Senior Director, Head of Internal Discovery Chemistry

Chemistry        ·       New York, NY       ·       Full time

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly creative, strategic leader with significant experience in drug discovery and development to join an integrated team developing a novel platform for the discovery of new drug targets leading to transformational therapeutics.  The successful applicant will report to the Senior Vice President, and Head of Chemistry, lead medicinal chemistry efforts overseeing compound progression to clinical candidate nomination, and have the unique opportunity to impact the strategy and execution of multiple therapeutic programs driven by Kallyope’s cutting-edge biology on the gut and gut-brain axis. 

Candidates for this position will have broad knowledge of synthetic and medicinal chemistry, be well-versed in related disciplines such as pharmaceutical science, drug metabolism, and pharmacokinetics, and have extensive experience in all phases of the drug discovery process from target identification/validation through lead optimization.  Intimate knowledge of the properties needed to advance a compound to the clinic and ability to think creatively and solve problems is a must. 

Key responsibilities include:

• Strategic input into new program opportunities
• Development of novel tools for target identification and validation
• Strategic input into the development of novel screening approaches
• Leadership of drug discovery programs from lead identification and optimization through development candidate nomination, including strategy setting and resource prioritization
• Strategic input into preclinical and early clinical development
• Management of internal chemistry resources

Qualifications and Education Requirements:

You must have:

• A Ph.D. in organic chemistry or a related discipline, or equivalent industry experience
• Prior experience (10+ years) in drug discovery and development, including target validation, lead identification and optimization, clinical candidate nomination, and early development
• Project leadership with demonstrated accomplishments
• Strong people management skills, with a record of managing and developing talent
• Scientific productivity and impact, as evidenced by strong publication record and ability to work effectively in a collaborative setting

About Kallyope

The gut-brain axis is the bidirectional communication between the brain and the gastro-intestinal tract that is facilitated, in part, by the vagus nerve and humoral signals. Kallyope was founded by neuroscientists and molecular biochemists at Columbia University to mine the therapeutic potential of this key, untapped biology. Integrating cutting-edge technologies, we have developed an industry leading platform to enable a comprehensive understanding of gut and gut-brain circuits. Elements of the platform include single-cell sequencing, circuit mapping, opto- and chemo-genetics, enteroids, human genetics, and targeted chemistry. 

The Company is headquartered in the Alexandria Center® for Life Sciences, a state-of-the-art, collaborative life science campus in the heart of Manhattan, with close proximity to New York City’s world-leading clinical and research institutions.  For more information, see www.kallyope.com.

Please click here to apply.