Careers

Published: 21/12/2020
Job description:
Confo Therapeutics, a spin-out of VIB and VUB, is a drug discovery company built around a disruptive technology which enables it to address ‘undruggable’ GPCRs. The company is building a portfolio of transformative medicines in various disease areas. Confo Therapeutics is currently located on the Technology Park in Zwijnaarde/Ghent and on the Etterbeek campus of the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels. More information about Confo’s technology and strategy can be found on www.confotherapeutics.com.

For the expansion of our Computer-aided Drug Discovery (CADD) and Informatics function in Ghent we are currently looking for a (m/f/x):

(Senior) R&D Application Architect

Role Overview:

Confo Therapeutics is seeking a motivated programmer who is passionate about software development and solving business problems with state-of-the-art technology solutions. You will design and implement impactful solutions, construct high quality code to smoothen the user experience and inter-communication of the different applications that support the various R&D teams. This is a tremendous opportunity to do meaningful work in an innovative and exciting environment.

Role Responsibilities:

• As an R&D application architect you will develop and deploy software solutions that solve our application integration needs for the capture, analyse and reporting of data generated by the various R&D teams. You will integrate applications by building custom REST APIs or by calling other internal or external systems via an ESB solution
• You will deliver solutions in line with R&D needs, timelines, and priorities
• You will help to make the data capturing process user friendly, non-redundant, less error prone and consistent
• You will design and (co-)develop both the back end and front end of custom web applications
• You will create plugins for applications such as the CLC Main Workbench and CLC Science Server to implement custom sequence analysis tools and/or wizard driven interfaces to other applications

Basic Requirements:

• Master’s degree in computer science, informatics engineering, mathematics, physics or equivalent
• Have 7+ years of experience as an application architect or lead developer in a service-oriented architecture environment on multiple software products

• A solid grasp of common software engineering practices, like object-orientated programming principles, modern design patterns, test-driven development, and continuous integration/deployment
• A proven background in full stack architecting, implementation and delivery of enterprise-scale, robust projects
  • Back-end development (using programming languages such as Java, Python, etc. and frameworks for example Django, Spring Boot, Node.JS, etc.)
  • Front-end development in JS (for instance Vue.js, webpack, EmberJS, AngularJS, React, etc.) and/or HTML, CSS, etc.
  • Deep understanding of the full web technology stack (including HTTP, cookies, asset loading, caching, REST, etc.)
• Knowledge of UI development in Java Swing
• Proficient with DevOps tools such as Maven, Git, Nexus, GoCD, etc.
• Skilled in Java programming
• Enterprise Service Bus technologies (for example Apache Camel, Mule ESB, Talend, etc.)
• Skilled in Oracle SQL query language and query optimization
• Proficient in process analysis, data analysis and data modelling
• Flexibility and ability to adjust on-the-fly to new business demands, as well as a sense of urgency
• Demonstrate the ability to proactively explore, learn and apply new value adding technologies
• You understand the importance of telling the story of the technical solutions through proper documentation and knowledge sharing
• You can collaborate and effectively communicate with internal and external collaborators

Preferred Requirements:

• Background or interest in tools required to support business workflows in pharma with focus on Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS)
• CLC plugin development using the CLC DevKit
• Experience with cloud and container technologies (such as AWS, Azure, Docker, Singularity, Kubernetes) is an asset
• Knowledge of Dotmatics suite of modules
• Project planning and management experience is desirable

Our offer:

• A competitive compensation package with extensive benefits
• The chance to continuously grow as a professional
• A job where you can make the difference
• An entrepreneurial and stimulating working environment in a growing and ambitious biotech company

Do you have the right qualifications and are you up to the challenge of joining our entrepreneurial team? Then forward a short motivation letter and your CV with description of your technical expertise to careers@confotherapeutics.com.

Published: 30/08/2020

Job description:

Confo Therapeutics, a spin-out of VIB and VUB, is a drug discovery company built around a disruptive technology which enables it to address ‘undruggable’ GPCRs. The company is building a portfolio of transformative medicines in various disease areas. Confo Therapeutics is currently located on the Etterbeek campus of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and on the Technology Park in Zwijnaarde/Ghent. More information about Confo’s technology and strategy can be found on www.confotherapeutics.com.

