Vice President, Head of Chemistry

Position Summary

Ribometrix is seeking a highly motivated leader for the position of Vice President, Head of Chemistry to join our team. The role reports to the Chief Scientific Officer and will be responsible for leading and/or managing multiple discovery programs and providing strategic leadership for the company. Success in this position will require an individual who is comfortable in a dynamic, fast-paced environment, with a drive to execute on the strategy, work closely with the senior leadership as a member of the Executive Team, and who embraces cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities:

• Reporting to the Chief Scientific Officer, and as a member of the Executive team, you will work closely with a cross-functional senior management team to set scientific strategies and advance internal and partnered programs.
• As part of the Executive team, lead and/or participate in strategic discussions including setting overall company scientific strategy, selection, and prioritization of targets and indications for development of novel RNA and RBP modulators.
• Build, develop and lead a team of medicinal chemists to support organizational objectives, and provide overall scientific leadership to the company by mentoring and influencing across functions.
• Lead and co-ordinate RBX’s chemistry activities including, medicinal chemistry, synthetic chemistry, process chemistry, CADD, and CMC activities, working closely with the internal team and with expert consultants as appropriate, based in-house and at CROs, to drive the discovery programs through IND.
• Work closely with the discovery teams including biology, lead discovery, translation medicine, ADME/DMPK consultant(s) to enable program progression efficiently.
• Serve as the spokesperson for the chemistry department by representing RBX to the BOD, investors, and the scientific community.
• Participate in presentation development for BOD, investors, and partners with primary responsibility for medicinal chemistry efforts.
• Provide support to RBX’s intellectual property strategy and patent portfolio.
• Contribute towards the overall CRO strategy and drive the selection and management of chemistry CROs as part of the drug discovery efforts.
• Serve as primary liaison with corporate partners on all issues related to chemistry.
• Lead by example and foster a culture of transparent communication, innovation, and collaboration that reflects RBX’s core values – Integrity, Collaboration, Innovation, Empowerment, Resilience, and Fun.

Must Haves - Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in organic/medicinal chemistry with state-of-the-art knowledge of synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and drug discovery required.
• 15+ years of small molecule drug discovery in an industrial setting – small company/biotech experience preferred.
• Proven track record of driving programs to milestones – delivery of clinical candidate(s).
• Expertise in all aspects of chemistry from hit identification through lead optimization.
• Experience in managing chemistry CROs to minimize delivery times and maximize productivity, including identification of problematic chemistry and designing and implementing solutions in collaboration with the CROs.
• Experience in drafting patent applications and evaluating patent literature.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, proactive communication skills, and strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills are required.
• A work ethic, sense of urgency, adaptability, and enthusiasm to thrive in a fast-paced cutting-edge research environment.
• PDMA or PMP certification, a plus.