Head of Biologics Engineering

About Chai Discovery

Chai Discovery is re-architecting drug discovery by building frontier AI foundation models to design molecules.

The founding Chai team has brought together the leading researchers in this space, with seminal research accomplishments at top AI labs. The team has led AI-for-biology programs at premier labs, co-invented protein language modelling, built state-of-the-art folding algorithms, and sold AI adopted by top-10 pharma companies. The company is backed by top-tier investors, including OpenAI, Thrive Capital, Dimension, Conviction, Lachy Groom, Amplify, and many more.

We’re looking to add a few members to our team of scientists and engineers, who obsess over creating the most powerful AI models for antibody discovery, and turning them into products that can transform how medicines are made.

About the role

As Head of Biologics Engineering, you will own the end-to-end strategy for translating Chai’s AI-generated antibody designs into clinic-ready molecules. You’ll build and mentor a multidisciplinary bench team, set technical roadmaps for monoclonals, bispecifics, TCEs, cytokine fusions, and ADC/DAC formats, and establish the assays and developability criteria that decide which candidates advance. Partnering closely with our ML, structural-bio, and partnerships groups, you’ll turn model output into rigorous data, guide design cycles, and represent biologics strategy with CROs, pharma collaborators, and investors.

At Chai, we’re entering a pivotal stage. After years of foundational R&D, our models are moving beyond protein structure prediction and into real-world therapeutic engineering. We're now tasking our AI models on a broad spectrum of drug development challenges, at an exciting scale of wet-lab validation.

This is not a typical role — it’s a chance to push the boundaries of drug discovery by building some of the most advanced AI drug design models ever built.

About you

We are seeking a scientist with a rigorous research background and a deep desire to push the limits of what’s possible in therapeutic design and a restless drive to solve real-world problems and iterate quickly. You should have:

Scientific & technical expertise:

• Ph.D. (or equivalent industry experience) in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Protein/Antibody Engineering, or related field

• 7 + years advancing antibody or next-gen biologic programs, with a proven record of IND-enabling or pre-clinical success

• Hands-on expertise across antibody-based biologics, including advanced modalities such as: bispecifics, TCEs, engineered cytokines, multifunctionals, ADCs/DACs

• Extensive expertise in next-generation antibody therapeutics

• Strong track record of successful preclinical therapeutic development

• Deep familiarity with affinity, specificity, and developability assays (SPR/BLI, ELISA, cell-based readouts, aggregation/viscosity panels)

Team & program leadership:

• 3 + years leading scientists or cross-functional project teams; comfortable hiring, coaching, and performance-managing a growing group

• Experience setting project OKRs and resource plans, managing CRO budgets, and negotiating timelines and deliverables

• Ability to translate company-level goals into clear experimental roadmaps and prioritize across multiple targets

Collaboration & communication:

• Track record of productive partnerships with computational biology or ML teams, able to convert model hypotheses into bench experiments and feed results back rapidly

• Skilled communicator who can present strategy and data to executives, external partners, and investors

What we offer

• Frontier technology: we’re developing the next frontier of AI-driven drug discovery that will fundamentally change how new therapeutics are created.

• World-class team: opportunity to work with world-renowned leaders in the AI x biology and technology ecosystem who have created some of the most impactful advancements.

• Highly competitive compensation: we offer highly competitive salary, equity package, and healthcare and wellness benefits.

• Velocity and ownership: we move incredibly fast, which means continuous learning and career growth opportunities are a guarantee. Every team member owns a significant slice of the roadmap.

• Strong team culture: Collaborative and supportive startup culture in a small and high-energy team who are guided by our mission to increase the efficiency of creating new medicines and positively impact millions of lives.