Machine Learning Engineer - Computational Drug Discovery

5AM Ventures

$120K — $150K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Chemistry, Physics, Data Science, or a related field
  • Strong software engineering fundamentals, including code quality, testing, and CI/CD practices
  • Hands-on experience developing machine learning systems using PyTorch
  • Familiarity with undergraduate-level organic chemistry
  • Strong communication skills with non-programmers
  • Proven ability to independently drive projects from concept to completion
  • Interest in bridging research with practical applications for scientists

Responsibilities

  • Own and maintain production machine learning infrastructure for robust model deployment
  • Develop computational tools and data pipelines supporting scientific workflows
  • Collaborate with chemists and biologists to translate requirements into software solutions
  • Design and build internal AI agents and automation systems
  • Write clean, well-tested, version-controlled code and engage in technical collaboration

Benefits

  • 90% of medical/dental premiums covered by the company
  • Fully-funded HSA for deductible coverage
  • 100% company-paid life insurance
  • Free on-site parking
  • No vacation accrual with a minimum expectation of 3 weeks off annually
  • Employee-funded 401k program
  • Weekly catered team lunches
  • On-site fitness center with complimentary classes and amenities
Full Job Description
Your Role

This role sits at the intersection of machine learning research and the experimental teams that rely on computational tools to drive scientific decisions. Your primary responsibility will be ensuring that cutting-edge models move from research into production-reliably, maintainably, and in forms that scientists can effectively use.

For the right candidate, this is an unusually high-impact position. The systems you build will directly influence molecule triage, experimental prioritization, and the pace of scientific discovery. At many organizations, engineers are several layers removed from scientific decision-making. At our team, that distance is effectively zero.

We value ownership, initiative, and execution. Strong performers will have opportunities to grow into areas such as machine learning research, cheminformatics, AI-driven drug discovery, or agent development. The exact trajectory is flexible and can be shaped around individual strengths and interests.

Your Responsibilities

  • Own and maintain production machine learning infrastructure, ensuring models developed by the research team are robust, maintainable, and deployable
  • Develop computational tools, data pipelines, and machine learning systems that support scientific workflows across chemistry and biology
  • Collaborate closely with chemists and biologists to understand requirements and translate them into effective software solutions
  • Design and build internal AI agents and automation systems, with substantial opportunity to define both the technical direction and user experience
  • Write clean, well-tested, version-controlled code and contribute to a strong engineering culture through code review and technical collaboration


Your Background & Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Chemistry, Physics, Data Science, or a related technical field
  • Strong software engineering fundamentals, including code quality, testing, version control, and CI/CD practices
  • Hands-on experience developing machine learning systems using PyTorch
  • Familiarity with undergraduate-level organic chemistry; you do not need to be a chemist, but should be comfortable working with molecular structures and chemical concepts
  • Ability to communicate effectively with scientific collaborators from non-programming backgrounds
  • Strong sense of ownership and the ability to independently drive ambiguous projects from concept to completion
  • We are particularly excited to bring in people who enjoy turning research ideas into tools that scientists actually use. The ideal candidate is comfortable operating across disciplines, takes pride in building reliable systems, and appreciates the opportunity to have a direct impact on scientific decision-making.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
  • Experience with AWS, MLflow, SQL, Polars, pandas, Ray, or scikit-learn
  • Familiarity with LLM tooling, AI agents, or agent development frameworks
  • Background in cheminformatics, computational biology, bioinformatics, or related fields
  • Experience working in a startup, research, or other highly iterative technical environment


We believe great people do their best work when they're supported. That's why we offer competitive compensation, meaningful equity, comprehensive health benefits, generous time off, professional development opportunities, and the flexibility to do your best work.

In addition to base salary each role has a bonus target to share in company success as well as ownership through equity.

We also provide a full benefits package that is effective from your first day of hire that includes:
  • Medical/Dental insurance with the company covering 90% of your premiums
    • Fully-funded HSA to cover your deductible responsibility
  • 100% Company-paid life insurance regardless if electing benefits
  • Free parking on-site
  • Unaccrued vacation time, with the expectation for employees to take at least 3 weeks annually
  • 401k program, employee funded
  • Weekly catered team lunch
  • On-site fitness center with free classes and amenities

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