Senior Director / Vice President, Machine Learning (Generative Chemistry)
About this role
Independent leaders who thrive in fast-paced entrepreneurial settings will enjoy shaping the trajectory of AI-powered drug discovery at FL117. As the Senior Director or Vice President of Machine Learning for Generative Chemistry, the incoming executive will direct computational teams split across AI, molecular simulations, and cheminformatics. The role exists to helm the creation of multi-modal generative models for biomolecular design while establishing practical AI strategies and robust production-grade systems.
Day-to-day responsibilities involve overseeing platform development, guiding molecular modeling and agentic LLM workflows, and maintaining rigorous model benchmarking. The leader will mentor early team members, contribute to venture planning and budgets, and scout emerging literature to propose novel development approaches. This position requires deep technical expertise combined with a track record of driving results through cross-functional teams in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical sector.
What you will do
- Lead the development, implementation, control, and reporting of AI and computational projects within assigned ventures.
- Take a specialized technical role on project teams to oversee method development, pipeline creation, and LLM-based agent or workflow design.
- Promote operational excellence in AI projects by educating cross-functional collaborators on best practices.
- Manage internal scientists and engineers while mentoring early hires and supporting the recruitment process.
- Contribute to project planning by establishing budgets, resources, and timelines while surfacing risks early.
- Independently scout emerging literature in the AI and machine learning landscape to propose new development strategies.
What you need
- Hold an MSc or PhD in Computer Science, AI/ML, Physics, Biophysics, or a related field.
- Demonstrate at least seven years of scientific, engineering, or computational experience in pharmaceutical or biotech settings.
- Possess experience driving results directly or indirectly through teams of engineers and scientists in dynamic environments.
- Provide clear evidence of sustained independent thought and creativity driving high impact across drug development and chemistry AI projects.
- Show a successful track record of leadership and contribution to decision-making regarding the progression of AI models within programs.
- Bring depth across core tools including Python, modern machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX/TensorFlow, version control, databases, and deep learning architectures.
Nice to have
- Breadth across protein modeling, cheminformatics, docking, ADMET, biophysics, and molecular dynamics.
- Strong presence in the machine learning community through publications and conference proceedings.
- Expertise in MLOps tools including DVC, LakeFS, MLflow, Weights & Biases, and secure AWS infrastructure.
- Experience with generative modeling approaches like diffusion, flow, or VAEs for sequences, graphs, or 3D structures.
- Familiarity with workflow orchestration tools, vector search databases, and lightweight internal tools like FastAPI and Streamlit.
Benefits
- Healthcare coverage
- Annual incentive program
- Retirement benefits
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the salary range for this position?
The salary range for this role is $279,000 to $412,500. Compensation depends on factors including qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience.
What benefits are provided by the company?
FL117 currently offers healthcare coverage, an annual incentive program, retirement benefits, and a broad range of other benefits.
What technical background is required for the role?
Candidates must have an MSc or PhD in a quantitative field and at least seven years of computational experience in Pharma or Biotech settings. The role requires proficiency in Python, modern ML frameworks, deep learning architectures, and cheminformatics or generative modeling tools.
The application is on the official Flagship Pioneering, Inc. careers page.
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