Director, Computer-Directed Drug Design and AI-Native Molecular Design - San Diego, CA

Johnson & Johnson seeks a Director to lead computer-directed drug design and AI-native molecular discovery for small-molecule therapeutics in San Diego. The role combines scientific strategy, team leadership, and cross-functional collaboration to advance drug discovery programs from target assessment through candidate nomination.

Responsibilities

• Co-own program strategy and molecular design priorities with medicinal chemistry and cross-functional partners
• Lead portfolio-embedded computational team as molecular architects guiding compound design decisions
• Translate target product profiles and project goals into integrated computational and experimental plans
• Orchestrate design-make-test-learn cycles and establish repeatable discovery workflows
• Define use cases, validate AI-enabled solutions, and guide platform adoption across programs

Requirements

• Deep expertise in computational drug discovery and molecular design
• Demonstrated leadership experience building and managing scientific teams
• Breadth across medicinal chemistry, structural sciences, and drug developability
• Experience translating project goals into integrated computational and experimental strategies
• Ability to critically evaluate AI and machine learning outputs in drug discovery
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills with chemistry, biology, and project teams
• Understanding of diverse modalities including small molecules, degraders, peptides, and emerging approaches