Vice President, Drug Discovery & Development

tl;dr

General Proximity is a seed-stage startup developing the next generation of induced proximity medicines (IPMs). Our OmniTAC drug discovery engine furnishes molecules that co-opt existing cellular machinery to overcome therapeutic challenges, which have remained unapproachable to other modalities for decades.

We are seeking a first-rate Vice President, Drug Discovery & Development to help us pioneer this uncharted frontier of drug discovery.

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Our Story

A long-standing challenge in drug discovery is the development of molecules capable of modulating difficult or "undruggable" targets. Disease-causing proteins can be dysfunctional in many different ways, but our armamentarium for fixing them is quite limited. The most common mechanism of action for FDA-approved drugs is inhibition[1], but there are many other possible perturbation types whose potential remains unrealized.

General Proximity is a seed-stage drug discovery company developing a novel platform technology to solve this problem. We make bifunctional drugs that induce the modification of drug targets by existing cellular machinery (rather than through direct modulation by the drug, the classical approach).

Historically, the development of technologies that allow one to push new buttons in biology has been an incredibly fertile field for the discovery of new medicines[2, 3, 4], and our technology holds the same promise.

 

The Position

We are seeking an experienced Vice President, Drug Discovery & Development to help lead our Chemistry/Drug Discovery Team. You will be responsible for providing leadership, research, development strategy, and expertise for our small-molecule drug discovery efforts to help advance best and first-in-class product from discovery into the clinic.

 

About You

High Agency. Initiative, independence, and self-accountability are some of our most valued traits.

Enthusiastic. We love people who are excited about what they are doing and are generally attempting to build a high-energy team.

Intensity and Grit. Early-stage startups are hard. Drug discovery is doubly so. We are looking for candidates who have a demonstrated ability to stick with complex problems for the long haul, with a team that has your back along the way.

Prosocial. We are here to create life-saving medicines for the patients who need it most. You should be, too.

 

Qualifications & Nice-To-Haves

• PhD in Chemical Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology, or related field.
• 15+ years of drug discovery experience in industry.
• Proven track record of success in drug discovery programs and deep understanding of small-molecule drug discovery and its relationship to human disease.
• Involvement in 5+ discovery to IND-stage programs with a leadership role in at least 2.
• Expertise in small-molecule cancer drug discovery and development.
• Exceptional leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills, with a track record of building and managing high-performing, multidisciplinary teams.
  
  
• Strong experience with:
• Advancing drugs against novel targets from target validation through IND-enabling studies in diverse therapeutic areas and working on teams that have successfully advanced programs to the clinic
• Small-molecule drug discovery disciplines, including lead discovery, medicinal chemistry, cell biology, pharmacology, DMPK, safety assessment, and CMC
• Preclinical PK/PD/efficacy relationships and their clinical translation
• Collaborating with regulatory, CMC, and clinical groups to develop strategic regulatory paths for approval
• Collaborating with external CROs, academic partners, and other organizations to accelerate discovery and development efforts
• Overseeing a portfolio of drug discovery programs, ensuring timely and robust preclinical activities that enable compliant IND submissions and establish clear development paths
• Regulatory processes relevant to IND submissions
• Recruiting, mentoring, and developing a high-performing team of scientists
• Planning and maintaining budgets
  
  
• Nice to have:
• Experience discovering and developing PROTAC/molecular glue/next-gen induced proximity medicine (IPM) technologies
• Strong knowledge of the regulatory and competitive landscape of PROTAC/molecular glue/next-gen IPMs
• Working knowledge and participation in CMC activities

 

Benefits

• Strong equity incentives. We are looking for candidates who will bring a strong sense of ownership to drive their project areas forward, and we believe that you deserve to be compensated accordingly.
• Top tier medical, dental, and vision coverage + One Medical membership.
• 401(k) retirement plans.
• Education and health/fitness incentive programs.
• Meditation retreats—do a ten-day Vipassana retreat without counting towards vacation days. 
• Reading budget! We will buy you books. 📚
• Located in the MBC BioLabs at 135 Mississippi Street, an entrepreneurial hub full of the best scientists and operators the Bay Area has to offer. Our lab is a very short walk from the 22nd St Caltrain Station and a number of wonderful restaurants and cafés.

 

About Us

Work Hard/Play Hard. We believe time is our most valuable commodity, so we strive to create a culture that reflects this. We won’t drag you through unnecessary meetings or email you at 7 PM on a Saturday. When we're at work, we're there to get things done, and when we're off, we're really off. 🌴

Strong Communication. We like well-written documents over PowerPoints, OKRs over vague mission statements, and weekly one-on-ones over yearly reviews.

Writing First. We have a "writing-first" culture. We believe that clarity of writing reflects clarity of thinking and that the benefits of well-written documentation in a scientific environment are innumerable: democratization of ideation and decision-making, increased reproducibility, quicker scaling and onboarding, and better company-wide alignment, to name a few.

Growth. As an early-stage startup, we value scientists with an independent, can-do attitude. The more hats you can wear, the better. Our job as employers is to put you in positive feedback loops so you can grow in the direction of your choosing.

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Title and compensation commensurate with experience. Applications from candidates of diverse backgrounds, women, and members of underrepresented minority groups are particularly welcomed. We look forward to hearing from you. :)

 

More info at jobs.generalproximity.bio