Director of AI-Driven Molecular Discovery & Platform

DeepCamp; Cambridge, San Francisco (MA, CA); Hybrid; USD 202,000 - 323,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision

Life & Disability Insurance

Flexible time off

Parental leave

Educational assistance

Commuter benefits

Lunch program

International benefits

Job summary

Lila Sciences in Cambridge, MA seeks a Director, Molecular Discovery to lead autonomous discovery programs from hit identification through candidate nomination, partnering with AI/ML, robotics, and software teams to maximize speed and quality.

The role emphasizes throughput, ADMET and IND-enabling decision making, with responsibilities spanning program architecture, CRO collaborations, and leadership of scientific staff, and includes equity and a competitive base salary.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, chemical biology, or related discipline.
• 12+ years in small molecule drug discovery with 5+ years in senior leadership.
• Involved in programs delivering clinical candidates with proximity to progression decisions.
• Fluency in medicinal chemistry principles including SAR and lead optimization tradeoffs.
• Operational mindset with metrics, milestones, and accountability.
• Strong knowledge of ADMET, DMPK, and required data packages.
• Fluency with AI/ML-driven molecular design and knowing when computational output is actionable.
• Hands-on collaboration with scientists.

Responsibilities

• Own discovery programs from hit identification through lead optimization and candidate nomination.
• Lead discovery output, timelines, quality benchmarks, and throughput targets.
• Interface between autonomous platform and drug discovery decisions ensuring potency, selectivity, and ADMET.
• Collaborate with AI/ML, robotics, and software teams to close loop between predictions and experiments.
• Architect discovery program components, assays, capabilities, and staffing.
• Define and enforce quality standards and decision criteria for progression of compounds.
• Coordinate with CROs and external partners for specialized studies.
• Provide drug discovery expertise to product teams for partnerships.

Skills

Program leadership

AI/ML-driven design

Throughput optimization

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical communication

Hands-on collaboration

Education

Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry or related field

Job description

Lila Sciences in Cambridge, MA seeks a Director, Molecular Discovery to lead autonomous discovery programs from hit identification through candidate nomination, partnering with AI/ML, robotics, and software teams to maximize speed and quality.

The role emphasizes throughput, ADMET and IND-enabling decision making, with responsibilities spanning program architecture, CRO collaborations, and leadership of scientific staff, and includes equity and a competitive base salary.