Head of Global Chemistry

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Job Description

The Head of Global Chemistry acts as the strategic leader of the global drug discovery chemistry team and a core member of the Research leadership team that designs and creates innovative assets across the organization’s key therapeutic areas. They will manage an international team that is responsible for overseeing all aspects of medicinal chemistry, related to hit identification through to IND filing for small molecule and oligonucleotide therapeutics as well as the preclinical development of target occupancy and disease progression PET ligands. The Head of Global Chemistry employs enterprise thinking, multi-disciplinary scientific rigor, and business development creativity to leverage partnerships with specialist internal and external organizations to produce innovative small molecule and oligonucleotide therapeutics that possess the potential to become life improving medicines for diseases that align to the company’s Therapeutic Area Strategy.

Position Description:

• Contribute to the Research leadership team, beyond specialist input on medicinal chemistry, to ensure that research productivity meets therapeutic area unit clinical development needs and the company’s commercial goals;
• Drive the strategic evolution, direction, and leadership of chemistry teams responsible for asset and PET ligand generation for multiple drug discovery programs targeting oncology, neuroscience and gastrointestinal/inflammatory diseases, from hit identification to IND filing;
• Dynamically manage the resourcing and prioritization of each chemistry program based on scientific and therapeutic area priority considerations to deliver clinical development compounds within their agreed timelines;
• Continuously evaluate and elevate the productivity and capabilities of the global chemistry team through adoption of cutting-edge technologies and the latest scientific approaches by, for example, building partnerships with key external experts, including academic institutions, research organizations, and industry partners, to harness the best science, including implementation of state-of-the-art AI/ML tools/processes, wherever and whenever they emerge in the world;
• Be seen as an inspirational international subject matter expert and global thought leader in medicinal chemistry that fosters a culture of innovation and scientific excellence within the global chemistry team, promoting visionary thinking, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning;

• Build effective working relationships with internal business partners to enable program teams to work effectively with cross-functional teams, including internal biology, pharmacokinetic, toxicological, and pharmaceutical sciences teams as well as external partners, to develop and execute chemistry programs/strategies within each drug discovery program in the Research portfolio;
• Share best practices with other groups within Research and deploy enterprise thinking to maximize the success of Research as a whole;
• Provide guidance and mentorship to team members, fostering their professional growth and development, retaining top talent and ensuring that everyone can achieve their full potential by establishing an equitable and inclusive working environment that is rich in diversity;
• Implement approved ways of working to ensure that the global chemistry team can work in a safe, legally compliant and fiscally accountable environment that provides its members with an industry leading work experience;
• Act as a Company Research ambassador at external public events e.g., media events, scientific review committees.

This position is currently classified as “hybrid” in acc