For the expansion of our drug discovery team in Ghent we are currently looking for a (m/f):

(senior) Research Associate Screening development team

Your responsibilities:

• Work on the development of new screening assays to extend the Confo technology platform
• Validate assays on new targets towards drug discovery
• Run assays to support ConfoBody® characterization and drug discovery programs using different techniques such as cell based assays, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), HTRF, AlphaScreen, radioligand displacement assays, …
• Analyze and interpret your own research data and create reports using established software tools and systems
• Provide high-quality data on time and report results within electronic lab notebook
• Communicate your experimental progress to line management and/or project teams
• Handle multiple projects in parallel with overlapping deadlines

Your profile:

• Degree of Professional Bachelor in Laboratory Technology or Biotechnology (Laboratory Technician A1), Bachelor or Master in Industrial Sciences (Industrial Engineer), Biochemistry, Biotechnology or equivalent
• Experience in a related field in biotech or pharma environment is a strong plus
• Experience in cell culture handling and performing protein binding assays and/or cellular assays would be an advantage
• Highly collaborative, self-motivated, team-oriented, problem-solving skilled individual
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, highly integrated team environment where accuracy, accountability and timeliness are essential
• Ability to keep accurate and complete records of all scientific experiments according to established procedures.
• You are fluent in English and can communicate research results to the team and cross-functional stakeholders across the company

Our offer:

• A competitive compensation package with extensive benefits
• An entrepreneurial and stimulating working environment in a growing and ambitious biotech company

Do you have the right qualifications and are you up to the challenge of joining our entrepreneurial team? Then forward a short motivation letter and your CV with description of your technical expertise to careers@confotherapeutics.com

published: 30/07/2020

Job description:

Confo Therapeutics, a spin-off of VIB and VUB, is a drug discovery company built around a disruptive technology which enables it to address ‘undruggable’ GPCRs. The company is building a portfolio of transformative medicines in various disease areas. Confo Therapeutics is currently located on the Technology Park in Zwijnaarde/Ghent and on the VUB campus in Brussels. More information about Confo’s technology and strategy can be found on www.confotherapeutics.com.

For the expansion of our drug discovery team in Ghent  we are currently looking for a(m/f):

Senior Scientist Structural Biology

Confo has a unique technology which makes use of antibody fragments or “ConfoBodies®” to stabilize G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) in a particular conformation of interest as a superior starting point for protein structure determination. Recently, Confo secured an exclusive license to the Megabody™ technology. Megabodies enable to produce high resolution cryo-EM structures of membrane proteins, overcoming current protein size limitations and potential preferential orientation issues in the study of GPCRs via cryo-EM.

Your responsibilities:

• Biophysical, X-ray and EM experiments to produce GPCR structural biology results: provide experimental structural input and support to drive NCE projects to achieve milestone goals
• Working closely with medicinal chemists and biologist to help advance the project and technology platforms
• Supervising and coaching one or more research associates
• Leading the integrated discovery activities of projects as a core member of project teams
• Coordination and management of drug discovery projects: in a project leader role, you will be expected to maintain focus and provide direction to the team members with clear project plans and defined timelines, maintain productive relationships with project team members and communicate progress against goals in a multidisciplinary setting:  chemistry, biology, pharmacology, and modeling

Your profile:

• PhD or equivalent experience in a related field, with at least 3 years of experience as post-doc or in a company
• Extensive technical skills in purification, sample preparation for and design and implementation of crystallization trials as well as demonstrated experience in crystal optimization techniques for membrane proteins
• Demonstrated experience in sample preparation and optimization for cryo-EM studies on membrane proteins
• Demonstrated expertise in data collection and interpretation of both X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM co-structure data to support NCE optimization
• Experience with protein biophysical characterization ((F-)SEC, IR, thermostability) and screening (thermal shift, SPR) is a plus
• Highly collaborative, self-motivated, team-oriented individual
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, highly integrated team environment where accuracy, accountability and timeliness are essential
• You are fluent in English and can communicate research results to the team and cross-functional stakeholders across the company

Our offer:

• A competitive compensation package with extensive benefits
• An entrepreneurial and stimulating working environment in a growing and ambitious biotech company
• Excellent career development opportunity, with exposure to all aspects of R&D in the company, with external collaborators and partners

Do you have the right qualifications and are you up to the challenge of joining our entrepreneurial team? Then forward a short motivation letter and your CV to careers@confotherapeutics.com