Senior Director, Computational Drug Discovery
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Job Location:
Monthly Salary:
Posted on:
30+ days ago
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
About Apheris
At Apheris we are building the future of how AI is applied in pharmaceutical R&D.
Our federated computing technology enables global pharma companies to collaborate securely on large AI models that accelerate drug discovery without ever sharing their proprietary data. By powering multi-partner data networks across small molecules antibodies and protein folding Apheris is redefining how science and AI intersect.
Apheris is a neutral technology and solutions provider. We do not conduct internal drug discovery research and we do not develop proprietary drug assets. Instead we support pharmaceutical computational drug discovery teams with production-grade applications models and infrastructure that help advance their own drug programs.
We currently host two flagship networks: the AI Structural Biology (AISB) Networkfocusedon protein co-folding and binding affinity prediction and theADMET Networkfocusedon small-molecule property addition we havejustlaunchedApherisFold an enterprise co-folding solution that enables pharma teams to deploy cutting-edge models such as OpenFold 3 and Boltz-2 directly within their own environments.
Our federated computing technology enables global pharma companies to collaborate securely on large AI models that accelerate drug discovery without ever sharing their proprietary data. By powering multi-partner data networks across small molecules antibodies and protein folding Apheris is redefining how science and AI intersect.
Apheris is a neutral technology and solutions provider. We do not conduct internal drug discovery research and we do not develop proprietary drug assets. Instead we support pharmaceutical computational drug discovery teams with production-grade applications models and infrastructure that help advance their own drug programs.
We currently host two flagship networks: the AI Structural Biology (AISB) Networkfocusedon protein co-folding and binding affinity prediction and theADMET Networkfocusedon small-molecule property addition we havejustlaunchedApherisFold an enterprise co-folding solution that enables pharma teams to deploy cutting-edge models such as OpenFold 3 and Boltz-2 directly within their own environments.
About the role
We are looking for a Senior Director Computational Drug Discovery to build and lead a small high-impact computational drug discovery team and to serve as a peer-level scientific counterpart to senior computational chemistry and drug discovery leaders at the worlds leading pharmaceutical companies.
You will work closely with Product ML/AI and Commercial teams to shape how Apheris applications models and data networks are applied to drug programs of our customers. Your role is to ensure that scientific direction workflows and recommendations are grounded in how drug discovery is actually executed in industry and deliver measurable value in practice.
This is a hands-on externally facing leadership role. It requires strong industry credibility comfort giving and challenging scientific direction and the ability to engage directly with senior scientific stakeholders at our pharma customers. You will lead a team of application scientists with a background in computational or medicinal chemistry. You maintain a strong working understanding of modern ML approaches in drug discovery and their practical implications and are comfortable operating hands-on in a fast-paced venture-backed remote-first environment.
You will work closely with Product ML/AI and Commercial teams to shape how Apheris applications models and data networks are applied to drug programs of our customers. Your role is to ensure that scientific direction workflows and recommendations are grounded in how drug discovery is actually executed in industry and deliver measurable value in practice.
This is a hands-on externally facing leadership role. It requires strong industry credibility comfort giving and challenging scientific direction and the ability to engage directly with senior scientific stakeholders at our pharma customers. You will lead a team of application scientists with a background in computational or medicinal chemistry. You maintain a strong working understanding of modern ML approaches in drug discovery and their practical implications and are comfortable operating hands-on in a fast-paced venture-backed remote-first environment.
What you will do
- Own scientific direction across modalities data and workflows
- Define which drug discovery problems modalities and data types Apheris prioritizeswith our product offerings.
- Guidehow applications and models should evolve to remain maximally useful to pharma teams.
- Balance scientific ambition with practicality and adoption in customer environments.
- Own the why and high-level structure of new scientific initiatives and proposals while partnering closely with internal ML and science teams on detailedmethodologyand execution.
- Build and lead an established growing computational drug discovery team
- Lead a core team already in place including a senior medicinal chemist and a forward-deployed scientist both with top-tieracademic andindustry backgrounds.
- Hire and integrate 12additionalteam members over the next 69 months as customer demand scales.
- Set clear direction and execution standards across all customer-facing programs.
- Oversee scientific quality and program enablement rather than personally owning detailed technical implementation.
- Act as the senior counterpart to pharma R&D leaders
- Engage comfortably and credibly with leading computational drug discovery scientists at large pharmaceutical companies.
- Lead deep scientific discussions on program strategy model application and decision-making trade-offs.
- Provideauthoritative guidance grounded in real-world drug discovery experience.
- Serve as the visible scientific face to customers including at senior leadership level.
- Represent Apheris in the ecosystem
- Build trust and credibility through talks and direct engagement with the community.
- Strengthen Apheris reputation as a serious neutral partner for computational drug discovery.
- Contribute to strategic narratives around why federated and AI-driven approaches enable better drug programssupported by internal ML and science teams for technical manuscript writing.
- Oversee and challenge program-level recommendations to ensure strategic alignment and scientific rigor.
- Drive hands-on scientific leadership across customer programs
- Give concrete actionable scientific direction to application scientists and customer teams.
- Ensure recommendationsreflecthow discovery programs are actually run not theoretical workflows.
- Review and challenge analyses models and conclusions tomaintaina high scientific bar.
- Partner closely with Product and ML/AI teams
- Translate customer needs and scientific insight into clear product and model requirements.
- Shape prioritization decisions by grounding them in customer impact and discovery realities.
- Act as a scientific bridge between customers and internal development teams.
What we expect from you
- PhD in computational chemistry cheminformatics computational drug discovery or a closely related field.
- 8 years of post-PhD industry experience in computational drug discovery or computational chemistry includingproven impact on drug discovery programs from hit finding through lead optimization.
- Strong practical understanding of structure-based and ligand-based design ADMETmodelling and integration of experimental and biophysical data in real drug programs.
- Solidunderstanding of modern ML approaches in drug discovery with sound judgment on where ML materially improves outcomes.
- Strong scientific credibilitydemonstratedthrough prior roles at leading pharma top-tier biotech or recognized computational drug discovery technology providers andideallya solid publication record.
- Demonstrated experience leading and mentoring computational drug discovery teams.
- Comfortable operating hands-on in a fast-moving venture-backed remote-first environment.
- Clear motivation to enable customer drug discovery programs rather than run internal pipelines.
Nice to have
- Background as an application scientist at a leading computational chemistry or drug discovery software provider.
- Experience leading computational drug discovery teams at aTechBioor advanced biotech.
- Priorexposure to federated multi-partner data collaborations.
- Experience shaping product direction for scientific software platforms.
What we offer you
- Direct collaboration with world-leading computational drug discovery scientists across major pharmaceutical companies.
- A leadership role with real influence on company direction scientific priorities and product strategy working closely with the founders.
- Regular interaction with our Scientific Advisory Board and external experts at the forefront of the field.
- The opportunity to build and scale the computational drug discovery function from the ground up.
- Competitive compensation including meaningful early-stage virtual share options.
- Generous holiday allowance
- Great suite of benefits including a wellbeing budget mental health benefits a work-from-home budget a co-working stipend and a learning and development budget
- Remote-first working work where you work best whether from home or a co-working space near you
- Office Daysat our Berlin HQ or a different European location(3x a year)
Required Experience:
Exec
Key Skills
About Company
Build ML-powered products using data that spans organizational or geographical boundaries, while ensuring compliance with regulation.
