Director – Integrated Drug Discovery & Project Leadership

Talentmark; Great Abington; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Nxera Pharma is seeking an Associate Director / Director to lead integrated drug discovery and project leadership at Granta Park, Cambridge. This senior role will guide programmes from target validation through hit identification, collaborating with Biology, Chemistry, DMPK and Informatics.

Reporting to the Head of Molecular Pharmacology, you will provide scientific and people leadership, build a high-performing team, manage portfolios, and drive strategy and milestones across discovery

Qualifications

• PhD (preferred) or MSc in Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology or a related life sciences discipline.
• Extensive, industry-based experience within biotechnology and/or pharmaceutical drug discovery.
• Demonstrated success leading integrated drug discovery programmes.
• Proven experience line managing and developing multidisciplinary discovery science teams.
• Strong understanding of small molecule hit identification and screening strategies.
• Excellent communication, strategic thinking and stakeholder management skills.
• Familiarity with target identification and target validation approaches.
• Ideally with experience in GPCR pharmacology and an understanding of metabolic or endocrine disease.

Responsibilities

• Leading integrated drug discovery projects from target validation through hit identification and lead optimisation in partnership with Biology, Chemistry, DMPK, Translational Sciences and Informatics.
• Provision of scientific leadership for cross-functional project teams, ensuring robust decision making and project progression to ambitious timelines.
• Supporting portfolio governance, prioritisation, forecasting and resource planning.
• Line managing and mentoring multidisciplinary scientists, fostering a culture of scientific excellence, innovation and accountability.
• Building an inclusive, collaborative and high-performing team.
• Providing strategic oversight of small molecule hit identification campaigns using internal and external capabilities.
• Working closely with medicinal chemistry and biology teams to design effective screening cascades and data-driven progression strategies.
• Provide scientific input into target assessment, translational relevance and portfolio opportunities.

Skills

PhD/ MSc in life sciences

Drug discovery leadership

People leadership

GPCR pharmacology (preferred)

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Target identification & validation

Excellent communication

Education

PhD (preferred)

MSc in Pharmacology/ Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology

Tools

GPCR platforms

Job description

Nxera Pharma is seeking an Associate Director / Director to lead integrated drug discovery and project leadership at Granta Park, Cambridge. This senior role will guide programmes from target validation through hit identification, collaborating with Biology, Chemistry, DMPK and Informatics.

Reporting to the Head of Molecular Pharmacology, you will provide scientific and people leadership, build a high-performing team, manage portfolios, and drive strategy and milestones across discovery