Senior Strategic Advisor, Pharma

About Us

Quanta fold is a quantum-inspired drug discovery start-up headquartered in the UAE. We have developed a breakthrough physics-based engine to disrupt de novo protein target modelling. Our engine takes any protein structure and generates 1,000+ amino acid hit sequences against the target in minutes — replacing high-throughput screening entirely. Our ambition extends beyond a discovery service: we intend to build the UAE's first fully integrated pharmaceutical company, using service revenue to fund a proprietary pipeline and, eventually, GMP manufacturing in the UAE.

Quanta fold is a quantum-inspired drug discovery start-up headquartered in the UAE. We have developed a breakthrough physics-based engine to disrupt de novo protein target modelling. Our engine takes any protein structure and generates 1,000+ amino acid hit sequences against the target in minutes — replacing high-throughput screening entirely. Our ambition extends beyond a discovery service: we intend to build the UAE's first fully integrated pharmaceutical company, using service revenue to fund a proprietary pipeline and, eventually, GMP manufacturing in the UAE.

We are looking for a senior strategic advisor to work directly with the founding team over the next 6-months — a period in which the company will complete its first scientific validation, sign its first paying clients, and make the foundational decisions that shape everything that follows. This is a hands‑on, high-context role: the right person will be helping translate strategy into an executable operating plan, not offering advice from a distance.

• Operational deployment — helping translate strategic direction into an executable plan across a small, fast-moving team
• Go-to-market strategy — guiding sequencing, positioning, and key commercial decisions as we move from discovery service to integrated pharma company
• Prioritization — helping decide what to build now, what to defer, and where operating rigor matters most
• Roadmap and planning — shaping and stress‑testing the strategic plan as scientific, market, and commercial signals evolve
• Validation of our scientific approach and benchmarking methodology, bringing an outside, technically fluent eye
• Structuring of our first commercial partnerships, CRO relationships, and licensing conversations, drawing on direct deal‑making experience
• Introductions to pharma and biotech decision‑makers — at programme level, not just brand recognition
• Guidance on building out the senior team as the company scales beyond its first 12 months

• C‑suite executive experience — CEO, President, CSO, CMO, or Head of BD/Licensing — at a large, well‑known pharmaceutical or top‑tier biotech company
• Direct experience with protein‑based therapeutics — peptides and proteins — rather than small‑molecule drug development
• Clear, hands‑on involvement in end‑to‑end drug discovery, development, and the FDA approval process
• Ideally, participation in at least two programs that successfully achieved FDA approval
• Experience managing external partnerships, including CRO and biopharma collaborations, with a strong understanding of the broader industry ecosystem
• A demonstrated ability to operate above a single function — commercial strategy, org‑building, or P&L exposure, not purely a research or regulatory lens

• An elite scientific pedigree — a top‑tier MD/PhD, an HHMI investigatorship, a named professorship, or a track record of pioneering an approach that changed how the field does drug discovery
• Genuine fluency in the technical/computational side of modern drug discovery — genomics, structural biology, AI- or data‑driven platforms — not just traditional wet‑lab science or regulatory process
• Experience operating in both a large, process‑heavy organization and a smaller, faster‑moving one
• A personal track record of negotiating or sponsoring a partnership, licensing deal, or M&A transaction — not just approving one