Executive Director, Structural Biology

About Us
Exscientia is an AI-driven pharmatech company committed to discovering, designing, and developing the best possible drugs in the fastest and most effective manner. Exscientia developed the first-ever functional precision oncology platform to successfully guide treatment selection and improve patient outcomes in a prospective interventional clinical study, as well as to progress AI-designed small molecules into the clinical setting. Our pipeline demonstrates our ability to rapidly translate scientific concepts into precision-designed therapeutic candidates, with more than 15 projects underway. By designing better drugs, faster, we believe the best ideas of science can rapidly become the best medicines for patients.
The Role
As the Head of Structural Biology you will have the opportunity to lead a high-performing team and drive the growth of our structure-based design capabilities across drug discovery portfolios. Working at the intersection of experimental structural biology, drug design, AI, physics, and informatics, you will be responsible for building technical solutions that increase the quality and efficiency of our design capability. Please note this is a UK-based hybrid role and regular travel is required to our offices in Oxford, UK (approximately 2-3 days per week), with flexibility to work from home the remaining time. We are a flexible working organisation and we’re willing to consider other options which would provide similar contact time with the team.
You will have the opportunity to:
Design industry-leading strategies which enable structure-based design and the development of molecules to advance our drug discovery portfolio.
Utilise the latest advances in AI and experimental techniques to drive drug discovery programs and automate our approach to generate structures and accelerate structural insights.
Lead a small team of talented Structural Biologists (X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM) and foster a positive work environment that supports team growth.
Collaborate with our team of drug designers and AI/ML data scientists to enhance our structure-based design methods.
Manage structural biology resources and develop and implement strategies to deliver on portfolios.
Take an active role in target/tractability assessment and hit finding activities, especially fragment-based lead discovery.
Communicate and evangelize by sharing your work through internal and external presentations, conferences, or scientific publications, actively promoting our innovative approach.
Requirements
Essential skills:
PhD in Structural Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Computational Sciences, or a related subject area.
Minimum of 8-10 years of experience in an industry setting, with particular focus on small molecules.
Proven ability to build and lead highly functioning cross-functional teams of scientists.
Experience with one or multiple structural biology techniques (e.g. X-ray and Cryo-EM, NMR or HDX-MS) and computationally literate to build computational pipelines.
Proven experience automating processes either in silico or experimental and the diagnostics needed to do so.
Excellent communication skills with a passion for fostering a collaborative work environment and ability to work productively with others.
Demonstrated scientific track record in publications, patent applications, conference posters, or oral presentations.
Desirable skills:
Familiarity with small molecule drug discovery projects.
Experience liaising with academic and industrial partners.
Proficiency in programming or leading programmers, preferably Python, for scripting, data analysis, pipeline, and tool development.
Benefits
Join our inclusive, collaborative and intellectually stimulating organisation with strong company values. As a learning organisation, we provide access to learning and development opportunities and will place you at the forefront of your career growth at Exscientia. We employ brilliant people so we pay highly competitive salaries. Additionally, all our employees are eligible for a company-wide annual bonus and receive both a new joiner and annual share award. Enjoy our generous holiday allowance and flexible working approach to find a healthy work-life balance that works for you. Create amazing memories or progress your personal and professional development with our four-week paid sabbatical after four years of service. We’re leading the way in progressive leave, offering enhanced policies such as generous parental leave, surrogacy, menopause, and family emergency leave so you feel supported no matter the life event. Additionally, we support childcare costs for children aged 0-5 through our affordable childcare scheme. Take advantage of two generous salary exchange schemes to claim discounts on a brand new electric vehicle and cycling equipment worth up to £3,500. As a healthcare company, we understand the importance of health and wellbeing so we provide comprehensive private health insurance, dental and vision benefits for you and your family. We also provide plenty of access to mental health support including therapy and counselling sessions plus an employee assistance program for help with lifestyle issues such as bereavement, family problems or money management. To help safeguard the future for you and your loved ones, we also offer pension and life cover. Help yourself to free drinks and snacks in our fully stocked kitchens. Join your colleagues in one of our many breakout areas and get to know the people you are working with. Some of the best ideas start with a coffee break! Feel inspired in our high spec labs where you will use state-of-the-art equipment and instrumentation that enable you to do your best work. We’ll even support your home office environment with an allowance for furniture and equipment to make your space as comfortable and productive as possible. Learn more about why our team enjoy working at Exscientia here.
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