Executive Director, Chemical Biology

Recursion•Salt Lake City, UT

12d•$237,600 - $284,900•Hybrid

About The Position

Recursion is seeking an Executive Director of Chemical Biology to develop and lead chemical biology efforts that connect multiomic discovery with target identification, including chemical probe design. The role will help expand the platform into modalities beyond traditional small molecules, such as targeted protein degradation, molecular glues, and other emerging modalities. This senior scientific leadership position sets chemical biology strategy, manages a team of designers, drives programs that link multiomic discovery to target identification, and shapes a chemical probe library to facilitate target discovery. The Executive Director will lead multidisciplinary project teams, partnering with biology, multiomics platform teams, computational biologists, and data scientists to translate novel target and ligand insights into potent, selective, and developable chemical matter. The role combines hands-on chemical biology expertise with strategic prioritization, management of internal and external CRO teams, and development of capabilities for new modalities. The team will use Recursion's AI/ML-driven Design Platform, and the role will help integrate computational and generative design approaches into chemical biology decision-making. The role is part of the Drug Design team within the Discovery function. It works alongside computational drug design, medicinal chemistry, biology, data science, and platform technology groups to develop next-generation therapeutic modalities. The team addresses structurally and non-structurally enabled targets across diverse therapeutic areas, with growing focus on proximity modalities such as protein degradation and molecular glues, as well as PPI blockers such as macrocycles. The position will define and scale chemical biology strategy and capabilities to support the portfolio. Candidates may be local to or interested in relocating to Salt Lake City, Utah. Employees are expected to work in the office at least 50% of the time. The estimated annual base salary is $237,600–$284,900; the role is also eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Requirements

PhD in chemical biology, chemistry, or a related field.
10 or more years of relevant industry experience and demonstrated people leadership.
Deep, hands-on track record in chemical probe design, including selective inhibitors, proximity approaches such as molecular glue degraders or PROTACs, and covalent or activity-based/photoaffinity chemistry.
Proven ability to deconvolute phenotypic hits to mechanism using chemoproteomics or equivalent target identification methods.
Track record building and scaling a chemical biology function, including hiring, mentoring, and developing multiple scientists or managers.
Experience setting multi-year technical strategy, such as chemical library architecture or probe portfolio direction, rather than only executing a single program's plan.
Comfort operating with high ambiguity and translating open biological questions into executable chemistry strategy without a predefined target.
Executive-level communication skills, including the ability to represent chemical biology strategy to C-suite or board audiences and influence cross-functional senior leaders.
Experience managing, mentoring, or leading chemists and cross-functional project teams, including internal and external CRO teams.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience with phenomics, high-content imaging such as Cell Painting, or other image-based screening platforms.
Familiarity with how AI/ML-derived phenotypic signatures inform compound prioritization or target nomination.
External scientific visibility through publications, conference leadership, or partner- or business-development-facing technical credibility.
Experience contributing to intellectual property strategy or licensing diligence involving novel chemical matter.

Responsibilities

Set chemical biology strategy based on Recursion's multiomics platform, linking proprietary maps of biology to targets using modern chemical biology methods and establishing appropriate modalities alongside traditional small-molecule work.
Build, manage, and mentor a team of multiomics chemists, fostering a coaching-driven environment.
Establish and manage internal and external chemistry teams and networks, including CROs, to execute screening, synthesis, and validation campaigns.
Partner with biology, target identification teams, structural biology, and computational drug design to align chemical biology strategy with target validation and platform capabilities.
Define and align program strategy and go/no-go criteria with senior leadership, taking competitive landscape and portfolio priorities into account.
Represent the team in portfolio reviews and governance meetings, and lead technical discussions on molecular design with external collaborators and partners.
Contribute to intellectual property strategy and business development activities related to novel chemical matter and new modalities.
Help shape the integration of computational and generative design approaches into chemical biology decision-making.