Head of Discovery Biology - Natural Products
Job Title: Head of Discovery – Natural Products Chemistry & Bioactivity
Location: Paris, France
Working Schedule: Full-time, Hybrid (on-site required)
Start Date: ASAP
About the Company
This deep-tech biotech is pioneering large-scale discovery of natural molecules using synthetic biology, machine learning, and automation. Their platform unlocks the 97 percent of natural molecular diversity previously inaccessible to industry, generating novel scaffolds at unmatched speed. Backed by top European scientific leaders and already working with global players across pharma, agriculture, animal health, and cosmetics, the company is expanding rapidly.
Responsibilities
- Build and lead the oncology / immuno-oncology assay strategy across discovery programmes
- Set up and run state-of-the-art in vitro oncology and IO assays from day one
- Design and validate robust assay cascades to triage novel chemical matter efficiently
- Drive hit confirmation and hit-to-lead progression through strong biological evidence
- Lead mode-of-action and target deconvolution activities (CRISPR, omics, chemoproteomics, phenotypic profiling etc.)
- Interpret complex multi-layer datasets (omics, phenotypic, biochemical) and make go/no-go decisions
- Partner closely with chemistry and analytical teams to guide SAR and structure-based refinement
- Define milestone frameworks, prioritisation systems, and scientific decision-making routines
- Build and manage a small multidisciplinary discovery team, shaping culture and execution standards
- Support translational readiness and optional in vivo proof-of-concept strategy where required
- Act as the senior biology voice across internal platform, computational, and operations teams
Key Requirements
We’re ideally looking for someone with:
- A PhD in Cancer Biology, Immunology, Pharmacology, or a closely related life sciences field
- Significant experience developing and running in vitro oncology or immuno-oncology assays within a drug discovery environment
- Strong expertise building assay cascades for hit identification, hit confirmation, and hit-to-lead progression
- Proven experience interpreting complex biological datasets including omics, phenotypic screening, and biochemical data
- Experience working closely with medicinal chemistry teams to guide SAR and compound optimisation
- Hands-on experience with mode-of-action and target deconvolution approaches such as CRISPR screens, chemoproteomics, phenotypic profiling, or multi-omics analysis
- A strong track record contributing to small molecule discovery programmes from early discovery through to lead optimisation
- Ability to translate complex biology into clear decision points and go/no-go recommendations for programmes
- Experience working in cross-functional discovery teams including biology, chemistry, computational science, and platform teams
- Leadership experience building or mentoring small multidisciplinary research teams
- Comfortable operating in fast-moving biotech or discovery environments where priorities evolve quickly
Nice to have:
- Experience supporting translational strategy or early in vivo proof-of-concept work
- Familiarity with phenotypic drug discovery approaches
- Experience working in early-stage biotech or highly collaborative discovery environments
What’s on Offer
- Competitive salary and equity package
- Opportunity to build and scale a discovery function from scratch
- Work on cutting-edge natural-product discovery at industrial scale