Director, Computational Chemistry, Modeling & Informatics

Job Description

We are seeking a creative and passionate Computational Chemist with exceptional people and scientific leadership skills to lead our NJ-based Computational Chemistry group within Modeling and Informatics (M&A) at our company.

As part of our larger Discovery Chemistry organization, Modeling and Informatics is an inclusive team of approximately 50 computational chemists, informaticians, data and molecular design scientists who employ state‑of‑the‑art capabilities to drive drug design and development across the globe.

• Management of the Rahway Modeling sub‑teams, accountable for enabling talent growth and career development for all direct reports.
• Deploying computational chemistry resources within the team against the Rahway and company‑wide portfolios to accelerate our pipeline.
• Supporting inclusion, along with a culture of innovation and engagement.

• Delivering on our pipeline directly and through the scientific direction of the group, serving as a role model for advancing medicinal chemistry projects using computational approaches.
• Scientific mentoring and training to maximize team impact against pipeline and capabilities deliverables.
• Engaging in pipeline delivery spanning multiple therapeutic areas and three modalities, including peptides, small molecules, and protein degraders.
• Leading aspects of our capability build and working groups toward our future‑state vision of computational drug discovery at our company.

• Collaboratively setting M&A strategy as a member of the M&A Leadership Team.
• Defining best practices for computational chemistry and directly influencing their execution.
• Reviewing opportunities for collaboration and licensing to enhance our capabilities.
• Enabling a design‑driven and predict‑first culture throughout our company's Chemistry.

• Building bridges and fruitful cross‑functional collaborations with stakeholders across discovery chemistry, pharmacokinetics & pharmacodynamics, quantitative biosciences, therapeutic area biology, information technology, and beyond.

• Ph.D., M.S. or B.S. in chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, or equivalent with a computational emphasis.

• 6‑8+ years of industrial/highly applied experience with a Ph.D., 10‑12+ years with a M.S., or 12‑14+ years with a B.S.
• Demonstrated broad success in advancing pipeline projects in drug discovery through computation, both independently and as a team leader.
• Proficiency in general molecular modeling techniques (docking, molecular simulation, homology modeling, quantum mechanics, QSAR / machine learning, ligand‑ and structure‑based design) with modern software packages (e.g. Schrodinger, Open Eye, CCG).
• Experience with people management.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, with a recognized ability to positively influence decisions and strategy.
• Experience with and passion for developing and/or mentoring computational chemists.
• Ability to build strong, inclusive relationships in highly collaborative, cross‑functional teams to effectively drive computational drug discovery and prioritize across multiple demands.
• Experience in complex problem solving with excellent attention to detail and influencing strategy across organizational boundaries.

• Experience in leading scientific initiatives or capability builds.
• Skilled in scientific programming (e.g. Python, Pipeline Pilot) and data analytics (e.g. Spotfire).

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

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