Novartis Posted November 3, 2026

Senior Scientist I/II - Oncology/Immuno-Oncology

Cambridge (USA), United States FULL_TIME
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Novartis is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Role Type: Onsite Working #LI-OnsiteLocation: Cambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesRelocation: Relocation assistance is available for this position Join Novartis Oncology-OIT (Oncology Immune Therapies) group for an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact on cancer immunology.As a key member of our dynamic, multidisciplinary team, you will contribute to the development of groundbreaking therapeutic modalities.Your work will play a crucial role in advancing new therapies and bringing our innovative drugs to patients.

Key Responsibilities:Support drug screening, novel target identification and validation, including working with replication-incompetent lentiviruses, mRNA-LNP, cell lines, primary cells, and tissuesDevelop and perform cell-based assays, flow cytometry, and biochemistry-based assays for drug discovery. Occasionally, you will also employ molecular biology (e.g. gel electrophoresis, cloning, qPCR, western blot, etc.) Conduct biological and pharmacological studies by developing and performing analyses of preclinical tissue samples provided by the in vivo teamEmploy good laboratory practices, data recording, analysis and documentationCollaborate effectively while working in a matrixed environmentPresent results in lab and department meetingsAssist in writing research documents and publicationsEssential Requirements:Bachelor’s degree in immunology, immuno-oncology, oncology, molecular or cell biology, or a related field is required. A master’s degree is preferred.5+ years of relevant laboratory experience in industryKnowledge of immunology and expertise in cancer biology and/or immunology are requiredExpertise in tumor immunology, especially T cell mediated anti-tumor activity is highly desiredProficiency in cell culture including cell lines and primary cells, and multi-color flow cytometry is required.Extensive hands-on experience with immune cell-based assays, including primary immune cell isolation, manipulation, phenotyping, and in vitro functional assays, as well as mammalian cell line culture is highly desired.Experience with molecular cloning, qPCR, reporter assays, ELISA, viral production and transduction, mRNA-LNP–mediated gene expression in primary cells, gene silencing (RNAi or CRISPR), or other target validation methods is a plus.Demonstrated ability to quickly learn and perform in new areas, implement new techniques and instrumentationStrong scientific motivation and rigor, with experience independently designing, developing, executing, and troubleshooting cell-based assays for drug discovery, are preferred.Excellent presentation, written and verbal communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.A record of accomplishments with peer-reviewed publications a plusWhat We OfferThis is a dual level posting and as such the salary for this position is expected to range between:Senior Scientist I: $93,800 - $174,200 per yearSenior Scientist II: $98,700 - $183,400 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 published salary range based on company and market factors. Your compensation will include a performance-based cash incentive and, depending on the level of the role, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards. US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability 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. To learn more about the culture, rewards and benefits we offer our people click here.

Job details

Seniority
Senior
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Oncology
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 396 comparable Senior Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 55 biopharma companies.

396Comparable roles tracked
375Currently active
55Companies hiring similar roles
21Countries represented

Salary context

182 of 396 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 $93,800/yr – $174,200/yr
Lowest disclosed · Senior Primate Behavior Specialist · Labcorp $70,000/yr – $80,000/yr
Highest disclosed · Toxicology Senior Research Fellow · Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) $232,000/yr – $348,000/yr
Peer group range $75,000 – $290,000 (median $159,125)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 396 comparable roles

United States304
China14
India13
United Kingdom9
Switzerland8
Germany7

+ 15 more countries

Seniority mix

396 of 396 peers have a known seniority level

Senior215
Principal149
Associate Director32

Therapeutic area mix

39 of 396 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology15
Immunology10
Neuroscience9
Cardiovascular / CVRM4
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

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.

100%similar
Amgen Inc. Thousand Oaks, United States Senior
Same function Same therapeutic area Same seniority Same country
100%similar
Novartis Cambridge (USA), United States Senior
Same function Same therapeutic area Same seniority Same country
100%similar
AstraZeneca Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America Senior
Same function Same therapeutic area Same seniority Same country
100%similar
Novartis Cambridge (USA), United States Senior
Same function Same therapeutic area Same seniority Same country
90%similar
Novartis Cambridge (USA), United States Associate Director
Same function Same therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Same country
90%similar
Celgene - Summit (Corp) Seattle 400 Dexter, United States Principal
Same function Same therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

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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.

100%
Senior Scientist - Precision Oncology
Amgen Inc. · Thousand Oaks, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
100%
Senior Scientist - Oncology Translation Research (OTR)
Novartis · Cambridge (USA), United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
90%
Principal Scientist, Discovery BioSciences Genomics, Oncology TRC
Cambridge Discovery Hub · Cambridge Crossing, United States · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent seniority Country
90%
Scientific Associate Director, Oncology Research
Amgen Inc. · South San Francisco, United States · Associate Director
Function Therapeutic area Adjacent 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.