--- title: 'Director, IP Counsel at Iambic Therapeutics, Inc' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-ip-counsel-iambic-therapeutics-inc-san-diego-492xa6xt2p79' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-11-04' --- # Director, IP Counsel at Iambic Therapeutics, Inc - **Company:** Iambic Therapeutics, Inc - **Location:** San Diego, CA - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-11-02 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-04 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/iambic-therapeutics/a3b2fcd5-f927-47eb-8808-2879310d1273 ## Job description ## JOB SUMMARY Iambic is hiring a Director, IP Counsel to lead our intellectual property function. Reporting to the General Counsel, you will build and execute a global IP strategy protecting our small molecule pipeline and our AI-driven discovery platform. We are looking for a hands on, business-minded attorney who is able to engage in drafting and prosecution of patent applications and conduct analyses, while managing outside counsel strategically, with the ability to leverage AI tools for efficiency. This role is based at our San Diego Headquarters; San Diego-area candidates are strongly preferred. ## RESPONSIBILITIES - Draft, file, and prosecute patent applications, and manage outside counsel on the global portfolio (U.S., PCT, EP), deciding what is handled in-house; own filing strategy and the IP budget. - Conduct and lead freedom-to-operate, patentability, and landscape analyses, engaging outside counsel for formal opinions as appropriate. - Run the invention disclosure process with research and computational teams, including inventorship determinations. - Build and maintain a trade secret program for our AI models, data, and know-how, and advise on open source and data licensing. - Lead IP diligence and draft and negotiate IP terms in collaborations, licenses, and other transactions; set IP positions for commercial contract playbooks. - Make AI tools central to the IP function (searching, drafting, office action responses, analytics), consistent with Iambic’s AI-use and confidentiality policies and USPTO guidance. - Oversee publication review, lifecycle and exclusivity planning, contested proceedings, trademarks, and IP-related SEC disclosures. ## QUALIFICATIONS - J.D., active membership in good standing of a U.S. state bar, and USPTO registration. - Advanced degree (Ph.D. preferred) in chemistry, medicinal chemistry, or a related field; experience in computational or AI/ML fields a plus. - 8+ years of life sciences patent experience, including law firm and in-house biotech/pharma; experience building an in-house IP function preferred. - Recent hands-on experience personally drafting and prosecuting small molecule patent applications, plus global portfolio strategy. - Experience conducting FTO analyses and handling IP in pharma collaborations and licensing. - Regular use of AI tools in IP practice, with sound judgment on confidentiality and verification of AI-assisted work. - Willingness to do the work directly in a lean team; ability to give clear, practical advice to scientists and executives. ## ABOUT IAMBIC THERAPEUTICS Iambic is a clinical-stage life-science and technology company developing novel medicines using its AI-driven discovery and development platform. Based in San Diego and founded in 2020, Iambic has assembled a world-class team that unites pioneering AI experts and experienced drug hunters. The Iambic platform has demonstrated delivery of new drug candidates to human clinical trials with unprecedented speed and across multiple target classes and mechanisms of action. Iambic is advancing a pipeline of potential best-in-class and first-in-class clinical assets, both internally and in partnership, to address urgent unmet patient need. Learn more about the Iambic team, platform, pipeline, and partnerships at [iambic.ai](http://iambic.ai). ## MISSION & CORE VALUES Our mission is to deliver better medicines through innovations in AI-based discovery technologies. The culture and work at Iambic Therapeutics are profoundly strengthened by the diversity of our people and our differences in background, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and life experiences. We are committed to building an inclusive environment where a diverse group of talented humans work together to discover therapeutics and create technologies. ## PAY AND BENEFITS We offer industry leading competitive pay, company paid healthcare, flexible spending accounts, voluntary life insurance, 401K matching, and uncapped vacation to our team. We are in a brand-new state-of-the art facility in beautiful San Diego with an onsite gym, dining, and easy access to great places to live and play. ## About Iambic Therapeutics, Inc ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Iambic Therapeutics is a clinical‑stage biotechnology company that uses an AI‑driven platform to discover and develop novel small‑molecule medicines for oncology and other diseases. - **Entity Type**: Private (late‑stage venture‑backed) - **Headquarters**: San Diego, California, United States - **Founded**: 2020 - **Founders**: Not explicitly named in available sources; leadership includes a Co‑Founder & CEO and a Co‑Founder & CTO. ## Core Business - **Primary industries**: Biotechnology, AI‑powered drug discovery, oncology therapeutics - **Target customers**: B2B partnerships with pharmaceutical companies (e.g., Bayer) and, ultimately, patients through a wholly‑owned pipeline of clinical‑stage candidates - **Mission**: *“Better technology for better medicines”* – using machine learning and automation to transform the creation of new therapeutics ## Products & Services - **Enchant Platform**: A multi‑modal transformer AI that breaks down data barriers between preclinical and clinical R&D, enabling rapid molecular design. - **NeuralPLexer**: A co‑folding AI technology that predicts protein‑ligand structures to guide drug design. - **Automated High‑Throughput Experimentation**: AI‑driven robotics that generate new biological data from novel molecular designs on a weekly cadence. - **IAM1363** (HER2 inhibitor): A highly selective, brain‑penetrant tyrosine kinase inhibitor for HER2‑driven cancers; currently in Phase 1b clinical studies. - **IAM‑C1** (CDK2/4 dual inhibitor): A potential first‑in‑class selective inhibitor for HR+/HER2‑ metastatic breast cancer (preclinical). - **IAM‑K1** (KIF18A inhibitor): A potential best‑in‑class allosteric inhibitor for triple‑negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and other solid tumors (preclinical). - **Undisclosed programs**: Additional wholly‑owned candidates across multiple target classes and mechanisms. ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: **Total funding** – $330.8 M (including a $100 M Series B in Oct 2023, a $50 M Series B extension in Apr 2024 led by EXOR N.V. and Mubadala Capital, and a $127.8 M venture round in Nov 2025) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: EXOR N.V., Mubadala Capital, Nexus Venture, Bayer (collaboration in AI drug discovery), and a Scientific Advisory Board including Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold (Caltech) - **Growth Signals**: - Headcount of **117** (64.5 % year‑over‑year growth) - Active job postings: **18** (+200 % quarterly, +50 % yearly) - Pipeline advanced from program launch to IND in **2 years** (vs. 6‑year industry average for IAM1363) - Broad platform applicability demonstrated across orthosteric, allosteric, and protein‑protein interaction modalities ## Competitive Advantages - **Speed**: AI‑driven platform can deliver development candidates to clinical trials in roughly one‑third the industry average time. - **Selectivity & Differentiated Profiles**: IAM1363 shows > 5000‑fold selectivity against EGFR, avoiding EGFR‑driven toxicity; IAM‑C1 targets CDK2/4 with a novel selectivity profile. - **Broad Platform Applicability**: Platform has produced leads across diverse protein classes and mechanisms (orthosteric, allosteric, PPI modulators). - **Integration of AI and Drug Hunting**: Tightly integrated team of AI experts and seasoned drug hunters, with a culture of “audacity” that tackles hard chemistry problems. ## Strategic Focus - Advancing the clinical pipeline: IAM1363 Phase 1b, preparing IAM‑C1 and IAM‑K1 for IND‑enabling studies. - Expanding platform partnerships (e.g., Bayer collaboration). - Scaling the organization: actively hiring in ML science, computational chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and clinical operations. - Exploring new therapeutic areas and target classes through the Enchant and NeuralPLexer technologies. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Values of **Respect**, **Collaboration**, and **Audacity** – cross‑functional teamwork with resilience and optimism; a flat, high‑trust environment. - **Work Model**: Based in La Jolla/San Diego, CA; the company emphasizes on‑site collaboration for drug‑discovery and lab‑based roles; remote/hybrid policy not explicitly stated. - **Team Growth**: Rapidly scaling (headcount +64 % YoY) with a strong pipeline of open roles in ML, computational chemistry, drug product development, and clinical operations. - **Cutting‑Edge Work**: Opportunity to work at the intersection of frontier AI (large multimodal models, agentic data pipelines) and real‑world drug discovery that reaches patients. - **Leadership & Mentorship**: Advisory board includes Nobel laureate and former NVIDIA AI director; close integration of AI and biology. ## Sources 1. [iambic.ai](https://www.iambic.ai/) – Homepage, platform, and corporate overview 2. [iambic.ai/about](https://www.iambic.ai/about) – Leadership, advisory board, investors 3. [iambic.ai/pipeline](https://www.iambic.ai/pipeline) – Pipeline details (IAM1363, IAM‑C1, IAM‑K1) 4. [iambic.ai/careers](https://www.iambic.ai/careers) – Careers page, values, open positions 5. [linkedin.com/company/iambic-ai](https://www.linkedin.com/company/iambic-ai) – Company stats (headcount 117, $3.4M revenue, $330.8M funding, funding rounds, employee growth) ## Other roles at Iambic Therapeutics, Inc - [Associate Director/Director, FP&A](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-director-director-fp-a-iambic-therapeutics-inc-san-diego-z28z0y19xya6) — San Diego, CA - [Sr Manager, FP&A - Discovery R&D](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-manager-fp-a-discovery-r-d-iambic-therapeutics-inc-san-diego-sznt8xkbx741) — San Diego, CA - [Corporate Counsel, Commercial](https://feeny.ai/job/corporate-counsel-commercial-iambic-therapeutics-inc-san-diego-ww25hgtsp3t5) — San Diego, CA - [IT Support Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/it-support-specialist-iambic-therapeutics-inc-san-diego-g98wd14jdssg) — San Diego, CA - [Sr. Project Manager, Clinical Development](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-project-manager-clinical-development-iambic-therapeutics-inc-san-diego-ypkbzp0zb86s) — San Diego, CA - [Sr Associate Scientist I or II, Medicinal Chemistry](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-associate-scientist-i-or-ii-medicinal-chemistry-iambic-therapeutics-inc-san-7zek78ek4h8y) — San Diego, CA - [Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-scientist-medicinal-chemistry-iambic-therapeutics-inc-san-diego-et7kjjyvc1yv) — San Diego, CA - [Principal / AD / Director, Agentic AI](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-ad-director-agentic-ai-iambic-therapeutics-inc-san-diego-1g1gksks4q51) — San Diego, CA - [Software Engineer I/II - Scientific Computing](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-i-ii-scientific-computing-iambic-therapeutics-inc-boston-2vn970jxspag) — Boston, MA - [Sr. Associate Scientist I / II – High Throughput Chemistry](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-associate-scientist-i-ii-high-throughput-chemistry-iambic-therapeutics-inc-41r8p5392c9w) — San Diego, CA