Vice President, Drug Discovery

Key Skills

Drug Discovery, Effective communication skills, Leadership

Job Description

The Company:

WHAT IF THE SECRET OF HEALTH LIES AT THE CENTER OF DISEASE? At Sonata Therapeutics, we are designing therapeutics that reprogram diseased cells to become the coordinators of cure.

Through a combination of our proprietary genetic library, comprehensive biochemical and functional characterization, and the latest advancements in machine learning algorithms, we are generating a deep understanding of how to reshape multicellular networks to guide the development of transformative therapeutics. While initially focused on oncology, our network-based approach is applicable across many intractable diseases.

Sonata Therapeutics was founded by Flagship Pioneering, an organization dedicated to the origination and development of first-in-category life sciences companies. Since 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered the development of nearly 100 scientific ventures resulting in $20+ billion in aggregate value, 500+ issued patents, and more than 50 clinical trials for novel therapeutic agents.  

The Position:

The VP of Drug Discovery will closely work with SONATA`s leadership team to build and oversee early-stage drug development programs, from target identification to IND. The ideal candidate will provide strategic and tactical oversights for drug discovery including chemistry, DMPK, assay development, non-clinical safety and initial manufacturing efforts to support pre-clinical activities. The VP of Drug Discovery will collaborate with R&D functions including platform, biology, preclinical pharmacology, safety, regulatory, medical, program management and CMC to build a robust pipeline of internal and partnered programs. The ability to seamlessly lead multiple, different workstreams with a focus on teamwork and ownership in a strong matrix organization will be essential for success in this role.

The successful candidate will have an established track record of progressing programs from early-stage discovery to preclinical studies, with experience advancing small and large molecule therapies to IND.

The VP of Drug Discovery will report to the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and work cross-functionally not only with R&D teams, but with other key functional areas like business development, corporate strategy, legal and finance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the discovery research strategy to successfully bring programs from target identification and validation through lead optimization, development candidate and pre-IND stages.
• Work closely with leaders across the company to plan and execute the R&D strategy, evaluate new target opportunities, and initiate additional pipeline programs.
• Provide key insights and oversight of early target prioritization and disease/indication expansion
• Work in partnership with Program Team Leads in the strategic execution of drug discovery research and preclinical activities to enable robust, timely and compliant IND submissions with clear development paths
• Build capabilities to achieve a balanced and appropriate infrastructure for the drug discovery team, leveraging both internal expertise and external resources.
• Represent the drug discovery department, promoting the organization to stakeholders, including board presentations, investors, and the scientific community.
• Work closely to legal to support SONATA's intellectual property strategy and patent portfolio
• Engage with external partners, clinical and academic collaborators and CROs
• Deliver and present key data packages and data-driven scientific updates to the organization that impact pipeline milestones and corporate objectives.
• Generate a robust publication record in leading journals, and present findings at key meetings
• Participate in recruiting, coaching and developing internal talents
• Lead, manage, develop, and retain a high-performance team focused on developing new class of therapeutics. Provide development opportunities and mentoring to the team
• Foster a culture of passion, accountability, collaboration and innovation

Requirements:

• PhD in Chemistry, Pharmacology, Biology, Biochemistry, or related field
• 15+ years of experience in drug discovery of small molecules, antibodies, and/or other traditional drug modalities, and 8 years of specific leadership and/or management experience in drug discovery.
• Extensive experience in immuno-oncology with an established track record of advancing programs from target validation to IND.
• Extensive knowledge in all relevant disciplines relevant to small-molecule drug discovery (e.g., lead discovery medicinal chemistry, analytical chemistry, biology, pharmacology, biomarker, DMPK, safety assessment and CMC)
• Desirable experience in all relevant disciplines relevant to large molecule development
• Understanding of the current competitive and regulatory landscape for oncology
• Deep understanding of preclinical PK/PD/efficacy relationships and their translation to the clinic
• Strong leadership, interpersonal and communication skills with an enthusiasm for participating in a fast-paced environment

Sonata Therapeutics and Flagship Pioneering are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or veteran status.