Tyra is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Sr. Director/ED, Medicinal Chemist to lead oncology drug discovery targeting disease areas with high unmet medical need. The successful candidate will be independent, self-motivated, and thrive in a dynamic, cross-functional virtual environment, while embracing Tyra’s core values and focused structure-based design approaches. The candidate should have a proven track record in medicinal chemistry, delivering high-quality drug candidates to development. Knowledge of oncology, kinase drug discovery and application of structure-based drug design is required.

The candidate will work within our medicinal chemistry team and should be comfortable working in a virtual environment and interacting with CROs for medicinal and synthetic chemistry, ADME and drug discovery support. The position will require analysis of complex structure-activity relationships to drive challenging projects and multifaceted strategies based on structure-based design and X-ray crystal structures. This is an excellent opportunity to join and thrive in a growing team, reporting directly to the Chief Technology Officer.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Provide project leadership on design and synthesis of high-quality drug candidates
• Utilize all resources to drive lead optimization on 1 or more projects; including ADME, PK and computational support
• Utilize and provide oversight to external chemistry CRO resources
• Utilize molecular modeling approaches and physical property calculations in novel small molecule design
• Support company objectives within new target initiatives and HTS
• Direct / Assist in the preparation of patents and publications as required
• Present result (oral and poster) at conferences and external meetings as required
• Provide strategic oversight and guidance in medicinal chemistry areas, working closely with leaders across the organization.
• Facilitate problem-solving and conflict resolution with internal and external stakeholders to reduce issues / remove roadblocks and keep teams on track with key deliverables.
• Collaborate with the appropriate functions ensuring the resourcing, budgeting and the internal and outsourcing strategies align across programs.
• Establish goals and oversee vendor performance metrics, managing any issues or escalations as needed.
• Provide support and oversight for external staff for optimization of execution and processes, including effective oversight to meet program goals.
• Proactively work with cross-functional teams to develop and progress plans.
• Accountable for ensuring accurate and up-to-date program information within relevant tracking systems and providing regular updates; proactively identify, risk-manage, and resolve issues that arise.
• Oversee the development of budgets and timelines for program(s). Ensure accurate forecasting, tracking, and timely review of budgets. Facilitate timely escalation of variances within established processes.
• Serve as a role model within and outside of Chemistry in problem identification, cross functional collaboration and implementation of planned resolutions.

Education & Experience Required

• This position requires a Ph.D. in organic or medicinal chemistry with >15 years of post-graduate experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.
• Strong track record of scientific publications and patents demonstrating medicinal chemistry problem-solving skills is required.
• Experience in structure-based design, synthetic methods and chemical route development.
• Demonstrated success advancing drug candidates to development.
• Demonstrated leadership and management, both behavioral and technical skills with demonstrable growth.
• The ability to develop and administer budgets, schedules and create strategies to meet performance requirements or company objectives.
• Ability to provide technical advice and assist with problem resolution. Must be flexible and able to change direction quickly.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, problem-solving, and written/verbal communication skills, confidence, and ability to work effectively with a wide variety of medical, research, vendors, contractors and administrative personnel.
• Comfort with presenting and interacting at the executive (and Board for VP) levels.
• Experience in developing effective relationships with CRO resources, vendors, consultants, and key stakeholders.
• Proficient in MS Outlook/Word/Excel/PowerPoint.
• Must be able to travel (domestic and international) as required

Pay Range and Benefits

Base Salary Range: $297,720 - $317,624 USD

Individual compensation will be determined based on factors such as work location, skills, education, training, and experience.

What we offer US-based Employees:

• Competitive base, bonus, new hire and ongoing equity packages
• The starting compensation range(s) for this role is for a full-time employee (FTE) basis
• Benefit offerings are subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plans in effect at the time and may require enrollment
• Employer-paid Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employer-paid life insurance, AD&D, short-term disability, long-term disability, and EAP coverage
• 401(k) Plan with a fully vested company match 1:1 up to 4% of contributions
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• 14 -18 paid holidays, including office closure between December 25th and January 1st
• Flexible vacation
• Sick time
• Fitness Program
• Get Outdoors Program
• Paid parental leave benefit
• Tuition assistance

Job Type: Full-Time

Work authorization: United States (Required)

Work Location: Remote flexibility with periodic in-person collaboration

Equal Opportunity Employer: Tyra Biosciences, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to providing a work environment free of harassment and discrimination based upon a protected category, as well as an environment free from retaliation for protected activity.

Notice to Recruiters and Third-Party Agencies: The Talent Acquisition team manages the recruitment and employment process for Tyra. To protect the interests of all parties involved, Tyra will only accept resumes from a recruiter once a fully-executed search agreement is in place. Agencies are hereby specifically directed not to contact Tyra employees directly in an attempt to present candidates. Tyra will consider any candidate for whom an Agency and/or Recruiter has submitted an unsolicited resume to have been referred, free of any charges or fees.