Associate Director/Director, Medicinal Chemistry

About Rezo Therapeutics

Rezo is a different kind of biopharma company. Our mission is to dramatically increase the success rate of drug development by building a disease-agnostic, fully-integrated, network biology platform that will redefine our understanding of human disease and ability to treat it.


We are leveraging a unique integrated approach, combining capabilities in genetics, proteomics, structural biology and AI to generate deep biological insights and novel therapeutic approaches.

Located in San Francisco's vibrant Mission Bay neighborhood, Rezo is in close proximity to UCSF, numerous urban amenities, and outdoor recreational opportunities. We recognize that realizing our mission depends as much on our people as it does on our science and are building a workplace that fosters collaboration, respect, and diversity where contributing to your team's success is valued as highly as individual achievements. If you're passionate about team science and breaking down barriers to progress in drug development, please consider joining us!


The Opportunity
We are seeking a highly enthusiastic and motivated Medicinal Chemistry program leader to join our Discovery team. This role will contribute to the discovery of precision medicines through the design of small molecules, cross-functional collaborations to advance projects and programs, and incorporation of new technologies to accelerate drug discovery targeting protein-protein interactions. Becoming a member of this team is an excellent opportunity to join Rezo at an early stage, help grow the Chemistry group, and expand Rezo's discovery platform.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design molecules using cutting-edge approaches, applying structure-based drug design (SBDD) and property-based strategies, leveraging computational predictions to optimize potency, selectivity, ADMET, and efficacy profiles.
• Lead a chemistry program in various stages (ranging from target validation through development candidate selection) and provide strategic input to additional programs in the Rezo portfolio.
• Collaborate with biology and other cross-functional partners to design key go/no go experiments, optimize testing strategies, align compound design with project goals, and identify compounds to test hypotheses.
• Strategically select compounds for advancement to ADMET, PK, and physiochemical property assays to test hypotheses and enable decision-making.
• Manage external synthetic chemistry teams, evaluating analytical data, troubleshooting syntheses, optimizing efficiency of the team.
• Manage inventory of final compounds. Keep detailed up-to-date records, prepare and ship samples for testing, and ensure proper storage conditions.
• Ensure that project teams generate rigorous analytical and cellular mechanism-of-action data for small molecule drug candidates.
• Participate and present at project team and departmental research meetings.
• Identify and test new strategies and technologies for accelerating the discovery of new medicines and new targets.

Qualifications:

• PhD in Chemistry or related discipline and a minimum of 7+ years of industrial medicinal chemistry experience beyond the candidate's academic training or a BS and 15+ years of experience.
• Deep experience with medicinal chemistry, structure-based drug design, covalent chemistry approaches, and ADME optimization.
• Track record of success in leading medicinal chemistry program(s) and managing external synthesis teams.
• Exceptional curiosity and creativity in design of compounds, articulating hypotheses, and testing strategies.
• Highly organized, with an ability to work on extremely complex problems where multiple hypotheses are being tested simultaneously in order to accelerate decision-making.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, works well within a team, and communicates effectively.
• As a subject matter expert, has in-depth knowledge of medicinal chemistry, synthetic organic chemistry, covalent chemistry, and a solid working knowledge of cross-functional disciplines such as ADMET optimization and building PK/PD relationships.
• Thoughtful and respected mentor to junior scientists and team members.

Compensation at Rezo
The expected starting salary range for this position based in San Francisco, California for Associate Director/Director level is $160,000-$240,000. Actual starting salary will be determined based on multiple job-related factors including candidate's skills, education, and experience, the level at which they are hired, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Discretionary Bonus Plan (based on individual and company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies. This position is also eligible for the benefits detailed below.

Benefits at Rezo

Medical (HMO or PPO), dental, and vision insurance

Discretionary time off policy

Company holidays (including summer and winter shutdown)

401(k) retirement savings program

Commuter / Mass Transit Benefit Program

Healthcare Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

Dependent care Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

Parental leave

Competitive compensation

Flexible work schedule

EEOC

At Rezo we value a diverse, equitable, inclusive workplace and provide equal employment opportunity to all persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. This statement covers all facets of employment and is especially important when it comes to growing our team.


If you are wondering if you'll belong at Rezo, or are worried that you don't meet 100% of the qualifications for this role, take a chance on us and yourself - please apply!

SF Fair Chance Ordinance

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Rezo considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.