VP/SVP of Drug Discovery

Deep Origin•Boston, MA

17h•Remote

About The Position

Deep Origin is building an operating system for science that transforms how life science research is conducted. Led by Michael Antonov, co-founder of Oculus, and backed by Formic Ventures, we are redefining the infrastructure behind modern drug discovery. We are now building the next-generation platform for predicting drug toxicity in silico, transforming how pharmaceutical companies evaluate safety before clinical trials. Our mission is to reduce failure rates, accelerate drug development, and eliminate unnecessary animal testing through high-fidelity computational models of human biology. We are not building incremental QSAR tools. We are building foundational infrastructure for predictive toxicology in the age of AI, systems biology, and large-scale computation. We are seeking an experienced and highly strategic VP/SVP of Drug Discovery to lead and scale our discovery organization across target identification, hit discovery, lead optimization, translational strategy, and clinical transition. This is a critical executive leadership role for a hands-on scientific leader who has spent significant time navigating the realities of drug discovery and development — someone who understands not only what can work scientifically, but what actually translates into successful therapeutic programs. This individual will serve as a key scientific and operational leader inside the company, partnering closely with computational scientists, experimental scientists (own lab), platform teams, translational biology, external collaborators, and executive leadership to prioritize programs, guide strategic decisions, and accelerate pipeline execution. This is not a purely managerial role. We are looking for someone who remains deeply engaged in scientific reasoning, program review, experimental strategy, and portfolio decision-making. The role is ideal for a senior biotech leader who wants to help build a next-generation AI-enabled discovery organization from the ground up while directly influencing the future direction of therapeutic development.

Requirements

PhD, MD, or equivalent advanced scientific degree in biology, pharmacology, chemistry, immunology, translational medicine, or related field
15+ years of experience in drug discovery and development within biotech, mid-size biotech, platform biotech, and/or pharmaceutical environments
Significant leadership experience in discovery organizations, including VP, SVP, CSO, CEO, or equivalent leadership roles
Proven experience building, scaling, and leading multidisciplinary discovery teams, including managing senior scientific leaders rather than only operating as an individual hands-on contributor
Proven track record advancing therapeutic programs from early discovery through IND-enabling development and/or into the clinic
Deep understanding of translational strategy, preclinical development, and clinical considerations in drug development
Experience working closely with clinical development teams and supporting programs through clinical transition
Strong expertise across multiple drug discovery modalities and approaches, with demonstrated ability to apply strategic scientific judgment
Experience leading cross-functional and multidisciplinary discovery teams
Strong operational mindset with the ability to execute effectively in fast-moving, resource-constrained environments
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across scientific, executive, and external audiences.

Nice To Haves

Experience in AI-enabled drug discovery, computational biology, systems pharmacology, or platform biotech environments
Background working with data-driven discovery approaches and computational infrastructure
Experience across multiple therapeutic areas and modalities
Familiarity with translational biomarkers, precision medicine strategies, and clinical development planning
Experience building discovery organizations or scaling R&D teams within startup environments
Prior experience interacting with regulatory agencies, KOLs, or strategic pharma partnerships
Entrepreneurial or venture-backed biotech experience strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead and oversee therapeutic discovery programs from target identification through preclinical development and clinical transition
Drive scientific strategy, portfolio prioritization, and stage-gate decision-making across discovery programs
Partner closely with translational and clinical teams to ensure strong alignment between discovery strategy and clinical development pathways
Apply deep drug discovery experience to evaluate program risk, mechanism validity, biomarker strategy, developability, and probability of technical and clinical success
Build and lead multidisciplinary teams spanning biology, chemistry, pharmacology, translational medicine, computational biology, and external collaborators
Serve as a hands-on scientific leader actively involved in experimental strategy, data interpretation, candidate selection, and program execution
Help establish scalable discovery and development processes appropriate for a high-growth biotech environment
Contribute to corporate strategy, investor discussions, partnering opportunities, and scientific positioning
Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies, external innovation, and AI-enabled methodologies into discovery workflows where appropriate
Mentor scientific leaders and help cultivate a culture of scientific rigor, urgency, accountability, and innovation.