We are seeking a candidate with the primary responsibility to lead the computational chemistry efforts and help drive the Research portfolio. Reporting to Head of Drug Discovery, you will bring expertise in structure-guided drug design, molecular modeling, molecular dynamics and library design. The candidate will play a key role in advancing discovery programs by serving as an active member of project teams.

Responsibilities include guiding programs from initial target validation stages through to candidate identification, as well as mentoring medicinal chemists to enhance their understanding and application of computational chemistry best practices. As the lead Computational Chemist on our programs, you will utilize your experience in structure-based and ligand-based design and modeling to drive new discovery processes. Leveraging state-of-the-art machine learning technologies such as QSAR modeling, de novo design tools, and reaction prediction algorithms, you will develop robust workflows and processes that enhance compound design capabilities and enable data-driven decision-making.

Emphasis will be placed on utilization of technologies and processes to improve quality of our compounds as they move towards the clinic. This includes enhancing and complementing our hit-to-lead and lead optimization processes utilizing emerging technologies (e.g. active learning).

In this role you will:

• Lead efforts focused on molecular modeling, structure-based drug design and generative design
• Advance current drug discovery process by co-developing augmented computational strategy for hit-finding through lead optimization
• Foster an environment of innovation and entrepreneurship to build, integrate and apply computational tools and workflows
• Provide hands-on computational chemistry guidance and support for drug discovery projects
• Guide innovation around small molecule computational design and optimization
• Collaborate closely with Research departments, especially Medicinal Chemistry, Discovery Biology, and Discovery Technologies as an integral part of our compound design team
• Establish the Computational Chemistry strategy, including leveraging CROs and collaborators to drive our pipeline efficiently and effectively

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Computational Chemistry, or a related discipline with an emphasis on Computational Chemistry
• 12+ years of experience in the biotech or pharmaceutical industry and demonstrated impact on project progression
• Capable of providing hands-on computational chemistry and modeling support for drug discovery projects with strong skills leveraging state-of-the-art software and approaches (e.g. MOE, Schrodinger tools, cloud computing, FEP and AlphaFold2)
• Proven leadership experience in driving teams towards common scientific goals and leading scientific drug discovery-focused activities
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills and project team experience working collaboratively with scientists and engineers
• Strong foundational understanding of Medicinal Chemistry and DMPK principles

Additional Experience Highly Desirable:

• Cheminformatics and fluency with a variety of data analysis tools
• Programming skills in Python and/or R
• Utilization of AI technologies towards Computational Chemistry including areas of hit-finding through lead optimization
• Experience and/or familiarity with utilization of AI technologies to drive drug discovery
• Big picture thinking with an enthusiasm to drive computational methods forward to help develop novel medicines for patients

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Pay Range:

In the U.S., the hiring pay range for fully qualified candidates is $202,500-$236,250 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors.

Our employees come from different backgrounds, and we celebrate those differences. We are looking for the best candidates for our open roles, but do not expect applicants to meet every qualification in order to be considered. If you are excited about what you could accomplish at Cytokinetics and believe you can add value to our team, we would love to hear from you.