Apply on Employer Site

Calico Life Sciences · 1 day ago

Drug Discovery, Project Team Leader

South San Francisco, CA

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$213K/yr - $218K/yr

10+ years exp

Calico Life Sciences is an Alphabet-founded research and development company focused on understanding human aging and developing interventions for healthier lives. They are seeking a Drug Discovery Project Team Leader to oversee drug discovery projects from initial screening to preclinical candidate nomination, leveraging expertise in medicinal chemistry and project management.

Responsibilities

Lead a multidisciplinary drug discovery project team (e.g., Medicinal Chemistry, Biology, DMPK, Safety) from the hit identification phase to preclinical candidate nomination, ensuring successful, timely, and data-driven execution

Utilize expert drug discovery knowledge to define the Target Candidate Profile (TCP) and formulate a comprehensive, efficient, and effective execution strategy with the project team to ensure delivery of the highest quality preclinical candidate

Independently lead and manage internal/external partners across all key drug discovery disciplines within the drug discovery team (e.g., synthetic chemistry, ADME, pharmacology) to ensure scientific excellence, high productivity, and agile prioritization

Utilize expert knowledge in organic and medicinal chemistry to design and synthesize novel small molecules, driving the comprehensive strategy for identifying and optimizing potential drug candidates

Proactively monitor and interpret biological testing, ADME characterization, and hit-to-lead/lead optimization profiling data to propose and execute innovative strategies for improving key drug attributes in a multi-parameter optimization fashion and identifying new target molecules

Effectively tackle, evaluate, and communicate research findings and project progress to chemistry, cross-functional teams, and senior leadership, enabling informed go/no-go decisions

Author and contribute to patent applications, study reports, and scientific publications

Qualification

Medicinal ChemistryDrug Discovery TechniquesComplex Molecule SynthesisProject ManagementPatent Strategy DevelopmentADME CharacterizationCross-Functional Team LeadershipData OrganizationOral CommunicationWriting SkillsMentoring SkillsSelf-MotivatedAdaptability

Required

Ph.D. or Postdoctoral experience in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry with 10+ years of progressive and impactful industrial experience in drug discovery

Demonstrated and proven track record of successfully delivering small molecule candidates that have achieved preclinical candidate nomination and progressed into clinical development as the primary project leader

Significant prior experience leading an integrated drug discovery project (hit identification to preclinical candidate nomination), demonstrating a proven ability to collaborate effectively with and lead a multidisciplinary project team

Leveraged senior expertise to successfully manage CRO chemistry and/or medicinal chemistry teams, driving high-quality execution and productivity leading directly to preclinical candidate nominations

Extensive working knowledge and practical application of modern medicinal chemistry and drug discovery techniques (e.g., hit finding technologies, structure-based drug design (SBDD), computational chemistry, and advanced multi-parameter optimization of target and druglike attributes, physicochemical, and ADME properties)

Expert-level knowledge in complex molecule synthesis, multi-step synthesis, and methods development, purification, and spectroscopic analysis techniques

Proven ability to effectively lead and manage cross-functional teams and related external partners

Demonstrated success in mentoring and developing junior scientists and medicinal chemists within a project team, promoting efficient skill development and mindset for a successful preclinical candidate nomination

Strong publication and patent record in medicinal chemistry

Direct collaboration with Intellectual Property (IP) counsel to craft and implement patent strategies, ensuring robust protection of chemical matter and its key uses

Self-motivated, enthusiastic, and highly adaptable with the ability to quickly identify core project challenges and pivot strategies in a fast-paced environment

Exceptional oral communication and writing skills, with meticulous record-keeping and data organization skills

Must be willing to work onsite 5 days a week

Preferred

Experience with covalent inhibitors, targeted protein degradation and proximity inducing agents

Experience with various hit identification technologies, including fragment-based drug design (FBDD), DNA-encoded library (DEL), high-throughput screening (HTS), virtual ligand screening (VLS), and de novo drug design

Familiarity with preclinical development areas (e.g. CMC, GLP toxicology)

Experience implementing or leveraging AI/ML tools for hit identification, lead optimization, retrosynthesis planning, or predictive ADME/Tox modeling

Benefits

Two annual cash bonuses

Company

Calico Life Sciences

Glassdoor4.1

Calico is an Alphabet-founded research and development company whose mission is to harness advanced technologies.

Founded in 2013

South San Francisco, California, USA

201-500 employees

http://www.calicolabs.com/

H1B Sponsorship

Calico Life Sciences has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)

Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship

Represents job field similar to this job

Trends of Total Sponsorships

2025 (12)

2024 (12)

2023 (7)

2022 (10)

2021 (5)

2020 (14)