Strategic Initiatives Lead

Job description

**Location: NYC or Boston** Proxima (formerly VantAI) is a frontier AI and data generation company discovering the next generation of proximity therapeutics by making protein interactions programmable. Our platform brings together foundation-model machine learning, a scalable data generation engine, and a partnership track record exceeding $5B in collaborations across the world’s leading biopharma and tech organizations. We’ve recently closed an oversubscribed seed round with an elite group of VCs including DCVC, NVIDIA’s NVentures, AIX, Yosemite among others. Neo-1 is our all-atom foundation model that combines state-of-the-art structure prediction and molecular generation in a single system. Neo-1 enables rapid exploration of chemical and structural space for high value, previously intractable targets, and in particular unlocks small molecule proximity therapeutics like molecular glues with AI for the first time. In parallel, we are developing an advanced structural interactomics platform built on proprietary XLMS technology and a lab equipped with next-generation mass spectrometry instrumentation. This platform produces proteome-scale maps of protein interactions and helps identify small molecules that modulate proximity. Together with Neo-1, it creates an integrated system capable of co-folding protein complexes while generating candidate small molecules to influence those interactions. Proximity-based therapeutics represent one of most promising frontiers in modern drug discovery with the potential to treat previously intractable diseases and target ‘undruggable’ proteins. We’re building the tech and the team to make that happen. Come join us! **About the Role** As Strategic Initiatives Lead, you will be at the center of our internal drug discovery engine, driving the programs that deliver on the promise of AI-native proximity therapeutics. Reporting to the VP of R&D Strategy & Operations, you will have a direct line to Proxima's C-Suite, board, investors, and pharma partners, giving you unusual visibility and influence for a role at this level. You'll shape how our R&D engine gets built and run across internal programs, platform development, and pharma partnerships, helping leadership decide which bets to push, which to kill, and where to place the next ones. On the strategic side, you'll synthesize signal from ML, wet lab, chemistry, and partner teams into the insights that drive portfolio decisions, board conversations, and BD strategy. On the operational side, you'll make sure the right experiments happen at the right time, cross-functional teams stay aligned, and leadership has what they need to move fast with conviction. If you want to sit at the intersection of cutting-edge science, AI, and strategy, and help build the playbook for a new kind of drug discovery company, this is the role. **Key Responsibilities** - **Strategic Planning & External Engagement:** Conduct competitive landscaping, benchmarking, and internal forecasting to inform program prioritization. Prepare materials and context for investor updates, partner discussions, and board-level program reviews - **Program Execution:** Own end-to-end coordination of R&D programs, including timelines, milestones, deliverables, and cross-functional dependencies across ML, biology, chemistry, and proteomics. - **Internal Program Management:** Own end-to-end coordination of internal R&D programs, including timelines, milestones, deliverables, and cross-functional dependencies across computational, biology, chemistry, and proteomics teams - **Program Governance & Leadership Reporting**: Build and maintain program-level dashboards, trackers, and reporting cadences that give the C-Suite, board, and external stakeholders clear line-of-sight into progress, risks, and resource needs - CRO Oversight: Manage CRO relationships in service of internal programs, including SOW alignment, timeline tracking, data delivery, and vendor performance - NeoLink Platform Operations: Support platform-related initiatives where they intersect with internal programs, from experiment planning through data integration and analysis - Operational Infrastructure: Design and implement processes, tools, and workflows that keep programs running efficiently, reduce communication overhead, and surface issues early - KOL and SAB Engagement: Coordinate interactions with Key Opinion Leaders and Scientific Advisory Board members as they relate to internal program strategy **Basic Qualifications** - Bachelor's or Master's degree in a life sciences discipline; biology or chemistry preferred - 3-6 + years of experience in biotech operations, program management, or strategy roles within AI-driven drug discovery, pharma, or a related environment - Demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder programs with competing timelines - Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Python, and GitHub - Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail - Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to translate scientific information for non-scientific stakeholders **Preferred Qualifications** - Experience in a strategy and operations role in biotech, life sciences consulting, or venture capital - Track record of influencing senior leadership and driving decisions without direct authority - Familiarity with CRO management, drug discovery workflows, or proximity-based therapeutic modalities - Strong sense of ownership; comfort operating in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment with minimal direction - AI/tech and life sciences business acumen with understanding of the pharmaceutical or computational biology landscape