Job Description and Person Specificationselection Criteria

Job title Senior Postdoctoral Scientist Division Medical Sciences Department Nuffield Department of Medicine, Jenner Institute Clinical Centre for Vaccinology and Translational Medicine Location (CCVTM), Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7LE Grade 8: £41,526 - £49,553 per annum with a discretionary range Grade and salary to £54,131 per annum Hours Full time Contract type Fixed-term contract for 20 months, in the first instance Reporting to Professor Christine Rollier & Professor Cal MacLennan Vacancy reference 147960 Additional Position funded by US funding information Development of a Gonococcal Outer Membrane Vesicle Vaccine Research topic from Lead Optimization to Phase 1 Clinical Trial Principal Investigator Professor Christine Rollier & Professor Cal MacLennan / supervisor Project team Gonococcal Vaccine Group http://www.jenner.ac.uk/ Project web site Funding partner US funding 1. Gottlieb SL, et al. Gonococcal vaccines: public health value and preferred product characteristics; report of a WHO global stakeholder consultation, January 2019. Vaccine 2020; 38: 4362-4373. 2. Micoli, F et al. Comparative immunogenicity and efficacy of equivalent outer membrane vesicle and glycoconjugate vaccines against nontyphoidal Salmonella. PNAS 2018; Recent publications 115: 10428-33. 3. Folegatti PM, et al. Safety and immunogenicity of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2: a preliminary report of a phase 1/2, single-blind, randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2020; 396: 467-478. 4. Marsay L, et al. A novel meningococcal outer membrane vesicle vaccine with constitutive expression of FetA: A phase I clinical trial. J Infect 2015; 71: 326-37. The Role The Gonococcal Vaccine Project is based at the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, and utilizes a novel outer membrane vesicle (OMV) technology to develop a vaccine against gonorrhoea. Similar technological approaches have been applied to the development of licensed vaccines against Neisseria meningitidis and OMV vaccines are in development against other Gram-negative bacteria. Our vaccine has been supported to date by funding from Wellcome and BactiVac, and has achieved preclinical proof of concept, successfully accelerating the clearance of gonococcus in a mouse model of gonococcal infection. On the basis of progress to date, the project is in the process of being awarded substantive funding from US funding to move into ‘Lead Optimization stage. The aim of the project is to develop an OMV-based vaccine through to GMP production and Phase 1 trial and stage gates have been set within the US funding grant to access subsequent funding for transition into ‘IND-enabling stage’ and then the Phase 1 trial. Gonorrhoea is a major cause of sexual and reproductive disease globally and a driver of antimicrobial resistance worldwide. It disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries. There is a pressing unmet need for a vaccine against gonorrhoea. With increasing levels of anti-microbial resistance, the emergence of untreatable gonorrhoea is a real threat. The project could lead to significant impact in this important area of global health. We now seek to appoint a senior postdoctoral scientist with solid experience in a range of skills within the broad remit of vaccinology to join the group in order to conduct the preclinical and clinical development of our OMV vaccine against gonococcus. Skills we are looking for include microbiology, immunology, molecular biology, vaccine production, optimization, quality control and assay development. Previous experience with Gram-negative bacteria and GMP or pre- GMP production would be highly desirable. The post will require good interpersonal skills and the ability to interact productively and accurately with other team members. This is a new position in the group, and we are seeking an enthusiastic, dedicated and driven experienced postdoctoral scientist to make a real difference in this programme of work and the field of gonococcal vaccines. You need to be highly organised, with proven experience in a laboratory environment and experience of vaccinology. The project is a collaboration between the Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group and the appointee will work closely with Professor Christine Rollier and Professor Cal MacLennan, and Dr Christina Dold. Professor Rollier and Dr Dold have brought vaccines through to Phase 1 and 2b clinical trials within the context of academia in Oxford, while Professor MacLennan has 2 industrial experience of end vaccine pipeline development bringing vaccines from laboratory concepts through to licensure. Informal enquiries about this post should be addressed to: [email protected] and [email protected] Responsibilities Develop processes, assays and methodologies to optimize the production of the novel gonococcal vaccine with a view to tech transfer to the Clinical BioManufacturing Facility where the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, ChadOx1-nCoV-19 GMP production took place In particular, the post holder will be responsible for: o Establishing research cell banks of the vaccine production strain on which to build other activities, o Vaccine CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls) and scale up of production methods o Developing a set of Standard Operating Procedures ready for tech transfer o Developing the analytical assays ready for qualification o Oversee immunogenicity and efficacy testing in mice As a Senior Scientist within the group: o Share responsibility for shaping the group’s research plans by leading scientifically and operationally on novel exploratory clinical immunology readouts, organising/ delegating tasks to other members of the team as appropriate o Coach other members of the group on relevant specialist methodologies as required o Contribute knowledge and expertise to other group research priorities o Supervise students Supervision and line-manage of one or more research assistants. Manage collaborations with national and international partner institutions and research groups Regularly write research articles for peer-reviewed journals to describe findings, as well as present data at internal/external seminars and conferences Be involved in management of the US funding grant Participate in and support the public engagement and widening access activities of the Department and the University. This is anticipated to be not more than 2 days per year. Undertake mandatory training as required by the University, Division and Department. The specific list of training courses may change from time-to-time, in response to both legal and internal University requirements. All employees will have to ensure that their work in the laboratory is conducted safely at all times and, in particular, that work is undertaken following the appropriate health and safety policies and procedures for the particular area, without compromise to their own safety or that of others who may be affected. 3 Pre-employment screening All offers of employment are made subject to standard pre-employment screening, as applicable to the post. If you are offered the post, you will be asked to provide proof of your right-to-work, your identity, and we will contact the referees you have nominated. You will also be asked to complete a health declaration (so that you can tell us about any health conditions or disabilities so that we can discuss appropriate adjustments with you), and a declaration of any unspent criminal convictions. We advise all applicants to read the candidate notes on the University’s pre-employment screening procedures, found at: www.ox.ac.uk/about/jobs/preemploymentscreening/. Hazard-specific / Safety-critical duties This job includes hazards or safety-critical activities. If you are offered the post, you will be asked to complete a health questionnaire which will be assessed by our Occupational Health Service (OHS), and the offer of employment will be subject a successful outcome of this assessment. The hazards or safety-critical duties involved are as follows: Working with infectious pathogens (hazard group 2/3) - Hazard Group 3 pathogens Working with blood, human products and human tissues Work with allergens, Eg laboratory animals, pollen, dust, fish or insects etc. Work with any substance which has any of the following pictograms on their MSDS: Travel outside of Europe or North America on University Business Additional security pre-employment checks This job includes duties that will require additional security pre-employment checks: A satisfactory basic Disclosure and Barring Service check due to working with animals University security screening (eg identity checks) Selection criteria Essential selection criteria A doctoral degree (or equivalent) in a subject relevant to vaccine production and CMC. Strong publication record. Experience of advanced development of methodologies in microbiology, immunology and analytical assays Ability to research complex issues and interpret, analyse, and present scientific data and write factual reports. Well-developed organisation skills to be able to manage multiple projects with competing priorities effectively. Ability to independently plan and manage a research project, including a research budget Ability to raise research funds through making grant applications Excellent communication, and interpersonal skills, and ability to work effectively with others. 4 Desirable selection criteria Experience of any of the following areas would be desirable: Experience in industry Experience supervising

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