Meliora Therapeutics, Inc. VP - Drug Discovery Remote · Full time

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‍This role is responsible for driving Meliora pipeline programs across from early target discovery to IND. The successful VP of Drug Discovery will utilize the sophistication of the AnchorOmicsplatform to screen new chemical entities, design mechanism of action studies, and drive programs towards new clinical inflection points. This individual will collaborate with R&D functions and the Data Science team to build a robust pipeline of preclinical programs, recruit and train a nimble team, and establish a new headquarters with in-house labs that match the needs of the growing organization. The successful candidate will have an established track record of progressing oncology programs from early-stage target validation to clinical trials.  

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What you'll do: 

• Lead the discovery research strategy to successfully bring programs from target identification and validation through lead optimization and to the clinic; be a key leader in prioritization of programs targeting a variety of cancer targets.
• Drive internal and external execution of research programs, including leveraging CROs for medicinal chemistry and synthetic chemistry.
• Refine therapeutic workstreams and candidate evaluation strategies across integrated teams from early-stage discovery to IND.
• Provide key insights and oversight of early target prioritization and disease/indication expansion.
• Establish roadmap for building capabilities to achieve balanced infrastructure leveraging both internal expertise and external resources.
• Promote strong scientific excellence and foster an open culture of ideation, innovation, and deep scientific rigor.
• Deliver and present key data packages and data-driven scientific updates to the organization that impact pipeline milestones and corporate objectives.
• Lead the expansion of the Drug Discovery team, recruiting key talent and managing, developing, and mentoring team members as they continue their growth as an agile organization.

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Background and skills we are looking for:

• Ph.D. in chemistry or related field is required. 
• Minimum of 15 years of discovery research experience in pharma/biotechnology industry and 8 years of specific leadership and/or management experience; preference for individuals with a strong chemistry background.
• Deep domain expertise in oncology with an established track record of advancing programs to IND; intimately familiar with competitive landscape in targeted therapy drug development as well as latest scientific advances in target biology in the space. 
• Excellent oral, written, and strategic thinking skills with demonstrated ability to successfully lead the ideation and development of a plan and move to action.
• Ability to navigate, problem-solve, execute, and lead in a dynamic, fast-paced and evolving environment.
• Ability to provide leadership and role modeling for members of the team and other parts of the organization while also rolling up the sleeves to drive on the ground execution.  
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What we offer:

• Highly competitive compensation with equity
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans
• The opportunity to have your career grow along with our company
• Work focused on developing cutting-edge technical methodologies to directly create meaningful positive impact on human health
• The freedom to develop your own methodologies and approaches in collaboration with our team to solve our most important challenges
• The opportunity to work with a world-class interdisciplinary team with expertise spanning numerous fields in biology, computer science, and machine learning. We learn from each other everyday and we’re excited to continue learning as we grow!
• Quarterly US based travel for on-site retreats