Associate Director, Computational Chemistry (Cambridge, MA or San Diego, CA or Remote)

Company Description

(Cambridge, MA or San Diego, CA or Remote)

Zai Lab Limited (NASDAQ: ZLAB; HKEX: 9688) is an innovative, research-based, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company based in China and the United States focused on bringing transformative medicines for oncology, autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, and neurological disorders to patients in China and around the world. Our goal is to leverage our competencies and resources to positively impact human health worldwide.

Founded in 2014, our experienced team has secured partnerships with leading global biopharmaceutical companies, generating a broad and late-stage pipeline of innovative drug candidates. Based on our proven track record of success, Zai Lab has earned the reputation as a trusted partner of choice for global biopharmaceutical companies seeking to not only access the Chinese market but also find a long-term strategic partner for global clinical development.  Our unique business model builds on our in-licensed assets and innovative partnerships to expand our internal discovery and development capabilities and has created a portfolio of potential best-in-class and/or first-in-class therapies. Zai currently has four products on the market in China

Zai Lab was successfully listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market in September 2017 and completed secondary listing on Hong Kong Stock Exchange in September 2020. In 2022, Zai Lab became dual-primary listed on both the Nasdaq and the Hong Kong Stock Exchanges. Since its inception, Zai Lab has expanded significantly with several offices across China. In 2021, Zai Lab established its U.S. Headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  As of January 2022, the Company has a global team of approximately 2000 employees.

Job Description

(Cambridge, MA or San Diego, CA or Remote)

The Associate Director of Computational Chemistry is a key member of interdisciplinary drug discovery project teams, applying computational chemistry, cheminformatics, and data science approaches to help drive all stages of drug discovery.  He/she is an expert in leveraging modern computational chemistry and cheminformatics technologies to small molecule drug discovery projects.

Serve as the subject matter expert in computational chemistry to collaborate closely with medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, structural biology, DMPK and other functional areas to progress discovery projects

•     Expertly apply state-of-the-art computational and data science approaches, computer-aided drug design and simulation techniques to help drive all aspects of discovery programs

•     Develop or bring-in tools to enable computational chemistry infrastructure implementation

•     Provide educational and training support to medicinal chemical community in the best use of visualization and enumeration tools and proper interpretation

•     Additional responsibilities as required, including people management.

Qualifications

REQUIRED:

• Ph.D in computational chemistry, cheminformatics, chemistry, computer science or related field with 6 years’ relevant experience; or equivalent combination of higher education, training and experience.

PREFERRED:

• Capable of providing hands-on computational chemistry and modeling support for drug discovery projects with strong skills in computational chemistry modeling software (e.g., Schrodinger, MOE, OpenEye)
• Direct experience applying computational techniques such as structure and ligand-based virtual screening, docking, homology modeling, molecular dynamics simulations, free energy perturbation, cheminformatics, QSAR and machine learning to address challenges of drug discovery
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, and embrace working as part of a multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced, innovative drug discovery environment
• Solid track records of scientific accomplishment demonstrated by publications, patents, and presentations
• Practical programming skills, scripting, and querying skills
• Utilization of AI technologies toward drug discovery

Zai Lab US requires all employees who are working onsite or who are in customer facing positions to be vaccinated against COVID-19 (subject to any legally required exemptions)

Additional Information

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $187k and $218k/year; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a sign-on bonus, restricted stock units, and discretionary awards in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as