Executive Director, Chemical BiologyDrug Design

Recursion is seeking an Executive Director of Chemical Biology/ Drug Design to develop and lead chemical biology efforts that bridge multiomic discovery with target ID including chemical probe design as we expand our platform into new modalities beyond traditional small molecules (e.g. targeted protein degradation molecular glues and other emerging modalities). This is a senior scientific leadership role responsible for setting chemical biology strategy managing a team of designers and driving programs that bridge multiomic discovery to target ID and designing our chemical probe library to facilitate target discovery. .

You will lead multidisciplinary project teams: partnering closely internally with biology multiomics platform (high content imaging RNA etc) computational biologists and data scientists to translate novel target and ligand insights into potent selective and developable chemical matter. Youll bring hands-on chemical biology expertise together with the strategic judgment to prioritize programs manage internal and external (CRO) teams and build the new capabilities needed to establish new modalities within the portfolio.

Recursions AI/ML-driven Design Platform is a core tool your team will draw on and youll play an active role in shaping how computational and generative design approaches are integrated into chemical biology decision-making. This role blends deep technical credibility with people and program leadership.

You will lead within the Drug Design team as part of the Discovery function in building Recursions next generation of therapeutic modalities working alongside computational drug design medicinal chemistry biology data science and platform technology groups that integrate proprietary AI-driven technology with advanced molecular design. The team tackles structurally enabled and non-structurally enabled targets across a diverse range of therapeutic areas with a growing focus on proximity (e.g. protein degradation molecular glues) and PPI blockers (e.g. macrocycles). As a leader you will help define how chemical biology strategy and capability is built out and scaled to impact our portfolio.

• Set chemical biology strategy for Recursion based on our multiomics platform with a focus on linking our proprietary maps of biology to targets using modern chemical biology methods and work with teams to establish the right drug modalities (e.g. degraders molecular glues) alongside traditional small molecule work
• Build manage and mentor a team of multiomics chemists fostering a coaching-driven environment for growth
• Establish and manage internal and external (CRO) chemistry teams and networks to execute screening synthesis and validation campaigns
• Partner closely with biology target ID teams structural biology and computational drug design to align chemical biology strategy with target validation and platform capabilities
• Define and align program strategy and go/no-go criteria with senior leadership factoring in competitive landscape and portfolio priorities
• Represent the team in portfolio reviews and governance meetings and lead technical discussions on molecular design with external collaborators and partners
• Contribute to IP strategy and business development activities related to novel chemical matter and new modalities

• PhD in chemical biology chemistry or related field with 10 years of relevant industry experience and demonstrated people leadership
• Deep hands-on track record in chemical probe design selective inhibitors proximity approaches such as molecular glue degraders/PROTACs covalent or activity-based/photoaffinity chemistry
• Proven ability to deconvolute phenotypic hits to mechanism via chemoproteomics or equivalent target ID methods
• Track record building and scaling a chemical biology function hiring mentoring and developing multiple scientists/managers
• Experience setting multi-year technical strategy (e.g. chemical library architecture probe portfolio direction) rather than executing a single programs plan
• Comfortable operating with high ambiguity translating open biological questions into executable chemistry strategy without a pre-defined target
• Executive-level communication: able to represent chemical biology strategy directly to C-suite/board and influence cross-functional senior leaders
• Prior experience managing mentoring or leading chemists and cross-functional project teams including internal/external (CRO) team management

Nice to have

• Direct experience with phenomics high-content imaging (e.g. Cell Painting) or other image-based screening platforms
• Familiarity with how AI/ML-derived phenotypic signatures inform compound prioritization or target nomination
• External scientific visibility publications conference leadership or partner/BD-facing technical credibility
• Experience contributing to IP strategy or licensing diligence involving novel chemical matter

Working Location & Compensation:

We are open to candidates who are local or interested in moving to Salt Lake City Utah; employees are expected to work in the office at least 50% of the time.

At Recursion we believe that every employee should be compensated fairly. Based on the skills experience and qualifications needed for this role the estimated annual base salary range is: $237600$284900. In addition to base salary this role is eligible for an annual bonus equity compensation and a comprehensive benefits package.

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The Values We Hope You Share:

• We act boldly with integrity. We are unconstrained in our thinking take calculated risks and push boundaries but never at the expense of ethics science or trust.
• We care deeply and engage directly. Caring means holding a deep sense of responsibility and respect - showing up speaking honestly and taking action.
• We learn actively and adapt rapidly. Progress comes from doing. We experiment test and refine embracing iteration over perfection.
• We move with urgency because patients are waiting. Speed isnt about rushing but about moving the needle every day.
• We take ownership and accountability. Through ownership and accountability we enable trust and autonomyleaders take accountability for decisive action and teams own outcomes together.
• We are One Recursion. True cross-functional collaboration is about trust clarity humility and impact. Through sharing we can be greater than the sum of our individual capabilities.

Our values underpin the employee experience at Recursion. They are the character and personality of the company demonstrated through how we communicate support one another spend our time make decisions and celebrate collectively.

More About Recursion

Recursion (NASDAQ: RXRX) is a clinical-stage TechBio company decoding biology to radically improve lives. Recursion is advancing a portfolio of differentiated investigational medicines across its wholly owned and partnered pipeline in oncology rare disease neuroscience immunology and other therapeutic areas with significant unmet need. Enabling its mission is the Recursion OS an AI-native end-to-end drug discovery and development platform integrating biology chemistry and clinical development into a unified intelligence system. Powered by proprietary multimodal data purpose-built AI models and bilingual teams fluent in both science and AI the Recursion OS is designed to translate complex science into medicines that matter faster better and at scale for patients who are waiting.

Recursions platform infrastructure is anchored in Salt Lake City Utah and Milton Park Oxfordshire where its automated biology and chemistry laboratories generate proprietary data at industrial scale. Recursion also maintains offices in New York Montréal and London three global hubs for talent and leadership at the intersection of AI and scientific innovation. Learn more at or connect on X and LinkedIn.

Recursion is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin age disability veteran status or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal state local or provincial human rights legislation.

Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.