientistStrong track record in T-cell engager or myeloid cell-engager discovery, with leadership from target validation through IND-enabling or early clinical activities.Demonstrated success as a project team leader, aligning multidisciplinary stakeholders and driving decisions through scientific and organizational complexity.End-to-end program perspective connecting indication biology, modality design, translational strategy, differentiation and development path.Innovation in next-generation immune engagers or multispecific concepts, such as dual-targeting, logic-gated or TME-dependent approaches, and associated discovery workflows.Experience in mentoring junior project leaders and a broader scientific reputation demonstrated through publications, patents, presentations or collaborations.Novartis Compensation and Benefit Summary: Role Leveling (Dual Posting)This is a dual posting. The final level and title will be determined by the hiring team based on skills, experience, and capabilities.The salary for this position is expected to range between:Principal Scientist II: $126,000 - $234,000 per year.Senior Principal Scientist: $132,300 - $245,700 per yearThe final salary offered is determined based on factors like, but not limited to, relevant skills and experience, and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically. Novartis may change the publishedsalary range based on company and market factors.Your compensation will include a performance-based cash incentive and, depending on the level of therole, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards.US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life anddisability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Cambridge (USA), United States
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 425 comparable Principal Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 58 biopharma companies.

425Comparable roles tracked
404Currently active
58Companies hiring similar roles
22Countries represented

Salary context

195 of 425 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $126,000/yr – $234,000/yr
Lowest disclosed · Senior Primate Behavior Specialist · Labcorp $70,000/yr – $80,000/yr
Peer group range $75,000 – $322,000 (median $163,500)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 425 comparable roles

United States321
China22
India17
United Kingdom8
Switzerland8
Germany6

+ 16 more countries

Seniority mix

425 of 425 peers have a known seniority level

Senior216
Principal148
Director61

Therapeutic area mix

52 of 425 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology20
Immunology16
Neuroscience9
Cardiovascular / CVRM5
Vaccines & Infectious Disease2

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

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How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

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Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.