Associate Director/Director, Head of DEL Discovery Strategy and Informatics

The Role

Valo is seeking a Head of DEL, encompassing discovery strategy and selections, DEL chemistry and informatics to advance DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology as a core engine for initiating chemistry efforts across the portfolio. This leader will set the strategy for how DEL is deployed from target assessment and selection design through hit identification, off-DNA validation, and chemistry-start decisions. The role will lead a DEL team and partner with medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, biology, protein sciences, and data science to turn DEL outputs into high-quality, model-ready data and chemically tractable starting points for the Opal Computational Platform.

What You'll Do

• Set the strategic roadmap for using DEL as a first-line discovery approach to initiate chemistry campaigns across Valo's portfolio
• Lead and develop a team of 4 to 5 scientists spanning DEL informatics, on-DNA chemistry, analysis, and discovery strategy
• Define DEL deployment strategy, including target tractability, library fit, selection design, controls, counterscreens, and project-start decision criteria
• Translate DEL selection outputs into actionable chemistry starts through enrichment analysis, hit-family triage, SAR hypotheses, off-DNA validation, and analog prioritization
• Partner with medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, biology, protein sciences, in vitro pharmacology and data science to advance DEL-derived hits into validated, chemically tractable series
• Lead a team to build scalable DEL data workflows that generate high-quality, reusable, model-ready datasets for Opal and AI/ML-driven discovery
• Scout, evaluate, and apply emerging DEL technologies, including next-generation library design, DNA-compatible chemistry, advanced selection methods, sequencing analytics, and ML-guided interpretation
• Communicate strategy, tradeoffs, and recommendations to project teams and senior leaders to drive portfolio decisions

What You Bring

• PhD in protein sciences, chemistry, computational chemistry, chemical biology, or related field with 8+ years of relevant industry experience for the application of DEL in a drug discovery setting
• Demonstrated deep expertise in identifying and executing strategies for successful DEL campaigns for a variety of targets, including protein classes which are typically challenging for DEL selections
• Strong understanding of DEL strategy from library design and selection through data analysis, hit identification, off-DNA validation, and chemistry-start planning
• Demonstrated track record using DEL-derived data to initiate or advance medicinal chemistry programs and generate validated chemical matter
• Strong grounding in protein sciences, organic chemistry, on-DNA chemistry, medicinal chemistry principles, cheminformatics, and large experimental datasets
• Current knowledge of emerging DEL technologies and ability to assess which innovations should be adopted, partnered, or built internally
• Experience working across AI/ML, data science, computational chemistry, biology, and protein sciences to turn DEL data into predictive insight and project decisions
• Proven people leadership, cross-functional influence, and ability to communicate strategic recommendations clearly to senior stakeholders