Drug Discovery Program leader at AQEMIA in Paris, Île-de-France, FR

About AQEMIA

AQEMIA is a drug invention company dedicated to creating entirely new medicines to address major unmet medical needs. At the core of our mission is QEMI, our proprietary molecule-invention platform, which uniquely combines cutting-edge science with advanced technology. Powered by physics-based modeling, statistical mechanics, and generative AI, QEMI allows our teams to design novel drug candidates from first principles.

What makes AQEMIA different is our commitment to true innovation: our research is dedicated to the invention of new molecular entities, not the refinement of existing ones. We focus on inventing never-before-seen molecules, without relying on experimental data, and advancing them into a growing pipeline of proprietary programs and strategic partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies.

Our most advanced preclinical programs are currently in vivo optimization, targeting diseases still waiting for effective treatments, offering our teams the opportunity to work on science that can make a real difference in people’s lives.

For more information, visit AQEMIA.com, our WTTJ Page, and our LinkedIn.

About our Team

AQEMIA brings together a diverse, multidisciplinary team of 80+ professionals based in Paris and London. Our scientists and engineers, including chemists, physicists, machine learning experts, and software engineers, work side by side to push the boundaries of early-stage drug discovery.

This close collaboration across disciplines is central to our approach, enabling us to tackle complex scientific challenges from first principles and translate cutting-edge ideas into novel therapeutic candidates. At AQEMIA, team members are encouraged to contribute their expertise, learn from one another, and play an active role in shaping the future of drug invention.

The role

Within Aqemia’s drug discovery portfolio team, Program Leaders play a critical role at Aqemia as they drive our drug discovery projects.

Objective of such projects is to invent therapeutic molecules (hits / leads) against a given target protein and related disease, leveraging our unique technology combining new Physics and Machine Learning algorithms.

Projects can be in collaboration with pharmaceutical companies to invent molecules for their targets, or within Aqemia internal project portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple drug discovery programs from target identification through hit and lead optimization, ensuring delivery against scientific, timeline, and business objectives.
• Define program strategy, milestones, success criteria, and execution plans aligned with AQEMIA’s pipeline priorities and company goals.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams across chemistry, biology, computational sciences, AI, and platform functions to drive program success.
• Drive high-quality scientific decision-making, including prioritization, go/no-go recommendations, and strategic pivots based on emerging data.
• Anticipate, assess, and mitigate scientific, operational, and pipeline risks while balancing ambition, feasibility, and impact.
• Build and develop high-performing cross-functional teams by fostering accountability, collaboration, scientific excellence, and continuous growth.
• Establish effective program governance, monitor progress, optimize resource allocation, and remove execution bottlenecks to ensure timely delivery.
• Capture learnings and drive continuous improvement by providing feedback to platform and scientific teams, promoting best practices, and maximizing platform impact across programs.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience in project management: 4+ years of consulting experience and / or 6+ years of project management experience in a fast growing environment.
• Scientific background (Masters degree in a science field), in any scientific discipline such as Engineering, Machine Learning, Chemistry, Biology.
• Objective-driven mindset and a high degree of organization, commitment and drive.

Preferred mindset

• Eager to play an active role in contributing to Aqemia’s strategy to develop drugs for patients.
• Eager to bring a wealth of knowledge to inspire and coach brilliant people from diverse backgrounds.
• Keen to solve tough problems on issues that truly matter, with a proactive and a can-do attitude.
• Team player in a fast-paced, interdisciplinary environment that keeps everyone on track.

Our recruitment process

• 1 - First discussion with our Talent Acquisition
• 2 - Hiring Manager’s interview : you’ll meet directly with your future manager
• 3 - Technical assessment of your skills through a Business Case
• 4 - Cultural fit interview with our co-founder and COO Emmanuelle
• 5 - Final interview with our co-founder and CEO Maximilien

Why Join Us ?

At AQEMIA, we work for a mission: joining us means having your own impact on changing the way drugs are discovered, and helping to shape the direction of our fast-growing company and team.

Expanding Drug Discovery Pipeline : Focused on critical therapeutic areas like Oncology, CNS, Immuno-inflammation... with in vivo proof of concept/patent stage programs. Collaborations with top Pharma, including a $140M Sanofi deal.

World-Class Interdisciplinary Team : work alongside exceptional talent at the intersection of technology and life sciences. Our teams combine deep expertise in AI, physics-based modeling, biology, and medicinal chemistry to push the boundaries of innovation.

DeepTech Recognition: AQEMIA is proud to be part of the French Tech 120 and France 2030, highlighting our role as a key player in Europe’s DeepTech ecosystem.

Prime Location with Flexibility : Our offices are located in the heart of Paris and London (King’s Cross), with flexible work arrangements including up to two remote days per week.

Strong Financial Backing : $100M raised from leading European and International investors