Job Description

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced computational chemist to join our Computational Drug Design group in Boston or San Diego. The candidate will be responsible for contributing to both lead identification and optimization programs of small molecules using methods encompassing all computational aspects of drug discovery. She/He will be embedded in the computational chemistry team and will collaborate with the other functions of the global Data and Computational Sciences group (encompassing data and methods development, computational biology, computational cell and genetic therapies).  In addition to providing scientific and technical leadership on projects, she/he will drive a “predict-first” culture where predictive models generate testable hypotheses in chemistry, biology, and protein sciences. Thus, the right candidate will be a leader with a strong foundation in computational chemistry and a broad skillset to address data science problems in the life sciences. 

Key Responsibilities:  

• Perform computational experiments and data analyses that accelerate the discovery of high-quality drug candidates, in close collaboration with chemists, biologists, and other project scientists  
• Drives a culture of innovation in molecular design that impacts decision-making on programs 
• Leverage physics-based and machine-learning approaches to design new chemical entities 
• Work with other computational chemists and cheminformaticians to assess and develop new computational methodologies, create workflows, and share successful methods 

Knowledge and Skills:  

• Deep knowledge of the state-of-the-art tools for computational chemistry and its application in drug discovery 
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of current programming languages and software architecture 
• Comprehensive understanding of a wide array of computational methods including target evaluation, structure and ligand-based design, virtual screening, statistics, data analysis, QSAR derivation and application, and ADME/Tox modeling 
• Great aptitude for identifying productive new research initiatives/directions 
• Mentors junior staff and invested in the career development of peers 
• Scientifically diverse, authoritative, and effective communicator, with excellent verbal and written communication skills 

Education and Experience:

• Ph.D. (or equivalent degree) in engineering, science or math, and 4-7 years of productive, relevant post-doctoral employment experience, or
• MS (or equivalent degree) in similar fields, and 7+ years of productive, relevant employment experience, or
• BS (or equivalent degree) in similar fields, and 10+ years of productive, relevant employment experience
• Typically requires 7 years of experience or the equivalent combination of education and experience
• Advanced experience in applying complex molecular modeling methods to structure, ligand, and fragment-based drug discovery projects 
• Advanced experience with commercial and/or open-source molecular modeling and data mining software 

Salary range: $137,280 - $205,920 annually

Disclosure Statement:

The range provided is based on what we believe is a reasonable estimate for the base salary pay range for this job at the time of posting. This role is eligible for an annual bonus and annual equity awards. Some roles may also be eligible for overtime pay, in accordance with federal and state requirements. Actual base salary pay will be based on a number of factors, including skills, competencies, experience, and other job-related factors permitted by law. 

At Vertex, our Total Rewards offerings also include inclusive market-leading benefits to meet our employees wherever they are in their career, financial, family and wellbeing journey while providing flexibility and resources to support their growth and aspirations.  From medical, dental and vision benefits to generous paid time off (including a week-long company shutdown in the Summer and the Winter), educational assistance programs including student loan repayment, a generous commuting subsidy, matching charitable donations, 401(k) and so much more. 

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