About this opportunity
IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. lists this Senior Principal Research Scientist, Computational Chemistry opportunity in south san francisco, California. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
About IDEAYA Biosciences
IDEAYA is a precision medicine oncology company committed to the discovery, development, and commercialization of transformative therapies for cancer. Our approach integrates expertise in small‑molecule drug discovery, structural biology and bioinformatics with robust internal capabilities in identifying and validating translational biomarkers to develop tailored, potentially first‑in‑class targeted therapies aligned to the genetic drivers of disease. We have built a deep pipeline of product candidates focused on synthetic lethality and antibody‑drug conjugates, or ADCs, for molecularly defined solid tumor indications. Our mission is to bring forth the next wave of precision oncology therapies that are more selective, more effective, and deeply personalized with the goal of altering the course of disease and improving clinical outcomes for patients with cancer.
Location
South San Francisco, CA.
Position Summary
We are seeking an accomplished Senior Principal Research Scientist in Computational Chemistry with significant pharmaceutical industry experience to join our multidisciplinary small molecule drug discovery organization. This senior individual‑contributor role requires a high degree of independence, technical depth, and scientific judgment. The successful candidate will support discovery project teams across target identification, hit discovery, lead optimization, and drug candidate selection, and is expected to be onsite four days per week. Reporting to the Director & Head of Computational Chemistry.
What You’ll Do
Lead structure‑based drug design meetings with medicinal chemists and provide senior‑level, hands‑on drug design and computational chemistry support to small molecule drug discovery project teams
Contribute to programs from target identification through lead optimization and drug candidate selection
Apply structure‑, ligand‑, and fragment‑based modeling to guide medicinal chemistry design
Use molecular dynamics, free energy methods, quantum chemistry, and cheminformatics to address complex design and prioritization questions
Translate computational analyses into clear, actionable compound design recommendations
Serve as a highly experienced computational contributor and scientific advisor within project teams
Mentor and coach other scientists in structure‑based drug design through technical guidance and scientific discussion
Evaluate new computational methods, tools, and workflows and apply them when they add clear value
Maintain scientific rigor, reproducibility, and best practices in an industry drug discovery environment
Requirements
PhD in Computational Chemistry or a related discipline with 9+ years of pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience
Strong understanding of small‑molecule drug discovery and medicinal chemistry principles
Demonstrated expertise in structure‑, ligand‑, and fragment‑based drug discovery
Expertise in free energy perturbation, molecular dynamics, quantum mechanics, cheminformatics, and ligand affinity estimation methods
Proven ability to independently deliver computational work that influences medicinal chemistry decisions and project outcomes
Ability to manage priorities across multiple discovery programs
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Experience applying machine learning or AI methods to molecular design, property prediction, or compound prioritization
Experience with Schrödinger modeling software and others (e.g., MOE, OpenEye)
Programming, scripting, statistics, and data analysis experience applied to drug discovery
Experience working on challenging target classes, including protein‑protein interactions and allosteric pockets
Track record of contributing to discovery programs that advance high‑quality small‑molecule drug candidates
Benefits and Compensation
IDEAYA offers a competitive total rewards package that reflects our pay‑for‑performance philosophy. The salary range for this role is $196,000–$242,000, contingent on experience and other factors. Additional benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage (100% company‑paid for employees, 90% for dependents), 401(k), ESPP, wellness programs, and merit‑based salary increases, short‑term incentive plan participation, and stock option awards.
Equal Opportunity Statement
The Company complies with all laws respecting equal employment opportunities and does not discriminate against applicants with regard to any protected characteristic as defined by federal, state, and local law. IDEAYA is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact
Workplace Requirements
All employees working in IDEAYA facilities must be fully vaccinated against COVID‑19, except where exempt by applicable law. Remote work is available for one day per week.
Contact
External agencies and recruiters may contact
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Worksite address
south san francisco, CA, 94083, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.