Director of Biochemistry

This Stealth Mode Company is a top-tier venture backed, privately held biotechnology company on a mission to create "a new modality to end all modalities". The team is aspiring to drastically scale up and change the trajectory of drug discovery by tackling the biggest challenges of existing modalities, and applying the platform to targets with the highest impact for patients. The Company is co-founded by a seasoned entrepreneur with a track record of establishing successful biotech ventures, both public and private, alongside another co-founder who formerly served as President of R&D for a large pharmaceutical company.

Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced and motivated Director/Sr. Director, Biochemistry to lead and shape our core biochemistry capabilities. The successful candidate will oversee a multidisciplinary team responsible for protein expression and purification, assay development, and Affinity Selection screening, as well as the orthogonal confirmation of hits using advanced biophysics and biochemical assays. In this leadership role, you will work closely across broader discovery teams to ensure alignment between biochemistry and drug discovery efforts.

Impact You’ll Make

Develop and lead our biochemistry platform, ensuring that the team’s efforts are aligned with the company’s broader discovery goals.

• Collaborate closely with the CTO and key stakeholders to set objectives, prioritize resources, and ensure high-impact delivery of results.
• Lead and Mentor teams fostering a culture of scientific excellence, innovation, and collaboration within the team and across the organization.
• Oversee protein production and purification, optimizing processes for high-quality, soluble or stabilized, functional proteins, including complex targets while facilitating smooth protein handover for downstream applications.
• Lead the design and development of biochemical and biophysics assays to enable high-quality target validation and hit identification/confirmation.
• Oversee the implementation of affinity selection screening to identify peptides or related modulators that bind to target proteins.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners including academic collaborators and CROs, to accelerate platform development and project timelines and integrate screening and profiling results to the DMTA cycles, to help program leads driving hit generation and hit-to-lead optimization.
• Lead hit validation with orthogonal biophysics assays (SPR, ITC, MST, NMR, DSF) to confirm target engagement, affinity, and mechanism of action. Drive automation and cutting-edge technologies to streamline assays and improve data quality. Stay ahead of the curve by monitoring and incorporating emerging trends in protein biochemistry, screening technologies, and biophysics assays.

Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Biophysics, or related field, with 10+ years of relevant experience in protein sciences, assay development, and biophysics assays in biotech or pharmaceutical industries.
• Proven track record of leading scientific teams, with experience in protein expression and purification, assay development, and MS-based affinity screening.
• Strong hands-on experience with some of the standard biophysics techniques such as SPR, ITC, MST, DSF, and NMR for confirming protein-ligand interactions and mechanistic studies.
• Deep knowledge of screening platforms, with experience in developing and optimizing high-throughput biochemical and biophysics assays.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional collaborations, working closely with chemistry, data science, and other teams to drive drug discovery programs forward.
• Experience with automation systems and integration of robotics into screening workflows is a strong plus.
• Strong strategic thinker with the ability to innovate and problem-solve in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication skills with a proven ability to present complex scientific concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience in a startup or fast-moving biotech environment is highly desirable.

Why Join Us?

• Innovative Science: Be at the forefront of scientific discovery in a stealth-mode biotech company focused on developing first-in-class therapeutics.
• Impactful Leadership Role: Lead and shape a critical function within the company, working with world-class scientists to solve challenging problems and drive drug discovery forward.
• Collaborative Environment: Work in a highly collaborative environment where your insights and contributions directly impact the success of the company.
• Competitive Compensation: We offer a competitive salary, equity package, and comprehensive benefits to recognize and reward your contributions to the company’s mission.