Senior Director, Computationally Driven Drug Discovery – In Silico Drug Discovery

DescriptionJohnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine is recruiting for a Senior Director, Computationally Driven Drug Discovery to join our In Silico Drug Discovery team. The primary and preferred location for this position is Spring House, PA. Consideration may be given for candidates who can be based in Cambridge, MA or San Diego, CA.At Johnson & Johnson,  we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a  world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured,  where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and  solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow, and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at https://www.jnj.com/.For more than 130 years, diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) has been a part of our cultural fabric at Johnson & Johnson and woven into how we do business every day. Rooted in Our Credo, the values of DEI fuel our pursuit to create a healthier, more equitable world. Our diverse workforce and culture of belonging accelerate innovation to solve the world’s most pressing healthcare challenges.We know that the success of our business – and our ability to deliver meaningful solutions – depends on how well we understand and meet the diverse needs of the communities we serve. Which is why we foster a culture of inclusion and belonging where all perspectives, abilities and experiences are valued, and our people can reach their potential.At Johnson & Johnson, we all belong.Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine (JJIM) is on a mission to improve human health with a focus in Oncology, Neuroscience, and Immunology. We are searching for a Senior Director to join the In Silico Discovery team to help drive this mission forward with the application and development of cutting-edge molecular design strategies and AI/ML (Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning) tools with direct impact on portfolio projects and team. The In Silico Discovery Unit is a computational discovery team embedded in the Therapeutics Discovery organization, a modality agnostic discovery engine within JJIM responsible for driving all aspects of computational drug discovery across J&J’s Therapeutic Areas. As a member of the In Silico Discovery Leadership Team and the Extended Leadership Team of Therapeutics Discovery, this role will play an influential part in transforming the organization into a computationally driven and prediction-first discovery engine. This is an opportunity for an experienced leader with machine learning and structure-based drug design expertise to contribute to the most impactful and transformative projects at J&J.Key Responsibilities:

• Drive our drug discovery transformation with a core responsibility to develop and apply our ambitious AI/ML strategy to bring computational methods to the forefront of drug design
• Foster scientific excellence by integrating cutting-edge technologies in structure-based drug design with a particular emphasis on expertise in machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) as applied to small molecule drug discovery
• Lead a team of 15-20 computational scientists across US sites and drive the development and impact of the team
• Optimize resourcing and impact with stakeholders from within and across departments
• As a People Leader, coach, mentor and develop talent including Directors
• Contribute to, and identify opportunities for, our computational discovery strategy including long-term investments in technology and talent
• Contribute to external innovation strategy
• Represent In Silico Discovery in governance forums and external collaborations
• Drive the transformation from computational supported to computationally driven discovery, especially in small molecule programs
• Drive novel tool and technology developments in key areas of computational drug design and support new tool deployment in partnership with IT
• Experience in exploring, generating, piloting and successfully implementing new and challenging science into an existing drug discovery organization
• Opportunity to apply technology and talent in a modality agonist way, including emerging areas such as peptides, antibody drug conjugates, TPDs, and proteins
• Forge a strong culture and build relationships and team collaboration across the In Silico Discovery organization; partner closely with other In Silico Discovery teams (Cheminformatics, Data Science & Machine Learning, and Computational Biologics)
• Offer strategic counsel to local and global teams, partner with Therapeutic Area leadership and develop joint strategies.
  
  

Qualifications

• PhD in Computational Drug Discovery or another related field is required.
• At least 12-14 years of experience in computational technology development beyond post-doc and application toward drug discovery is required
• Experience applying AI/ML and physics-based computational modeling in a pharmaceutical industry drug design setting with a track record of key contributions to compound progression is required
• Experience working within a cross-functional and highly matrixed environment with exceptionally effective communication, both scientifically and to peer groups and collaborators, is required. Ability to nurture and develop relationships in a complex organization is required
• Experience advancing molecules from discovery to development is required
• Experience with strategic decision making and long-term planning is required
• Experience with department-wide leadership is required
• Experience as a People Leader with a proven track record of developing talent is required
• An external reputation, visibility and track record commensurate with a senior position in computational drug discovery
• Experience with modalities beyond traditional small molecules, such as peptides, antibody drug conjugates, and TPDs, is highly preferred
• This position may require up to approximately 20% travel
  
  

Johnson & Johnson is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. The anticipated base pay range for this position is $193,000 to $333,500. The Company maintains highly competitive, performance-based compensation programs. Under current guidelines, this position is eligible for an annual performance bonus in accordance with the terms of the applicable plan. The annual performance bonus is a cash bonus intended to provide an incentive to achieve annual targeted results by rewarding for individual and the corporation’s performance over a calendar/performance year. Bonuses are awarded at the Company’s discretion on an individual basis.

• Employees and/or eligible dependents may be eligible to participate in the following Company sponsored employee benefit programs: medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short- and long-term disability, business accident insurance, and group legal insurance.
• Employees may be eligible to participate in the Company’s consolidated retirement plan (pension) and savings plan (401(k)).
• This position is eligible to participate in the Company’s long-term incentive program.
• Employees are eligible for the following time off benefits:
• Vacation – up to 120 hours per calendar year
• Sick time - up to 40 hours per calendar year;
• Holiday pay, including Floating Holidays – up to 13 days per calendar year of Work, Personal and Family Time - up to 40 hours per calendar year
• Additional information can be found through the link below. https://www.careers.jnj.com/employee-benefits
  
  

The compensation and benefits information set forth in this posting applies to candidates hired in the United States. Candidates hired outside the United States will be eligible for compensation and benefits in accordance with their local market.#JNJIMRND-DS#JNJDataScience