Director, Discovery Chemistry

About this role

<p><strong>Your Impact at LILA</strong></p> <p>The <strong>Director, Discovery Chemistry</strong> will lead the design, synthesis, and optimization of small molecules across Lila’s discovery platform, with a primary focus on <strong>organic synthesis, molecular design, and scalable chemistry execution</strong>. This leader will build and scale a world-class molecular chemistry program that translates AI-generated molecular hypotheses into high-quality, synthetically tractable, and functionally validated chemical matter.</p> <p>Working closely with Lila’s AI, automation, computational, biology, and platform teams, this role will establish the chemistry infrastructure required to rapidly progress novel molecules from concept to validated candidates across a broad range of discovery efforts. The Director will drive synthetic strategy, route design, analog generation, molecular property optimization, and chemistry-enabled innovation, while enabling seamless integration with robotic synthesis and platform-based experimentation.</p> <p>This leader will play a central role in shaping Lila’s molecular discovery engine by combining deep expertise in synthetic organic chemistry, molecular design, and data-enabled experimentation to accelerate the discovery of high-value molecules for therapeutic and broader platform applications.</p> <p><strong>What You'll Be Building</strong></p> <ul> <li>Drive discovery chemistry strategy across discovery programs, with strong emphasis on small molecule design, synthetic innovation, analog generation, and optimization of chemical matter.</li> <li>Lead the design and execution of synthetic routes for novel small molecules, emphasizing speed, robustness, scalability, and compatibility with automated synthesis platforms.</li> <li>Develop and implement efficient workflows for molecular design, compound prioritization, analog generation, and iterative design–make–test cycles in collaboration with AI and computational teams.</li> <li>Partner closely with automation and platform teams to establish robotic and high-throughput chemistry capabilities that expand accessible chemical space and accelerate molecule generation.</li> <li>Guide the selection of reagents, reaction modalities, and synthetic methodologies to enable rapid exploration of structurally diverse and functionally relevant chemical matter.</li> <li>Drive discovery chemistry strategy across discovery programs, with strong emphasis on small molecule design, synthetic innovation, analog generation, and optimization of chemical matter.</li> <li>Lead the design and execution of synthetic routes for novel small molecules, emphasizing speed, robustness, scalability, and compatibility with automated synthesis platforms.</li> <li>Develop and implement efficient workflows for molecular design, compound prioritization, analog generation, and iterative design–make–test cycles in collaboration with AI and computational teams.</li> <li>Partner closely with automation and platform teams to establish robotic and high-throughput chemistry capabilities that expand accessible chemical space and accelerate molecule generation.</li> <li>Guide the selection of reagents, reaction modalities, and synthetic methodologies to enable rapid exploration of structurally diverse and functionally relevant chemical matter.</li> <li>Oversee molecular optimization by integrating chemistry principles including structure–activity relationships, physicochemical properties, selectivity, developability, and synthetic tractability.</li> <li>Collaborate with biology, screening, and profiling teams to interpret assay and characterization data and translate those insights into informed molecular design decisions.</li> <li>Drive discovery efforts from early chemical matter generation through optimization of advanced molecules, including scaffold evolution, property tuning, and progression toward candidate-quality compounds.</li> <li>Establish best practices for experimental design, chemistry data capture, compound registration, quality control, and reproducibility across molecular chemistry operations.</li> <li>Contribute strategically to program direction by aligning chemistry efforts with therapeutic hypotheses, platform capabilities, and broader company priorities.</li> </ul> <p><strong>What You’ll Need to Succeed</strong></p> <ul> <li>PhD in Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Chemical Biology, or a closely related discipline with <strong>12–15 years</strong> of experience in small molecule discovery and molecular design.</li> <li>Demonstrated experience building and leading high-performing chemistry teams, including hiring, mentoring, and developing scientists across multiple levels.</li> <li>Proven track record advancing small molecule programs through molecular design, high-throughput synthesis, optimization, and candidate progression.</li> <li>Deep expertise in synthetic organic chemistry, retrosynthesis, route design, and practical execution of complex multistep syntheses.</li> <li>Strong experience optimizing molecular properties, including potency, selectivity, physicochemical behavior, and overall developability of small molecule series.</li> <li>Demonstrated success designing and delivering compound libraries or analog series to efficiently explore chemical space and address multiparameter optimization challenges.</li> <li>Experience working effectively in highly interdisciplinary environments spanning chemistry, biology, automation, and computational sciences.</li> <li>Experience collaborating with…