Senior Director, Head of Computational Sciences

Flagship Pioneering
Cambridge, MA USA / FL1102026-08-05

About the job

We are looking for a visionary, hands-on computational leader to build-out and lead Tilde's computational sciences. This person will own the algorithms, models, and data infrastructure that sit at the heart of our nanopore-based protein reading platform — from raw signal processing through to protein identification and quantification.

The role is cross-functional by design. You will be embedded in the science, working directly with nanopore scientists, protein engineers, and the technology development team to turn experimental data into platform insight. At the same time, you will be building a team and shaping a longer-term computational roadmap.

The right candidate has strong technical depth in machine learning and computational biology, has led teams before, and is comfortable operating in an environment where the science is still being defined.

Responsibilities

Set the computational sciences strategy and roadmap, working with the leadership team to align priorities with where the platform needs to go.

Build the computational sciences team — recruiting, mentoring, and creating an environment where scientists do their best work and remain current on latest developments in their field.

Lead development of algorithms and models for processing, decoding, and interpreting signals from Tilde's nanopore-based protein reading platform.

Work closely with nanopore scientists and hardware engineers to advance a fast-evolving analytical framework

Design and implement ML pipelines for protein identification, classification, and quantification, drawing on multi-modal datasets spanning proteomic, genomic, and platform-generated data.

Establish data management practices, versioning standards, and analytical SOPs that support reproducible, scalable science, including creating and maintenance of cloud infrastructure (e.g., AWS) that can handle platform-scale data generation.

Partner with research, molecular engineering, data science, and technology development — making sure computational capabilities stay integrated with what the experimental teams need.

Work with program leads on data generation strategies, experimental designs, and analysis frameworks.

Work with external collaborators or consultants, as needed, to accelerate our research productivity

Identify and protect novel computational methods as part of Tilde's IP strategy.

Communicate technical progress clearly to leadership and, where relevant, to external partners and investors.

Qualifications

Minimum

PhD in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related field.

10+ years of experience in computational biology or a closely related area, with at least 4 years leading a team.

Track record of building and developing strong computational teams across different organizations.

Strong hands-on ML and programming skills, with fluency in modern data science tooling.

Experience with cloud environments (e.g., AWS, GCP) and building scalable data infrastructure.

Clear communicator — able to make complex computational work legible to experimental scientists and non-technical stakeholders alike.

Comfortable with ambiguity; able to make good decisions and keep teams moving when the problem is still being defined.

Preferred

Experience with time-series signal analysis from sequencing, electrophysiology, or related sensing platforms.

Background in proteomics, single-molecule biophysics, or life science platform technologies.

Familiarity with protein structure, function, or engineering.

Experience with NGS data analysis and bioinformatics tool development.

Prior experience at a venture-backed biotech or life science tools company.

History of contributing to IP and scientific publications.