Head of AI – Drug Discovery/Biotech start-up

We are partnering with a fast-growing, venture‑backed biotech at the cutting edge of drug discovery. Their mission is leveraging next‑generation sequencing, high‑resolution imaging, and advanced machine learning to transform the drug‑discovery process for cell revolution.

As they scale their AI capabilities, they are hiring a Head of AI to lead the development of new ML tools, drive scientific impact, and shape the company’s long‑term AI strategy.

The Role

As Head of AI, you will lead a cross‑functional team building the machine learning and computational platforms that power the company’s target discovery engine. You will work at the intersection of genomics, computer vision, and deep learning, collaborating closely with wet‑lab scientists, computational biologists, and data scientists/ML engineers.

This is an end‑to‑end leadership role combining technical credibility with strategic direction. You will define the AI roadmap, guide the design of models and pipelines, support downstream scientific decision‑making, and ensure the team is executing effectively.

The ideal candidate blends technical depth with pragmatism, scientific curiosity, and the ability to collaborate across disciplines.

Key Responsibilities

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• Lead and grow an AI/ML group currently consisting of 4/5 engineers/scientists, with planned expansion.
  
• Own the strategic direction for AI across genomics, imaging, target discovery, and computational modelling.
  
• Develop ML tools that process large‑scale sequencing data, cellular imaging, and multimodal datasets.
  
• Partner with computational biology and wet‑lab groups to integrate AI models into scientific workflows.
  
• Prioritise the roadmap and ensure delivery of high‑impact internal tools and models.
  
• Drive innovation across deep learning, computer vision, and emerging LLM applications.
  
• Balance hands‑on technical contribution (~10–20%) with leadership (60%) and long‑term strategy (20–30%).
  

What I’m Looking For – Must‑have experience

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• Strong industry background in genomics, computational biology, or bio/pharma ML.
  
• Proven experience applying deep learning and computer vision (e.g., segmentation, histology imaging).
  
• Deep understanding of sequencing data, somatic variation, or related biological domains.
  
• Leadership experience managing high‑performing ML or data science teams.
  

Nice‑to‑have

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• Exposure to LLMs and modern foundation‑model approaches in biology.
  
• Experience in early‑stage biotech or building ML systems from scratch.
  

Paying up to £150/160k and Computer Vision focus.