Senior Department Manager for Molecular Pharmacology

Do you want to lead a highly skilled Molecular Pharmacology team and help advance peptide drug discovery?

Gubra is looking for an experienced and people-focused Department Manager who is passionate about developing both people and scientific capabilities. 

As part of our Biotech business unit, you will lead the Molecular Pharmacology department, which plays a key role in advancing Gubra’s peptide drug discovery projects by:

• Securing input to drug discovery projects from a MolPharm perspective.
• Setting up cell-based assays for HTP screening according to project needs.
• Characterizing binding and other parameters in highly complex receptor systems.
• Developing mRNA techniques to support drug design strategies.

In recent years, we have developed highly automated workflows that strengthen our drug screening platform, streaMLine, and enable high-throughput peptide structure-activity relationships and data generation. 

As part of Gubra, you will join a company that embraces automation, digitalization, scientific curiosity, and speed as important drivers of innovation. As Gubra continues to grow and advance more projects towards clinical development, Molecular Pharmacology will expand its capabilities to support drug discovery projects and help build the scientific story of selected development candidates.

Today, the team consists of 8 scientists and 5 lab technicians, with further growth planned. The department is part of In vitro & Pharmaceutical Research, working closely with Chemistry, DMPK, and Pharmaceutical Development across the full drug discovery value chain. You will therefore become part of a collaborative environment where skilled colleagues join forces across disciplines, projects, and business areas to create impact.

 Your role

• Developing the department’s competencies and driving initiatives that support Gubra’s strategic development.
• Setting direction, creating clarity, and guiding the team to achieve department goals and objectives.
• Providing present and engaging leadership to scientists and lab technicians, with a focus on performance, development, well-being, and engagement.
• Secure planning, execution, and analysis of experiments that support Gubra’s internal and partnered drug discovery projects.
• Engaging in collaborative interactions with department managers and key internal stakeholders to ensure successful advancement of projects. 
• Leading continued automation and digitalization within screening and striving for continuous optimization.

 Your competencies 

• Leadership experience from the biotech/pharmaceutical industry within molecular pharmacology preferably within Drug Discovery.
• PhD or equivalent experience within life sciences.
• Expertise in target and disease understanding, receptor potency, selectivity, and binding kinetics.
• Knowledge of cell signalling platforms and cell line generation.
• Proven involvement in drug discovery projects, demonstrating contributions across different phases. 
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely. 
• Knowledge of laboratory automation and data management is beneficial. 

Who you are

• You are motivated by developing people and building strong teams in a dynamic organization.
• You bring positive energy and create trust, engagement, and momentum around you.
• You thrive in a culture built on collaboration, innovation and delivering results.
• You communicate clearly and openly, and you help others do the same.
• You take initiative, stay focused, and enjoy turning ideas into progress.

Contact and application

Please apply no later than August 31st, 2026, by uploading your motivated cover letter and resume on our website. Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis. If you have questions about the position, please contact Vice President, In vitro & Pharmaceutical Research, Mette Svendgaard at MSV@gubra.dk.

About Gubra  

Gubra is a disease-agnostic techbio company specialized in peptide-based drug discovery and development as well as preclinical contract research services striving for excellence at all levels. We insist on doing things efficiently – and often differently - to reach the results we aim for. Our vision is to become leaders in the path towards a more sustainable and healthier world. We do that by facilitating the discovery of new medicine, and by acting and inspiring others to fight the ongoing climate and biodiversity crises.  

Gubra’s activities are focused on the early stages of drug development and are organised in two main highly synergistic business areas: Biotech and CRO Services. We generate our revenue by performing research for life science companies as well as by partnering projects from our discovery and development pipeline.  

Our therapeutic focus is within metabolic and fibrotic diseases, and we specialize in in vivo pharmacology, ex vivo assays, drug profiling, histology, stereology and whole brain and organ imaging. In addition, we offer a full palette of advanced transcriptomics. Our ML/AI-driven peptide drug discovery platform streaMLine enables us to rapidly develop a peptide hit into a non-clinical candidate ready for development. Through a constant focus on high quality, scientific excellence, speed, and solid teamwork we have established ourselves as a highly professional and competent partner in the market.  

People are our greatest asset, and our team consists of around 300 employees of which many are located in Hørsholm, Denmark. The mix of people from different cultures and educational backgrounds combined with our entrepreneurial mindset have greatly impacted our working environment, which is characterized by entrepreneurial drive, scientific curiosity, and teamwork – we join forces!