What are the responsibilities and job description for the Chief Science Officer position at Ethcalon LLC?
Company Description
ETHCALON LLC is a New York firm specializing in deal structuring. Our core practice is drug discovery: we structure partnering and licensing transactions for pharmaceutical and
biotech programs, helping Japanese drug discovery companies bring their assets to U.S. partners. Our work covers partner identification, asset positioning, valuation, and support
through partnering negotiations, with deal terms designed across upfront payments, milestones, and royalties. We also advise franchise and consumer brands, including food, on partnerships and franchise expansion into the United States.We are a small, senior team, and every engagement is led by people who have done the work themselves.
Role Description
The Chief Science Officer will lead scientific due diligence for ETHCALON's life sciences engagements. The role sits at the point where science meets deal terms: the CSO determines what a drug discovery program's data actually supports, and that judgment shapes how an asset iszpositioned, valued, and negotiated.
The CSO will work directly with the Chief Executive Officer on partnering and licensing mandates for pharmaceutical and biotech clients. This is an advisory role, not a laboratory role. The CSO will not run experiments or manage R&D operations. The work is evaluation, judgment, and clear communication of scientific risk to business decision makers on both sides of a transaction.
Responsibilities
- Lead scientific due diligence and technical evaluation of drug discovery programs, targets, and preclinical and clinical assets
- Assess mechanism of action, target biology, translational evidence, competitive landscape, and development risk for each program
- Support partnering assessments by identifying the scientific strengths a partner will value and the questions a partner will raise
- Coordinate with client-side scientific teams during partner evaluation, and lead scientific discussions with counterparties' research and business development teams
- Provide scientific input to valuation work, including probability of success assumptions in risk-adjusted net present value (rNPV) models
- Review and strengthen partnering materials, including non-confidential decks and data packages
- Monitor clinical trial readouts, regulatory developments, and competitor programs relevant to client assets
- Help build ETHCALON's life sciences practice as the client base grows
Qualifications
- Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent doctoral degree in a life science discipline
- 7 years in drug discovery or drug development in industry, with direct exposure to business development, licensing, or scientific due diligence
- Experience evaluating both antibody and small molecule programs; experience in fibrosis, metabolic, renal, or oncology indications is a plus
- Working knowledge of how scientific evidence translates into deal value: probability of success, development timelines, and the data a partner requires at each stage
- Ability to explain complex science clearly and concisely to executives, investors in the client's own company, and non-scientific stakeholders
- Sound judgment and independence: comfortable telling a client what the data does not support
- Japanese language ability is a plus, as most of our clients are Japanese companies
Employment Details
- Location: 85 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004 (hybrid)
- Employment type: Full-time or part-time considered
- Salary range: $150,000 to $170,000 per year on a full-time basis, prorated for part-time
- Anticipated start date: 2027
How to Apply
Please submit your CV and a short note describing a drug discovery program you evaluated and what you concluded about it.
ETHCALON LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age,
disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.
Salary : $150,000 - $170,000