VP of Chemistry - Small Molecule Therapeutics Job at Aerial Talent, South San Francisco, CA

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  • Aerial Talent
  • South San Francisco, CA

Job Description

Well-funded start-up in SSF seeks a Head of Medicinal Chemistry (Vice President or Executive Director) to advance our internal pipeline of small molecule therapeutics into the clinic. Experience with neurodegeneration, CNS, or other brain-penetrant therapeutics required. Experience with covalent inhibitors, bifunctionals, and molecular glues preferred.

Company Highlights:

  • Well-funded
  • Small molecule therapeutics
  • Two lead targets: CNS oncology + neurodegeneration
  • ~25 full-time employees
  • Reports to CEO

Responsibilities:

  • Lead all medicinal chemistry efforts from target validation to preclinical candidate selection and manage all chemistry project timelines
  • Design and develop small molecule compounds, libraries, and probes
  • Oversee the synthesis and optimization of platform-driven small molecules, libraries, and probes
  • Plan and oversee execution of compound scale-up for bulk intermediate supply and preclinical studies (PK/PD, efficacy, safety)
  • Manage external chemistry collaborations, including CRO chemistry programs and CMOs
  • Provide scientific and strategic leadership for medicinal chemistry programs, leading and mentoring chemists and driving the progression of compounds from discovery through IND and into the clinic
  • Develop and contribute to our intellectual property (IP) domain by way of patents and/or publications
  • Stay at the forefront of scientific advancements, including AI/ML-driven drug discovery and emerging therapeutic modalities
  • Join the Scientific Leadership Team and serve as a scientific leader, mentor, and subject matter expert (SME) on multiple project teams
  • Represent in our board meetings, investor meetings and partnering discussions

Qualifications:

  • PhD in synthetic organic chemistry with 10+ years of industry experience in drug discovery
  • Deep expertise in small molecule medicinal chemistry (synthetic organic chemistry, hit identification and validation, hit-to-lead, structure-based and/or pharmacophore-based drug design and lead optimization, ADME/DMPK optimization)
  • Proven track record of advancing small molecule medicinal chemistry programs leading to clinical candidates
  • Experience with neurodegeneration, CNS, or other brain-penetrant therapeutics
  • Experience with GMP manufacturing and process chemistry to support IND-enabling studies
  • Proven ability to manage external partners, including CROs and CMOs
  • Understanding of computer aided drug design (CADD) and AI/ML-driven approaches in medicinal chemistry
  • Scientifically rigorous, highly organized, and with significant attention to detail
  • Hands-on, team-oriented leader with a passion for mentoring and building high-performing teams in a fast-paced start-up environment
  • Experience with and/or openness to emerging drug modalities such as covalent inhibitors, bifunctionals, and molecular glues

Job Tags

Full time,

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