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Associate Director, Cheminformatics

Boston, Massachusetts
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  • Job Level: Senior
  • Travel: Minimal (if any)

At Takeda, we strive to provide transformational opportunities for every member of our team, and we empower our people to take charge of their futures. In an environment that fosters lifelong learning and a growth mindset, you’ll have the support you need to thrive — at work and beyond.

Job ID R0161121 Date posted 08/18/2025 Location Boston, Massachusetts

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Job Description

Research Associate Director, Cheminformatics

Job Description

At Takeda, we are a forward-looking, world-class R&D organization that unlocks innovation and delivers transformative therapies to patients. By focusing R&D efforts on three therapeutic areas and other targeted investments, we push the boundaries of what is possible to bring life-changing therapies to patients worldwide.

Objective / Purpose: 

We are seeking a highly skilled and visionary leader to establish Takeda’s cheminformatics platform in the era of AI/ML-driven drug discovery. This role will be key to fostering a “prediction-first” culture, integrating cheminformatics, computational chemistry, and machine learning to accelerate drug design. The candidate will collaborate closely with global teams in medicinal chemistry, DMPK, and AI/ML, defining a roadmap for computational tools that empower medicinal chemists to drive innovation.

Accountabilities: 

  • Design, automate and deploy cheminformatics workflows and visualization dashboards to support drug discovery projects.

  • Identify opportunities throughout the DMTA cycle where predictive tools can drive acceleration. Build predictive models for molecule design and optimization. Extract medchem design knowledge from large-scale chemical and biological datasets.

  • Stay updated with emerging trends in computational chemistry and machine learning as applied to drug discovery.Implement and execute innovative computational methodologies and tools such as AI-based drug discovery, generative chemistry,synthesizable chemical space exploration,DNA Encoded Library (DEL) data analysis and DEL/ML application.

  • Mentor junior scientists and ML engineers for their career success. Strategize and plan for building an industry-leading cheminformatics group at Takeda.

  • Serve as a trusted thought partner, helping to drive ideation and execution of innovative chemistry strategies that meet Takeda’s therapeutic goals

Education & Competencies (Technical and Behavioral): 

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience impacting drug discovery exemplified by delivering end-to-end cheminformatics solutions, AI/ML-driven approaches, and generative chemistry.

  • PhD in Computational Chemistry, Cheminformatics,Computer Scienceor related disciplines, with 6+ years of experience in pharmaceutical or biotechsetting.

  • Strong expertise in cheminformatics toolkits such as RDKit and proficiency in programming languages (Python, R) and dashboard technologies.

  • Solid programming and scripting capabilities (e.g., Python, R, C/C++) with a proven ability to design and automate scalable computational workflows.

  • Comprehensive knowledge of the DMTA cycle with demonstrated success in deploying predictive tools across the design process.

  • Experience with DEL data analysis and Multi-task DL method is a strong plus.

  • Experience managing contractors or direct reports. Experience leading strategic initiatives to accelerate DMTA cycle. 

Takeda Compensation and Benefits Summary

We understand compensation is an important factor as you consider the next step in your career. We are committed to equitable pay for all employees, and we strive to be more transparent with our pay practices.

For Location:

Boston, MA

U.S. Base Salary Range:

$153,600.00 - $241,340.00

The estimated salary range reflects an anticipated range for this position. The actual base salary offered may depend on a variety of factors, including the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, specific and unique skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.The actual base salary offered will be in accordance with state or local minimum wage requirements for the job location.

U.S. based employees may be eligible for short-term and/or long-termincentives. U.S.based employees may be eligible to participate in medical, dental, vision insurance, a 401(k) plan and company match, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, a tuition reimbursement program, paid volunteer time off, company holidays, and well-being benefits, among others. U.S.based employees are also eligible to receive, per calendar year, up to 80 hours of sick time, and new hires are eligible to accrue up to 120 hours of paid vacation.

EEO Statement

Takeda is proud in its commitment to creating a diverse workforce and providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, national origin, age, disability, citizenship status, genetic information or characteristics, marital status, status as a Vietnam era veteran, special disabled veteran, or other protected veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, and any other characteristic protected by law.

Locations

Boston, MA

Worker Type

Employee

Worker Sub-Type

Regular

Time Type

Full time

Job Exempt

Yes

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
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Where you fit in

Our team at Takeda is tackling some of the most challenging problems in drug discovery and development. As the newest member of our Research team, you’ll conduct purposeful, meaningful work on groundbreaking modalities that may lead to breakthrough drugs.

With our deep investment in next-generation technologies, you’ll have the resources and support to do your best work. As a part of our team, you’ll connect with brilliant minds inside and outside of Takeda. We are committed to collaborating with academia and emerging biotech companies to expand our reach and impact in cell therapy, gene therapy and data sciences.

Our team’s wide-ranging expertise includes medicinal chemistry, genomics datasets, immunofluorescence, high content imaging, flow cytometry, transcriptional profiling, multi-step synthesis, multimodal genetics, pharmacokinetics and much more. Whatever area inspires you, your work will support the progression of an innovative, industry-leading discovery pipeline and make an impact that matters to patients and society.

A career in Research at Takeda will give you everything you need to succeed professionally — and make a difference to patients, people and the planet.

  • Design and carry out experiments

  • Manage multiple projects

  • Document data

  • Mentor other scientists

Along with incredibly passionate colleagues, there’s a clear commitment to invest in the best facilities and the right equipment needed to successfully perform world-class science.

Christina Alves - Head of Biotherapeutics Process Development

Our pipeline

Our internal research capabilities and external partnerships contribute to an R&D engine that has produced exciting new molecular entities (NMEs) across our core Therapeutic Areas. Check out our pipeline and see how we’ll continue delivering a steady stream of next-generation therapies.

Learn more

What we believe in

Our values of Takeda-ism are Integrity, Fairness, Honesty and Perseverance, with Integrity as the core. These are brought to life through actions based on Patient, Trust, Reputation and Business, in that order.

Our belief in putting people first extends beyond our patients — it includes their families and communities, as well as our Takeda colleagues and their families.

We are committed to embracing our differences, valuing different perspectives, and fostering a culture of respect, inclusiveness and empowerment.

Our embedded Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) strategy enables us to attract and retain exceptional talent, drives innovation, and helps address systemic inequalities in our communities.

  • Integrity

  • Fairness

  • Honesty

  • Perseverance

Working at Takeda

  • Inclusion

    Here, you will feel welcomed, respected, and valued as a vital contributor to our global team.

  • Collaboration

    A strong, borderless team, we strive together towards our priorities and inspiring mission.

  • Innovation

    Bold initiatives, continuous improvement, and creativity are at the heart of how we bring scientific breakthroughs from the lab to patients.

  • Top Workplace

    Recognized for our culture and way of working, we’re one of only 17 companies to receive Top Global Employer® status for 2024.

  • Work-Life

    Our people-first mission extends beyond patients to include their families, communities, and our own Takeda family.

  • Empowerment

    Through trust and respect, you will have genuine support from leaders, managers, and colleagues to do your best work.

We're Steadfast In Our Commitment to Four Key Imperatives

Patient


Responsibly translate science into highly innovative medicines and accelerate access to improve lives worldwide.

People


Create an exceptional people experience.

Planet


Protect our planet.

Data & Digital


Transform Takeda into the most trusted, data-driven, outcomes-based biopharmaceutical company.

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