Director, Discovery Chemistry
Core
Lead the design, synthesis, and optimization of small molecules, translating AI-generated hypotheses into synthetically tractable chemical matter for therapeutic applications.
Role type
Director, Discovery Chemistry (IC + Team Leadership)
Builds
Novel small molecule series, analog libraries, and optimized chemical matter for drug discovery.
Domain
Pharmaceutical discovery / Organic synthesis / AI-enabled science
Deliverable
production ML models | product features | dashboards & analysis | research | client delivery | infrastructure | physical/clinical work
Required skills
Synthetic organic chemistry, retrosynthesis, route design, molecular design, physicochemical property optimization, analog generation, high-throughput synthesis, team leadership, program management
Preferred skills
AI-enabled discovery integration, robotics/automation platform experience, modern synthesis-enabling technologies, cross-functional collaboration
Technologies
Robotic synthesis platforms, high-throughput chemistry systems, AI/ML design tools
Responsibilities
Drive discovery chemistry strategy and synthetic route design for novel small molecules; Develop efficient workflows for iterative design-make-test cycles with AI teams; Partner with automation teams to establish robotic and high-throughput chemistry capabilities; Oversee molecular optimization integrating SAR, selectivity, and developability; Collaborate with biology and screening teams to translate assay data into design decisions; Establish best practices for experimental design, data capture, and quality control.
Seniority
Director, strategic leadership with hands-on technical expertise