Head of Discovery

About the role

This role will lead the scientific discovery function and help shape how therapeutic opportunities are identified, evaluated, and advanced. You will work closely with founders and the broader model team to apply deep drug discovery expertise to program selection and decision-making. The position combines target biology, computational analysis, and experimental strategy to move promising candidates through critical development milestones.

Responsibilities

• Identify and evaluate therapeutic targets to build scientific rationale for drug programs.
• Analyze model outputs to assess drug candidates for biological plausibility and therapeutic potential.
• Prioritize candidates and make scientific go/no-go decisions to advance the strongest compounds.
• Manage CRO partnerships for candidate synthesis and biological testing, designing experiments to validate hypotheses.
• Collaborate with founders and the model team on drug discovery expertise and evaluation priorities.
• Remain current on target biology, disease mechanisms, and clinical landscapes across therapeutic areas.

Qualifications

• PhD in pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, computational biology, or a related field.
• 5+ years of drug discovery experience.
• Hands-on experience advancing drug discovery programs through all pipeline stages.
• Proven capability to evaluate drug candidates and make scientific go/no-go decisions.
• Familiarity with analyzing AI-generated molecular data and computational model outputs.
• Strong understanding of target biology, disease mechanisms, and therapeutic modalities.

Benefits

• Encouraging environment for creativity and contrarian thinking.
• Supportive culture with a focus on constructive feedback and personal growth.
• Autonomous day-to-day management with a milestone-focused approach.
• Competitive salary and equity in a well-funded startup.
• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage.

Location: Remote – US based candidates only, no visa sponsorship available

Compensation: $130,000 – $180,000 annually