Vice President, Drug Discovery

The Role

This individual will provide leadership, research and development acumen and strategy for our small molecule drug discovery efforts, positioning our drug candidates competitively with both best and first-in-class product profiles. The VP, Drug Discovery will be part of the company's leadership team and contribute to the company's vision for developing products that can address unmet medical needs. They will work closely with the CEO and CSO and will partner with leaders in Biology, Cell Metabolism and Translational Sciences to build and oversee preclinical drug development programs and translational science/medicine strategy from concept through IND submission. They will provide strategic and tactical oversight for the lead discovery, chemistry, DMPK and CMC efforts. The VP, Drug Discovery will be accountable for the design and implementation of Rheos’s intellectual property strategy.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of targets related to Immunometabolism, oversee strategic execution of drug discovery research and preclinical activities to enable robust, timely and compliant IND submissions with clear development paths
• Help evaluation of in-/out-licensing opportunities
• Generate a robust publication record in leading journals, and present findings at key meetings
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, discovery, and cutting-edge research culture focused on scientific excellence, open communication, and continual improvement
• Serve as the spokesperson for the drug discovery department by representing and promoting our organization to stakeholders, including board presentations, investors, and the scientific community.
• Work closely with leaders across the company to plan and execute the R&D strategy, evaluate new target opportunities, and initiate additional pipeline programs
• Participate in recruiting, coaching and developing internal talents
• Keeps abreast of emerging developments regarding research and development in the fields of immunometabolism, autoimmunity and inflammation and drug discovery
• Engage with external partners, clinical and academic collaborators and CROs
• Lead, manage, develop, and retain a high-performance team focused on developing new class of therapeutics. Provide development opportunities and mentoring to the team
• Provide support to Rheos's intellectual property strategy and patent portfolio

• Experience and demonstrated success in recruiting, building, managing and developing a team of high-performing scientists across multiple levels
• Deep understanding of preclinical PK/PD/efficacy relationships and their translation to the clinic
• Significant experience leading strong multi-disciplinary teams focused on small molecule drug discovery
• Demonstrated application of expertise to drug discovery in multiple therapeutic areas
• PhD in Chemistry, Pharmacology, Biology, Biochemistry, or related field
• Extensive experience leading drug discovery project teams from target validation to IND-enabling studies
• Experience in creating and executing overall drug discovery plan to ensure robust, cost-effective support of company discovery and development portfolio
• Familiarity with engaging and managing external efforts with contract research organizations and academic collaborators
• Experience advancing drugs against novel targets to IND stage in diverse therapeutic areas and molecular target classes
• Extensive knowledge in all relevant disciplines relevant to small-molecule drug discovery (e.g., lead discovery medicinal chemistry, analytical chemistry, biology, pharmacology, DMPK, safety assessment and CMC)
• Knowledge of preclinical and clinical biomarker discovery and development
• Strong leadership, interpersonal and communication skills with an enthusiasm for participating in a fast-paced environment characterized by rigorous science and innovative thinking
• Track record of excellence and innovation as demonstrated by multiple peer reviewed publications and co-inventorship on patents.
• Understanding of the current competitive and regulatory landscape for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
• 15+ years of experience in a drug discovery setting (biotech or large pharma)
• At home in a results-driven, highly accountable environment where you can make a clear impact
• A team player and mentor, who listens effectively and invites response and discussion. A collaborator who communicates in an open, clear, complete, timely and consistent manner
• Working knowledge and participation in CMC-related activities