Invest in your career with a Madrona-funded company.

Candidates local to Seattle are preferred, but remote applicants are welcome to apply. Candidates must reside in the US.

Starting Salary Range: $194,000 - $221,000

Exemption Status: Exempt

Location Expectations: Remote-Eligible

We are seeking an experienced Director of Medicinal Chemistry & Induced Proximity to spearhead the discovery and validation of monovalent compounds that agonize E3 ligases and neo-substrates, which A-Alpha Bio has identified as potentially gluable. This role will involve extracting insights from binding and structural data to prioritize discovery strategies and managing contract research organizations (CROs) for hit identification, optimization, and validation. This is an exceptional opportunity for the right candidate to join a fast-paced, pioneering venture, potentially forming the bedrock of a significant future initiative.

Responsibilities

• Generate and execute a strategic blueprint for identifying small molecule agonists leveraging E3 ligase / neo-substrate pairs identified by A-Alpha Bio.
• Guide the prioritization process of E3 ligase / neo-substrate pairs for small molecule discovery, leveraging both internal and external datasets pertaining to each pair.
• Evaluate diverse approaches for molecular glue discovery, including experimental and computational HTS, fragment-based screening, DEL screening approaches, etc.
• Manage CROs for the generation of recombinant protein, hit identification, lead optimization, and in vitro binding or functional validation.
• Identify and propose changes to the strategic plan based on progress.

Qualifications

Required

• PhD in chemistry, preferably with 8+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry alongside a strong track record of scientific innovation in the medicinal chemistry discipline.
• Demonstrable track record of identifying development candidates, with a deep understanding of hit generation, structure-based drug design, and lead optimization.
• Experience with induced proximity or targeted protein degradation.
• Experience managing CROs for small molecule screening and validation.
• Experience analyzing and interpreting outputs from small molecule screening campaigns.
• Ability to collaborate with and manage internal experts and external consultants.
• Drug discovery experience in multiple therapeutic areas and target classes.
• High level of ownership and comfort in a fast-moving research environment with high tolerance for ambiguity and risk.

Preferred

• Experience with DNA-encoded libraries.
• Familiarity with startup environments.
• Expertise in structure-based small molecule drug design or computational approaches that leverage structural data.

Candidates of all backgrounds and experience levels are encouraged to apply. Each application will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.