Senior Drug Discovery Scientist

1KOMMA5° Commercial Solutions GmbH; Heverlee; Presencial; EUR 90.000 - 130.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Full social security

Pension scheme

Health-care programme

International, collaborative setting

Personal and professional development

Descripción de la vacante

VIB in Leuven, Belgium seeks a Senior Drug Discovery Scientist to lead the scientific and strategic direction of early small-molecule programmes, from hit finding through early lead optimisation, with strong project leadership and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

You will work with internal teams and external partners, shaping programmes towards value inflection points for licensing and industry partnerships, using SAR analysis, modelling, and experimental pharmacology, and you will communicate

Formación

• PhD in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences or related field required.
• 5–10 years in small-molecule discovery in industry.
• Apply organic/medicinal chemistry to discovery work.
• Use molecular modelling and predictive methods including ML.
• Collaborate with chemists and biologists.
• Led early hit-finding and hit-to-lead with cross-functional teams.
• Fluent English (written and spoken); translational exposure preferred.

Responsabilidades

• Establish early-stage small-molecule discovery project teams for assigned programmes.
• Coordinate contributors working on discovery project teams.
• Set the strategy that guides each programme from hit finding into early lead optimisation.
• Determine programme priorities as the discovery work develops.
• Take principal go/no-go decisions shaping movement towards valorisation.
• Incorporate computational approaches into SAR analysis and programme choices.
• Act as discovery-chemistry adviser to VIB's scientific community.
• Provide advice on assay design, hit-matter evaluation, hit expansion, hit-to-lead planning and basic pharmacology.
• Work with VIB research groups and core units, computational and experimental scientists, external advisers and CROs.
• Help steer programmes towards value inflection points relevant to licensing, industry partnerships and new biotechnology ventures.

Conocimientos

Hands-on approach

Proactive problem solving

Networking / collaboration

Independent working

Self-motivated

Willingness to learn

English fluency

Humour

Educación

PhD in Chemistry Biochemistry Pharmaceutical Sciences or related

Herramientas

Molecular modelling

Predictive modelling methods

Machine-learning methods

Biochemical / Cell-based assays

High-throughput screening

Biophysical techniques

Structural biology approaches

Descripción del empleo

Official title: Senior Drug Discovery Scientist

Location: Leuven (Flemish Brabant), Belgium | Employment information: Full-time open-ended contract on site

As Senior Drug Discovery Scientist, the appointed professional will take responsibility for the scientific and strategic direction of early small-molecule programmes. The remit moves from hit finding through early lead optimisation and includes choices about priority and programme progression. It combines leadership of project teams with detailed engagement in structure-activity relationship analysis, modelling and experimental evidence. Equally, the role is a consulting resource for VIB researchers who need guidance on discovery-chemistry questions connected with assays, hits, lead development and basic pharmacology. The position also involves collaboration across internal research and core-unit colleagues, external advisers and contract research organisations as programmes are shaped towards defined value inflection points.

Responsibilities

• Establish early-stage small-molecule discovery project teams for assigned programmes.
• Coordinate the contributors working on those discovery project teams.
• Set the strategy that guides each programme from hit finding into early lead optimisation.
• Determine programme priorities as the discovery work develops.
• Take the principal go or no-go decisions that shape movement towards valorisation.
• Incorporate computational approaches into structure-activity relationship analysis and programme choices.
• Act as a discovery-chemistry adviser to VIB's scientific community.
• Provide advice on assay design, hit-matter evaluation, hit expansion, hit-to-lead planning and basic pharmacology.
• Work with VIB research groups and core units, computational and experimental scientists, external consultants and contract research organisations.
• Help steer programmes towards value inflection points relevant to licensing, industry partnerships and new biotechnology ventures.

Qualifications

• Hold a PhD in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences or a related discipline.
• Bring five to ten years of relevant industry experience in small-molecule discovery.
• Apply working knowledge of organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry to discovery work.
• Use molecular modelling and predictive methods, from empirical approaches through machine-learning approaches.
• Demonstrate effective collaboration with both chemists and biologists.
• Show a record of leading early hit-finding and hit-to-lead programmes with cross-functional teams and external partners, while communicating fluently in written and spoken English.
• Preferred: Bring familiarity with biochemical and cell-based assays, high-throughput screening, biophysical techniques and structural-biology approaches used in small-molecule discovery.
• Preferred: Critically interpret data from these methods and guide experimental strategy with assay-development, structural-biology and screening specialists.
• Preferred: Have prior exposure to translational activities such as licensing, industry partnering or new-venture creation.

Skills and Competencies

• Use a hands-on, proactive and solution-driven approach when directing early discovery programmes.
• Build productive professional connections across VIB groups, core units and external contributors.
• Work carefully and independently when assessing programme evidence and priorities.
• Maintain self-motivation while coordinating work that spans scientific disciplines.
• Demonstrate an eagerness to learn in a role involving evolving computational and experimental approaches.
• Communicate fluently in spoken and written English with the scientists and partners involved in the work.
• Bring a sense of humour, which the vacancy recommends for this collaborative setting.

Benefits and Employment Information

• VIB lists full social security for the role, including a pension scheme and a health-care programme.
• The listed setting is supportive, stimulating and international, with a focus on drug development.
• The successful candidate can access VIB initiatives for personal and professional development and lifelong learning.
• For this Senior Drug Discovery Scientist post, the employment information is a full-time, open-ended contract on site; part-time may be negotiable, and the vacancy does not publish a salary.