Executive Director, Medicinal Chemistry

The Executive Director, Head of Discovery Chemistry is accountable for the scientific leadership, strategic direction, and operational excellence of smallmolecule drug discovery from target validation through candidate nomination and transition into Early Development. The role ensures the delivery of highquality, differentiated molecules across Neuroscience and Oncology programs, integrating medicinal, computational, and AI/MLenabled drug design approaches to maximize probability of technical and clinical success.

Essential Functions / Responsibilities

• Serve as global head of Discovery Chemistry with endtoend accountability for smallmolecule discovery programs from hit identification through candidate nomination (Decision Point 0), including discovery formulation and synthesis enablement of transfer to Pharmaceutical Development partners

• Define and execute a Discovery Chemistry strategy aligned with portfolio priorities in Neuroscience and Oncology, emphasizing molecule quality, translation, and longterm value.

• Ensure rigorous molecular design standards addressing potency, selectivity, CNS exposure where applicable, safety margins, and developability.

• Lead and integrate medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, and structurebased design capabilities across internal teams and external partners.

• Oversee state of the art and future-facing disciplined use of AI/MLenabled drug design platforms to accelerate design cycles, improve decision quality, and reduce technical risk.

• Ensure quality of due diligence activities within chemistry and discovery domain of corporate development evaluations

• Drive timely and highconfidence candidate nominations, ensuring transfer and chemistry readiness for INDenabling activities.

• Represent Discovery Chemistry at the level of Research and Non-Clinical Leadership Team, Scientific Review meetings, and Early Development Portfolio Review Committee governance forums, and development transition reviews.

• Partner with Neuroscience and Oncology Research, Translational Science, DMPK, Toxicology, CMC, Regulatory, Pharmaceutical Development, and Clinical Development to ensure seamless progression into development.

• Provide executive scientific leadership in external collaborations, alliances, and due diligence evaluations for inlicensing and M&A opportunities.

• Develop, mentor, and retain senior chemistry leaders, fostering a culture of scientific excellence, accountability, and continuous innovation.

• Manage chemistry contributions to Oncology, Neuroscience new target prioritization working teams and process, ensuring med chem, structural information, tractability tools appropriately integrated into target matrix assessments.

• Ensure Chemistry functional and capacity discipline and continuous improvement

Governance & Portfolio Accountability

• Serve as the Discovery Chemistry representative and accountable leader at Early Development Project Review Committee (EDPRC), Development Project Review Committee (DPRC), and other portfolio governance forums as appropriate.

• Prepare, present, and defend Discovery Chemistry strategies, molecular design rationale, candidate quality attributes, and risk assessments at stagegate, portfolio, and governance reviews.

• Ensure the timely escalation of scientific, technical, and resourcing risks related to molecule quality, developability, or program execution to EDPRC, DPRC, and senior R&D leadership.

• Partner closely with Co-CSOs, Therapeutic Area Heads, EDTLs, Project Management, Pipeline Innovation, and functional leaders to enable sound portfolio decisionmaking, prioritization, and investment allocation across Neuroscience and Oncology programs.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Executivelevel Discovery Chemistry leader with extensive progressive experience in medicinal chemistry and smallmolecule drug discovery within pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology organizations.

• Demonstrated track record of pipeline impact, including:

• Multiple highquality clinical candidate nominations, and

• Documented contributions to latestage development assets and/or approved medicines.

• Deep scientific expertise in medicinal chemistry, lead identification and optimization, and structureactivity relationships across complex target classes relevant to Neuroscience and Oncology, including CNSpenetrant small molecules.

• Proven experience establishing and enforcing molecule quality standards, including potency, selectivity, pharmacokinetics, CNS exposure where applicable, safety margins, chemical developability, and differentiation versus standard of care.

• Extensive experience leading and integrating computational chemistry, structurebased drug design, and AI/MLenabled drug discovery approaches, with clear understanding of:

• Model validation and limitations

• Data integrity and provenance

• Appropriate application to decisionmaking rather than exploratory novelty.

• Demonstrated ability to balance innovation, speed, and scientific rigor in early discovery environments characterized by uncertainty and evolving targets.

• Successful leadership in global, matrixed discovery organizations, with proven ability to influence outcomes and align diverse functional teams toward common objectives.

• Strong strategic and portfoliolevel thinking, with experience shaping discovery strategy to maximize probability of technical success and longterm patient and business value.

• Established external scientific credibility, with the ability to engage effectively with academic leaders, industry peers, alliance partners, and key opinion leaders.

• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, capable of translating complex scientific data and tradeoffs into clear, actionable recommendations for senior governance bodies and executive leadership.

• Proven commitment to talent development, succession planning, and inclusive leadership, with a track record of building highperforming, diverse Discovery Chemistry organizations

• Extensive experience with internal discovery as well as externalized operating models through CROs and biotech partnerships.

Required Experience and Qualifications

Experience

• Extensive progressive experience in medicinal chemistry and smallmolecule drug discovery within pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology organizations.

• Demonstrated success in senior scientific leadership roles (Director, Senior Director, Executive Director, or equivalent), with accountability for strategy, delivery, and organizational performance.

• Proven track record of pipeline impact, including:

• Multiple clinical candidate nominations, and

• Clear ownership of molecule quality and developability through discovery and early development transition.

• Significant experience leading discovery programs in Neuroscience and/or Oncology, including complex target classes and, where applicable, CNSpenetrant smallmolecule design.

• Extensive experience directing and integrating medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, and structurebased drug design capabilities within a matrixed R&D environment.

• Demonstrated ability to lead and govern the validated use of computational chemistry and AI/MLenabled drug design tools, with clear understanding of their appropriate application, limitations, and impact on decisionmaking.

• Experience representing discovery functions in portfolio governance and decisionmaking forums (e.g., research review committees, early development or portfolio review committees).

• Proven ability to lead global, crossfunctional organizations, including mentoring senior leaders, setting performance expectations, and building highperforming teams.

Education

• PhD in Chemistry (Medicinal Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, or closely related discipline) or equivalent scientific degree required.

Preferred Experience and Qualifications

Experience

• Direct contribution to latestage clinical development programs and/or approved medicines.

• Experience leading discovery organizations across multiple therapeutic areas, with depth in both Neuroscience and Oncology portfolios.

• Handson or leadership experience establishing molecule quality bars, including CNS exposure, safety margins, physicochemical optimization, and chemistry readiness for INDenabling studies.

• Experience serving as a senior scientific leader in Early Development governance bodies (e.g., EDPRC / DPRC equivalents), including preparation and presentation of stagegate and portfolio materials.

• Experience with external collaborations and alliances, including joint governance, CRO strategy, and scientific oversight of external partners.

• Participation in or leadership of scientific due diligence activities for inlicensing, acquisitions, or strategic partnerships.

• Recognized external scientific credibility, demonstrated through publications, patents, invited presentations, or leadership within the broader discovery chemistry community.

Education and Training

• Postdoctoral training in medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, computational chemistry, or a related discipline.

• Formal or experiential training in computational chemistry, data science, or AI/ML applications in drug discovery.

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