Member of Technical Staff, Small Molecule Discovery

Department: Member of Technical Staff

Location: San Francisco, CA

Employment Type: FullTime

Member of Technical Staff, Small Molecule Discovery

About Latch

Latch builds AI agents and benchmarks for biological research, steering frontier AI systems toward breakthroughs in medicine.

More than 10,000 scientists use our agents for R&D. All frontier AI labs use our benchmarks to measure what their systems can do in biology and medicine. We are the only biotechnology company referenced in the biology sections of frontier model cards.

We ground our benchmarks in real biological and clinical work in order to advance AI systems that can design and run experiments, interpret data and clinical endpoints, and advance compounds through clinical trials better than the best human experts.

We are a team of roughly 95 people in San Francisco and remote. Our investors include Lux Capital, Coatue, Fifty Years, Haystack, Jeff Dean, Alec Nielsen, and George Church.

The role

You will be Latch's authority on small molecule drug discovery and development, from hit to IND. You will own the small molecule benchmarks on our roadmap and decide what correct work looks like across medicinal chemistry, DMPK, safety, and translation.

This is a new function at Latch. You will define what it needs as much as you will execute it.

What you will do

• Author and ship the small molecule benchmarks on our roadmap across development and translation, plus the long-horizon flagship.

• Be the scientific authority at Latch for all things small molecule. Before Latch makes a claim about a small molecule program, you are the final reviewer.

• Potentially collaborate on and run drug programs in the wet lab, guiding discovery and development workflows.

• Work with CROs to run experiments and gather data that inform the design of our benchmarks and agents.

• Build a function beyond yourself: advisors, partners, and a hiring plan.

What we look for

• You have spent years working hands-on on small molecule programs, in medicinal chemistry, DMPK, or translation, and have carried programs through real decisions.

• You have strong, defensible opinions about what correct work looks like in your field.

• You want to build a function, not fill a seat.

The interview

One interview will be a detailed discussion of a small molecule program you know well: the chemical series, its liabilities, and how they were solved or why they were not.

Location

This is a full-time, in-person position at our waterfront office in China Basin, San Francisco. The team works from the office five days a week. The role is not hybrid or remote.

Compensation and benefits

• Total compensation ranges from $250,000 to $400,000, depending on experience.

• We believe in long-term incentive plans and provide equity and 401(k) contributions.

• Benefits include a Blue Shield Platinum health plan with 100% of premiums covered, no deductible, and no out-of-pocket costs.

• Daily meals, including lunch and dinner, are provided. Travel and accommodations for scientific conferences and other professional networking trips are included.