The Opportunity

At insitro, we're revolutionizing drug development. We fuse cutting-edge machine learning with large-scale biology and modality-independent drug discovery to tackle major bottlenecks in the pipeline. We've built a leading platform and a team of incredibly talented scientists driven to make a real difference.

We're looking for an experienced and dynamic leader to be our VP, Bioassays, Cell Models, and Genomic Screening. This is a pivotal role in shaping and executing insitro's CellML platform. You'll lead the charge in developing and integrating cell models that truly mimic human biology, crafting innovative bioassays, and overseeing our cell-based arrayed and pooled optical screening platforms to accelerate both target and drug discovery.

You'll be a central figure, collaborating closely with senior management and teams across therapeutic areas, functional genomics, drug discovery, automation, and machine learning. Your mission: ensure our models, assays, and screening efforts precisely meet the demands of our discovery pipeline and platform execution.

This is your chance to join a well-funded AI biotech that's already building a robust pipeline of therapeutic candidates. We're still laying the foundation, which means immense opportunities for you to make a significant impact. You'll work alongside brilliant minds in data science, machine learning, biology, automation, and drug development, applying your expertise to shape insitro's culture, strategic direction, and the success of our discovery platforms.

You'll report to the Chief Technical Operations Officer at our South San Francisco office, with at least three days a week onsite. Some travel for conferences, collaborations, and regulatory interactions may also be required.

Join us and help us make a profound difference for patients!

In this leadership role, your primary responsibilities will be to:

Drive insitro's discovery engine: Set the strategic vision for cell models, image based and genomic screens, as well as bioassay development and execution across all therapeutic areas, fueling our target and drug discovery ML engine
Lead innovation: Provide strategic, technical, and operational leadership in the development, validation, and implementation of disease-relevant cell models, genomic screening (phenotypic pooled optical screening and arrayed screening), and supporting assay development for drug discovery
Design impactful assays: Direct, establish, and design bioassays and phenotypic screens to deeply investigate target/pathway biology using human disease-relevant cell-based models
Be the expert: Serve as the Subject Matter Expert for internal and external biochemical and bioassay strategy and data interpretation for high-throughput drug discovery (small molecules, large molecules, oligonucleotides). You'll also support CRO monitoring and outsourced activities
Cultivate talent: Lead and mentor a team of 20+ scientists, empowering them to achieve and exceed company goals

About You

A graduate degree in a technical field (biology, chemistry, biochemistry) or equivalent practical experience
12-15+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical/ biotech industry
Proven experience leading assay development and screening teams, with a keen eye for developing high-throughput workflows, applying automation tools, and driving operational excellence concepts to enable efficient execution
Extensive experience with a wide spectrum of state-of-the-art cellular, biochemical, and imaging-based assays
Deep expertise in developing cell-based models and assays that measure disease related biology
Experience navigating complex genetic, small molecule, large molecule, and oligonucleotide cellular assays
Familiarity with using computational biology and/or machine learning concepts to generate profound biological insights
A strong track record of successfully leading high-performing scientific teams
Exceptional communication and influencing skills at all organizational levels, including executive leadership
Robust analytical capabilities, including strong quantitative and qualitative assessment skills, and demonstrated critical thinking
A true collaborator who excels at working effectively in cross-functional teams
Strong leadership, mentoring, and team-building abilities
A genuine passion for making a difference in the world

Nice to Haves:

Experience in preclinical bioassays and analytical development.
Experience with iPSC-based differentiated cell models.
Experience applying Design of Experiments (DOE) for the development of cell models and screening parameters.

Compensation & Benefits at insitro

Our target starting salary for successful US-based applicants for this role is $290,000 - $326,000. To determine starting pay, we consider multiple job-related factors including a candidate's skills, education and experience, market demand, business needs, and internal parity. We may also adjust this range in the future based on market data.

This role is eligible for participation in our Annual Performance Bonus Plan (based on company targets by role level and annual company performance) and our Equity Incentive Plan, subject to the terms of those plans and associated policies.

In addition, insitro also provides our employees:

401(k) plan with employer matching for contributions
Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage as well as mental health and well-being support
Open, flexible vacation policy
Paid parental leave of at least 16 weeks to support parents who give birth, and 10 weeks for a new parent (inclusive of birth, adoption, fostering, etc)
Quarterly budget for books and online courses for self-development
Support to attend professional conferences that are meaningful to your career growth and role's responsibilities
New hire stipend for home office setup
Monthly cell phone & internet stipend
Access to free onsite baristas and daily lunch for employees who are either onsite or hybrid
Access to a free commuter bus network that provides transport to and from our South San Francisco HQ from locations all around the Bay Area

insitro is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be at the foundation of our culture. We work hard to bring together diverse teams–grounded in a wide range of expertise and life experiences–and work even harder to ensure those teams thrive in inclusive, growth-oriented environments supported by equitable company and team practices. All candidates can expect equitable treatment, respect, and fairness throughout the interview process.

Please be aware of recruitment scams: we never request payments, all recruitment communications are from @insitro.com, and if in doubt, contact us at info@insitro.com.roughout the interview process.

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About insitro

insitro is a drug discovery and development company using machine learning (ML) and data at scale to decode biology for transformative medicines. At the core of insitro’s approach is the convergence of in-house generated multi-modal cellular data and high-content phenotypic human cohort data. We rely on these data to develop ML-driven, predictive disease models that uncover underlying biologic state and elucidate critical drivers of disease. These powerful models rely on extensive biological and computational infrastructure and allow insitro to advance novel targets and patient biomarkers, design therapeutics and inform clinical strategy. insitro is advancing a wholly owned and partnered pipeline of insights and therapeutics in neuroscience and metabolism. Since launching in 2018, insitro has raised over $700 million from top tech, biotech and crossover investors, and from collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. For more information on insitro, please visit www.insitro.com.

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VP, Bioassays, Cell Models, and Genomic Screening

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