Senior Principal Scientist (Small Molecule Therapeutics)

TL;DR

Senior Principal Scientist (Small Molecule Therapeutics): Leading the protein science and structural biology strategy to support small molecule drug discovery with an accent on recombinant protein engineering, structural enablement, and CRO management. Focus on building internal protein production capabilities and integrating structural insights into medicinal chemistry programs.

Location: Must be based in Cambridge, MA, USA

Company

hirify.global is an AI-driven startup building an autonomous scientific operating system to accelerate discovery across medicine, materials, and energy.

What you will do

• Define and execute the protein science strategy for small molecule programs to support screening and structural biology.
• Oversee recombinant protein expression and purification workflows, including vendor selection and management of external CROs.
• Lead construct design and protein engineering efforts to ensure stable, tractable reagents for diverse target classes.
• Develop a roadmap for building internal protein production and purification capabilities.
• Partner with cross-functional teams including chemistry, assay biology, and computational teams to drive structure-guided drug design.
• Mentor team members and serve as a subject-matter expert in structural biology and protein chemistry.

Requirements

• PhD in biochemistry, structural biology, or related discipline with 10+ years of industry experience (or MS/BS with 15+ years).
• Deep expertise in recombinant protein expression and purification across bacterial, insect, and mammalian systems.
• Strong track record in supporting small molecule drug discovery through structural biology (X-ray crystallography, Cryo-EM).
• Experience managing external CROs and partners for protein production and structural activities.
• Proven ability to define strategy, manage timelines, and troubleshoot complex technical problems in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong cross-functional communication skills to collaborate with biology, chemistry, and computational teams.

Nice to have

• Experience building or scaling internal protein science labs and infrastructure.
• Familiarity with AI/ML-enabled protein design and structure prediction workflows.
• Experience with challenging target classes like membrane proteins, GPCRs, or kinases.
• Knowledge of high-throughput screening strategies and automation.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a fast-paced, startup environment tackling problems of historic importance.
• Opportunity to shape the future of AI-driven scientific discovery.
• Commitment to equal employment opportunity and inclusive hiring practices.
• Focus on core values of truth, trust, curiosity, grit, and velocity.