Senior Director, AI & Bioinformatics

Department: Drug Discovery & Translational Sciences Reports to: Chief Scientific Officer About the Role We are seeking an exceptional scientific leader to build and scale a world-class AI-driven bioinformatics function in the heart of the UK’s life sciences ecosystem in Oxford. As Senior Director, AI & Bioinformatics, you will define and execute the company’s computational strategy across target identification, multimodal data integration, and predictive modelling to accelerate our drug discovery pipeline. This is a high-impact executive leadership role with full ownership of strategy, people, platform, and cross-functional integration. You will partner closely with Biology, Chemistry, Translational Medicine, and Clinical Development to transform data into differentiated therapeutics. Key Responsibilities Strategic Leadership Define and deliver the AI & data strategy aligned with corporate R&D goals. Build a scalable computational platform integrating genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, imaging, and clinical data. Drive adoption of AI/ML across early discovery through translational stages. Represent the company externally in partnerships, academic collaborations, and investor discussions. Scientific & Technical Excellence Lead development of predictive models for: Target identification and validation Implement state-of-the-art approaches including: Multi-omics integration Generative models for target prioritisation Establish best-in-class data governance, reproducibility, and FAIR data practices. Organizational Leadership Recruit, mentor, and scale a multidisciplinary team of: Computational biologists Data scientists Create a high-performance, collaborative culture embedded within wet-lab discovery teams. Manage budgets, vendor relationships, and technology investments. Required Qualifications PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Machine Learning, Systems Biology, or related discipline. 10+ years experience in biotech/pharma drug discovery. Proven leadership experience building and managing high-performing computational teams. Track record of deploying AI/ML models into real discovery pipelines (not just research prototypes). Deep expertise in: Multi-omics analysis Statistical genetics Python/R and modern ML frameworks Strong understanding of translational science and clinical data integration. Preferred Experience Experience leading AI strategy in oncology, immunology, rare disease, or precision medicine. Industry collaborations with UK/EU academic institutions. Exposure to regulatory considerations for AI in drug development. What We Offer Executive-level compensation + equity participation Opportunity to shape a flagship AI-enabled biotech platform Access to Oxford’s leading academic and clinical ecosystem Flexible hybrid working model Generous pension, bonus, and long-term incentive plans #J-18808-Ljbffr