Ventures Associate Director – Therapeutics New York

Schrodinger, Inc; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 185,000 - 235,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare (dental & vision)

401k

Pre-tax commuter benefits

Flexible work schedule

Parental leave

Office meals

Vacation time

Job summary

Schrödinger, Inc. in New York seeks a Ventures Associate Director - Therapeutics to source, evaluate, and incubate novel biotech opportunities.

You’ll leverage deep immunology research and venture experience to assess early-stage therapeutics and drive strategic diligence across portfolios. The role involves engaging with academic leaders, scientific diligence, and collaboration with internal teams to shape new co-created ventures, from ideation through seed financing, while communicating

Qualifications

• PhD in Immunology, Autoimmune Disease, Inflammation, Molecular Biology, Pharmacology, or related field, with postdoc training.
• Minimum one year in a venture fellowship or as an analyst/associate at a life sciences venture fund or biotech creation studio.
• Hands-on experience performing scientific due diligence, market sizing, competitive mapping, and deal memo prep.

Responsibilities

• Perform hypothesis-driven diligence on immunology and inflammation topics and early-stage startups.
• Evaluate preclinical data, mechanism of action, differentiation, tractability, and IP landscapes.
• Engage with KOLs, academics, and clinicians to validate theses and feasibility.
• Map emerging paradigms across universities, tech transfer, and clinical advances.
• Source deal flow by building relationships with founders, ventures, and incubators.
• Partner with therapeutic teams to incubate concepts from ideation to seed financing.
• Assist in developing development plans and target product profiles; map competitive landscape.
• Support portfolio companies with strategic analysis and financing efforts.

Skills

Immunology expertise

Venture diligence

Strategic sourcing

Scientific due diligence

Education

PhD in Immunology or related field

Postdoctoral training

Job description

Ventures Associate Director – Therapeutics

New York

Schrödinger seeks a Ventures Associate Director - Therapeutics to join us in our mission to transform the discovery of therapeutics and materials!

Schrödinger has pioneered a physics-based software platform that enables discovery of high-quality, novel molecules for drug development and materials applications more rapidly and at lower cost compared to traditional methods. The software platform is used by biopharmaceutical and industrial companies, academic institutions, and government laboratories around the world. Our multidisciplinary drug discovery team also leverages the software platform to advance collaborative programs and its own pipeline of novel therapeutics to address unmet medical needs.

As a member of our Therapeutics Group, you’ll leverage your deep research background in immunology, autoimmune biology, and inflammation, as well as your venture experience, to source, evaluate, and incubate the next generation of therapeutic hypotheses and transformative biotech opportunities.

In addition to your resume, please submit a cover letter that describes the following.

• Your PhD/Postdoc research focus in immunology/inflammation
• Your prior Venture Fellowship or venture diligence experience
• An emerging trend or target in immunology/inflammaging that you find compelling for venture creation (one to two paragraphs)

Who will love this job:

• A scientific investor who enjoys bridging the gap between breakthrough science and commercial venture creation
• A researcher with a successful track record of high-impact, peer-reviewed publications and deep expertise in immune pathways, inflammatory cascades, and/or mechanisms of inflammaging
• A skilled synthesizer ofcomplex biological literature who can ask incisive questions and spot critical flaws or hidden potential in early-stage data
• A business strategist who understands early-stage biotech financing, valuation drivers, IP strategy, and drug development lifecycles
• An excellent written and verbal communicator who can translate complex scientific concepts into actionable insights for non-technical investors and stakeholders
• An entrepreneurial thinker who’s comfortable with ambiguity is excited to build novel therapeutics that address significant unmet medical needs

What you’ll do:

• Perform rigorous, hypothesis-driven scientific diligence on the landscape of early-stage mechanisms and stealth startups in immunology, autoimmune diseases, chronic inflammation, and age-related immune dysfunction
• Critically evaluate preclinical data packages, mechanism-of-action validity, therapeutic differentiation, target tractability, and intellectual property landscapes
• Engage with key opinion leaders, academic principal investigators, and clinical experts to validate scientific theses and therapeutic feasibility
• Track and map emerging paradigms across academic research institutions, tech transfer offices, and clinical advancements in immunology and inflammation
• Source high-quality deal flow by building relationships with founders, venture teams, and incubator ecosystems
• Partner with our internal therapeutic team, venture partners, and founders to prioritize and incubate new biotech concepts from ideation through seed stage financing
• Assist in crafting development plans, defining target product profiles, mapping the competitive landscape for the target-disease pair and regulatory pathways, and shaping early operational strategy for new co-created ventures
• Support ongoing portfolio companies with strategic analysis, board meeting preparation, and follow-on financing efforts

What you should have:

• PhD in Immunology, Autoimmune Disease, Inflammation, Molecular Biology, Pharmacology, or a closely related biomedical discipline, as well as relevant postdoctoral training
• At least one year of of work with a recognized venture fellowship program (e.g., Flagship, Arch, Third Rock, Atlas, Corp VC Fellowships, or incubator role) or direct experience as an analyst/associate at a life sciences venture fund or biotech company creation studio
• Practical, hands-on experience conducting scientific due diligence, market sizing, competitive landscape mapping, and deal memo preparation

Pay and perks:

Schrödinger understands it’s people that make a company great. Because of this, we’re prepared to offer a competitive salary, equity-based compensation, and a wide range of benefits that include healthcare (with dental and vision), a 401k, pre-tax commuter benefits, a flexible work schedule, and a parental leave program. We have regular catered meals in the office, a company culture that is relaxed but engaged, and over a month of paid vacation time. Our Office Management team also plans a myriad of fun company-wide events. New York is home to our largest office, but we have teams all over the world. Schrödinger is honored to have been included in Crain's New York Best Places to Work, BuiltIn's NYC Best Place to Work, and Newsweek's list of America's 100 Most Loved Workplaces.

Estimated base salary range: $185,000 - $235,000. Actual compensation package is dependent on a number of factors, including, for example, experience, education, degrees held, market data, and business needs. If you have any questions regarding the compensation for this role, do not hesitate to reach out to a member of our Strategic Growth team.

As an equal opportunity employer, Schrödinger hires outstanding individuals into every position in the company. People who work with us have a high degree of engagement, a commitment to working effectively in teams, and a passion for the company's mission. We place the highest value on creating a safe environment where our employees can grow and contribute, and refuse to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious belief, sex, age, disability, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, marital status, partnership status, caregiver status, sexual and reproductive health decisions, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic. To us, "diversity" isn't just a buzzword, but an important element of our core principles and key business practices. We believe that diverse companies innovate better and think more creatively than homogenous ones because they take into account a wide range of viewpoints. For us, greater diversity doesn't mean better headlines or public images - it means increased adaptability and profitability.

As set forth in Schrödinger’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

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