Director, Cellular Therapies

Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC), an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in the state of Florida, and the #11 ranked Best Hospitals for Cancer on U.S. News & World Report, is seeking a visionary leader who will serve as the Technical Director of the Cell Therapies Facility (CTF), focused on the development and application of cell therapies across the spectrum of cancer care and research.  MCC includes a 206-bed hospital, three ambulatory care facilities, a high-volume screening program, and state-of-the-art clinical, translational and basic science research space. The CTF is in a newly constructed state-of-the-art 16,500 square foot GMP compliant physical plant on Moffitt’s McKinley Drive campus and is directly affiliated with our 36-bed blood and marrow transplant unit, the transplant unit at our pediatric affiliate institution, and our dedicated clinical research unit. The CTF is also a designated core facility within the center’s NCI support grant as well as is one of five NHLBI designated PACT sites nationally. The incoming Director will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of production of cellular therapeutics at Moffitt as well as activities associated with external industry partnerships.

• The Director will also be expected to develop additional cellular therapeutics as the active research programs in transplantation and immunotherapy may require.
• Plans for adding viral vector production services as well as a human immune monitoring core to the CTF are underway.
• MCC is affiliated with the University of South Florida and university appointments are available, as applicable, and academic faculty rank in the Department of Immunology at Moffitt is commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Candidate Qualifications

• Successful candidates must have a PHD and/or MD degree, along with hands-on experience in managing the operation of an academic or commercial cell processing facility.
• We are seeking a strong visionary and inspirational leader who can artfully convey a long-term vision for cellular therapies yet is equally skilled at operationalizing a detailed plan to achieve that vision; an “out-of-the box” thinker who is energetic but pragmatic and results-oriented.

This position offers an exciting opportunity to build upon and enhance Moffitt's significant cellular therapy capabilities, accelerating scientific discovery and translation to the clinic, as a contributing leader within one of the most important core facilities at Moffit. Moffitt's size, its singular focus on cancer, and its close interaction and outreach with academic partners and caregivers throughout the state, nation, and world all contribute to the rich, collegial, and collaborative environment required to conduct outstanding clinical care and translational cancer research.

MCC leadership is striving to become one of the nation’s top five cancer centers by 2028 or sooner. Moffitt’s pursuit of curing cancer with personalized oncology is heavily dependent on the success and growth of cellular therapies, which touches many of the clinical disease-specific pathways that have been established at Moffitt.

For confidential inquiries, contact Jay Torio, Senior Director of Academic and Executive Recruitment, at jay.torio@merritthawkins.com