Novartis Posted October 28, 2026

Senior Scientist I/II, 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

#LI-OnsiteLocation: Cambridge, MAThis role is based in Cambridge, MA, and does not have the ability to be located remotely. The xDC Biotherapeutics group within Oncology Drug Discovery at Novartis Biomedical Research is seeking a highly motivated and collaborative Senior Scientist I/II to advance drug-conjugate discovery programs for the treatment of cancer patients. In this lab-based role, the successful candidate will apply cell and molecular biology techniques to deliver impactful data for target validation and drug optimization efforts. This role requires a strong understanding of and experience with in vitro cell-based assays for drug discovery. This individual will interact collaboratively with colleagues across Biomedical Research and will be a member of multidisciplinary project teams. This is a great opportunity to join a group dedicated to the discovery of biotherapeutics and to support advancement of drug discovery projects into the Novartis portfolio.

This listing represents multiple openings for the same role.Your Key Responsibilities:Generates hypotheses to test, troubleshoots issues and designs and executes the next set of experiments with some input from senior lab members/manager.Works independently and as a part of a team to design, execute, and analyze in vitro experiments to profile small molecules and biologics and elucidate mechanisms of actionExecutes cell and molecular biology assays (e.g. cell titer glo, flow cytometry, JESS, western blot, MSD)Cultures cells using sterile technique including genetic engineering and validation of cell linesUses laboratory automation equipment (liquid handlers, plate readers, dispensers) to perform screensMaintains an organized and detailed record of all experimentsWorks collaboratively across teams and trains other members of team in areas of technical expertise as needed.Clearly communicates findings and presents research to multidisciplinary project teamsSupports lab operations including management of materials, maintenance of instruments, and general lab dutiesRole Requirements: Essential Requirements:BS/MS Degree in biology or related fieldMinimum 5+ years of industry experience preferredExtensive experience with cellular assay development & execution, experience with high throughput screening workflows strongly preferredDemonstrated ability to analyze, interpret and present data in a clear manner and use data to generate new hypothesesHighly self-motivated, collaborative team player with exceptional organizational skills and curiosity to expand and diversify skillsetsLevel will commensurate with experienceDesired Requirements:Oncology experience highly preferredUnderstanding of drug discovery optimization processesExperience with discovery of antibody-drug-conjugatesNovartis 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 expected salary range at commencement of employment is:Sr Scientist I: $93,800 - $174,200Sr Scientist II: $98,700 - $183,400The 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.

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

183 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 Not listed on this posting
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

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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.