Head of Peptide Drug Discovery

Calico•South San Francisco, CA

1d•$320,000 - $350,000•Onsite

About The Position

Calico is seeking an accomplished and motivated individual to lead peptide drug discovery efforts as Head of Peptide Drug Discovery within the Calico Drug Discovery organization. This leader will collaborate with innovative and diverse scientists and play a pivotal role in advancing Calico’s Preclinical pipeline to deliver oral peptide drug candidates to our development portfolio. The ideal candidate will leverage deep and proven expertise in the lead optimization of oral peptide drug candidates, provide leadership for discovery and development stage projects, and be an effective people leader capable of attracting key talent and developing our internal team of peptide drug discovery scientists.

Requirements

PhD in organic/peptide/medicinal chemistry with 12+ years of drug discovery experience in biotech or pharma
Proven track record of successfully delivering peptide drug candidates that have achieved preclinical candidate nomination and progressed into clinical development
Effective communication with ML-peptide design team to deliver prioritized design concepts through strong collaboration
Strong working knowledge of the synthesis of peptide libraries and the scale-up of peptide lead molecules
Strong organic chemistry skills to direct the synthesis of non-canonical amino acids
Deep knowledge in the use of formulation excipients to enhance oral bioavailability of peptide drug candidates
Self-motivated, enthusiastic, and highly adaptable with the ability to quickly identify project challenges and pivot strategies in a fast-paced environment
Exceptional oral communication and writing skills, with record-keeping and data organization skills
Must be willing to work onsite 5 days a week

Nice To Haves

Experience with evaluation of AI/ML generated peptides in Hit Generation-Lead Optimization

Responsibilities

Act as a peptide drug discovery Subject Matter Expert (SME) to deliver peptide Drug Candidates for the Calico pipeline
Be a strong and collaborative partner with leaders of the Calico Small Molecule Drug Discovery, Machine Learning Platform, Discovery Technologies, Research, CMC, DMPK, Toxicology and Clinical Development functions
Bridge Computation & Chemistry: Serve as the primary technical liaison and advisor to the ML team, ensuring chemical intuition effectively informs algorithmic design and vice versa
Provide leadership, mentorship, and development of the existing peptide chemistry team to achieve a cutting-edge peptide drug discovery group
Maintain oversight of external CROs to support chemistry, formulation, and DMPK for peptide drug discovery
Contribute to global regulatory submissions (e.g., IBs, Briefing Books, INDs, NDAs)
Represent Calico in external scientific collaborations, committees, and consortia in the field of peptide drug discovery