Associate Director/Director, Medicinal Chemistry

About Assembly: Assembly Biosciences (NASDAQ: ASMB) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing innovative therapeutics targeting hepatitis B virus (HBV) and diseases associated with the microbiome. The HBV program is focused on advancing a new class of potent, oral core inhibitors that have the potential to increase cure rates for chronically infected patients. The microbiome program is developing novel oral live microbial biotherapeutic candidates with Assembly's fully integrated platform, including a robust process for strain identification and selection, GMP banking and production, and targeted delivery to the lower gastrointestinal tract with the GEMICEL ® technology. We pride ourselves on creating a culture and work environment that is scientifically driven, ambitious, and collaborative. We encourage diversity of thought that leads to great innovation and are looking to add to our dynamic team great people who are driven to transform the lives of patients.

We believe our Microbiome platform represents a best in class approach to developing biopharmaceutical agents from live biotherapeutic products. ABI-M201, our lead program in mildly to moderately active ulcerative colitis (UC), is currently in a phase 1b clinical trial. This program is part of a broader collaboration we established with Allergan in 2017 for gastrointestinal programs such as UC, Crohn's disease and Irritable Bowel Syndromes with potential total development and commercial milestones of up to $2.8 billion. Our internal pipeline comprises first in class or best in class live microbial biotherapeutic approaches in areas such as oncology, immune mediated and metabolic disorders, and other areas of high medical need.

Assembly is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, while the R&D headquarters is in South San Francisco. The Company also has a microbiome manufacturing facility in Groton, CT, and offices in China. Assembly has a strong balance sheet having raised approximately $166 million in July 2018. We are positioned well to build the next phase of the Company toward global development and commercialization of our innovative medicines in HBV-cure and the Microbiome.

Summary: We are seeking a highly motivated and creative senior level scientist with experience in discovery and optimization of novel small molecule therapeutics. More specifically, we are looking for an experienced medicinal chemist who has a strong desire and passion to work in a multi-disciplinary fast-paced and dynamic team environment and assume a leading role in our internal research efforts to identify new therapeutics for curing chronic HBV infection and other virus infections. The selected candidate will be responsible for the rigorous management of external chemistry resources, designing and directing the synthesis of candidate drug molecules to develop structure-activity relationships, and incorporating key biological and DMPK data to accelerate the identification of clinical candidate compounds. The selected candidate will play a prominent role reviewing the patent literature and assist company patent attorneys in filing new patents to ensure establishment of a strong proprietary estate.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Direct small molecule drug discovery programs through efficient use and oversight of external resources

• Exhibit creativity and genuine curiosity for novel approaches to improve the drug discovery approach, increase efficiency and generate better candidate molecules

• Design new target molecules for SAR development and lead optimization

• Oversee and provide guidance on executing the actual synthesis of these new molecular targets

• Active participation in multidisciplinary team efforts, collaborate closely with scientists in computational modeling, virology and DMPK

• Present regular research updates to project teams and R&D management

• Contribute to patent generation, review and filings

• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications include:

• PhD in organic or medicinal chemistry

• At least 6 years of experience with proven track record of success in an industrial setting

• In-depth knowledge of drug discovery process

• Extensive skill sets in drug design, SAR development, and complex organic synthesis

• Excellent written and oral communication skills

• Strong self-motivation, independence, and ability to work in a high-pace multidisciplinary environment with minimal supervision

• Ability to think independently and fully integrate into a high achieving team environment

• Good interpersonal skills, able to operate effectively in a team setting

• Knowledge and experience in the area of antiviral drug discovery preferred

AAP/EEO Statement

Assembly Biosciences is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. We are committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.