Location
Cambridge, MA USA
Compensation
$184k–$246k USD
Type
full time
Posted
1 months ago
Market range · function + seniority
p25 · target · p75 · n=52
Posted $246k · in the market band
Tailor your résumé to this role in 30 seconds.
Free account · ATS keyword check · per-job bullet rewrite by Claude.
Your Impact at LILA
The Director, Discovery Chemistry will lead the design, synthesis, and optimization of small molecules across Lila’s discovery platform, with a primary focus on organic synthesis, molecular design, and scalable chemistry execution. This leader will build and scale a world-class molecular chemistry program that translates AI-generated molecular hypotheses into high-quality, synthetically tractable, and functionally validated chemical matter.
Working closely with Lila’s AI, automation, computational, biology, and platform teams, this role will establish the chemistry infrastructure required to rapidly progress novel molecules from concept to validated candidates across a broad range of discovery efforts. The Director will drive synthetic strategy, route design, analog generation, molecular property optimization, and chemistry-enabled innovation, while enabling seamless integration with robotic synthesis and platform-based experimentation.
This leader will play a central role in shaping Lila’s molecular discovery engine by combining deep expertise in synthetic organic chemistry, molecular design, and data-enabled experimentation to accelerate the discovery of high-value molecules for therapeutic and broader platform applications.
What You'll Be Building
What You’ll Need to Succeed
Bonus Points For
Compensation
We offer competitive base compensation with bonus potential and generous early-stage equity. Your final offer will reflect your background, expertise, and expected impact.
U.S. Benefits. Full-time U.S. employees receive a comprehensive benefits program including medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer-paid life and disability insurance; flexible time off with generous company wide holidays; paid parental leave; an educational assistance program; commuter benefits, including bike share memberships for office based employees; and a company subsidized lunch program.
International Benefits. Full-time employees outside the U.S. receive a comprehensive benefits program tailored to their region. USD salary ranges apply only to U.S.-based positions; international salaries are set to local market.
About LILA
Lila Sciences is building Scientific Superintelligence™ to solve humankind's greatest challenges. We believe science is the most inspiring frontier for AI. Rather than hard-coding expert knowledge into tools, LILA builds systems that can learn for themselves.
LILA combines advanced AI models with proprietary AI Science Factory™ instruments into an operating system for science that executes the entire scientific method autonomously, accelerating discovery at unprecedented speed, scale, and impact across medicine, materials, and energy. Learn more at www.lila.ai.
Guided by our core values of truth, trust, curiosity, grit, and velocity, we move with startup speed while tackling problems of historic importance. If this sounds like an environment you'd love to work in, even if you don't meet every qualification listed above, we encourage you to apply.
We’re All In
Lila Sciences is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status.
Information you provide during your application process will be handled in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Policy.
A Note to Agencies
Lila Sciences does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than candidates. The submission of unsolicited resumes by recruitment or staffing agencies to Lila Sciences or its employees is strictly prohibited unless contacted directly by Lila Science’s internal Talent Acquisition team. Any resume submitted by an agency in the absence of a signed agreement will automatically become the property of Lila Sciences, and Lila Sciences will not owe any referral or other fees with respect thereto.
More open roles at Lila Sciences
Hiring velocity, headcount trend, and every open posting on one page.
Open postings ranked by description similarity — useful if this role isn't quite right.