Associate Director/Director, Head of DEL Discovery Strategy and Informatics (AI)

Location: Lexington, Massachusetts, United States. Candidates must currently have permanent US work authorization without the need for immediate or future sponsorship.

Salary: USD 190,000–210,000 per year.

Company

hirify.global is a human-centric, AI-enabled biotechnology company developing drugs through its Opal Computational Platform, which combines real-world data, AI, human translational models, and predictive chemistry.

What you will do

• Set the strategic roadmap for using DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology as a first-line discovery approach across the portfolio.
• Lead and develop a team of 4–5 scientists covering DEL informatics, on-DNA chemistry, analysis, and discovery strategy.
• Define target tractability, library fit, selection design, controls, counterscreens, and project-start decision criteria.
• Translate DEL selection outputs into chemistry starts through enrichment analysis, hit-family triage, SAR hypotheses, off-DNA validation, and analog prioritization.
• Partner with medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, biology, protein sciences, in vitro pharmacology, and data science to advance DEL-derived hits.
• Build scalable DEL data workflows and evaluate emerging library design, DNA-compatible chemistry, selection, sequencing, and ML-guided interpretation technologies.

Requirements

• PhD in protein sciences, chemistry, computational chemistry, chemical biology, or a related field.
• 8+ years of relevant industry experience applying DEL in drug discovery.
• Deep expertise in designing and executing successful DEL campaigns across varied targets, including challenging protein classes.
• Strong understanding of the full DEL workflow from library design and selection through data analysis, hit identification, off-DNA validation, and chemistry-start planning.
• Track record of using DEL-derived data to initiate or advance medicinal chemistry programs and generate validated chemical matter.
• Strong grounding in protein sciences, organic chemistry, on-DNA chemistry, medicinal chemistry principles, cheminformatics, and large experimental datasets.
• Experience working across AI/ML, data science, computational chemistry, biology, and protein sciences to produce predictive insights and project decisions.
• Proven people leadership, cross-functional influence, and clear communication of strategic recommendations to senior stakeholders.

Nice to have

• Current knowledge of emerging DEL technologies and the ability to assess which innovations should be adopted, partnered, or built internally.

Culture & Benefits

• Values include ownership, emergence, humility, and impact, with emphasis on team development, open communication, constructive debate, and strategic decision-making.
• Healthcare coverage, an annual incentive program, retirement benefits, and additional benefits are offered.
• Valo promotes diverse perspectives, inclusive collaboration, and professional growth.