VP/SVP of Drug Discovery

About the Company

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.

About the Role

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
• Solid proven experience with small molecules
• 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• 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.
  

Key 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.

Values & Working Style

• Comfortable navigating ambiguity in a fast-moving, high-impact environment
• Strong collaborator across science, engineering, and business teams
• Pragmatic yet ambitious — focused on building category-defining systems, not incremental improvements.

Why This Role Matters Now

Deep Origin is entering a phase where scientific innovation, platform infrastructure, and commercial partnerships must scale simultaneously.

This role will help shape how we translate cutting-edge computational capabilities into real drug discovery outcomes — guiding portfolio decisions, advancing programs toward the clinic, and building the foundation of a next-generation discovery organization.

Benefits

• Opportunity to define the future of drug safety and predictive toxicology
• Competitive compensation package with meaningful equity
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
• Remote-friendly culture with optional onsite work
• Annual team gatherings and company events.