Senior Talent Acquisition

AnaVation LLC; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - GBP 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading drug invention company in Greater London is seeking a Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist to shape their hiring strategy. This role includes leading sourcing initiatives and enhancing candidate experience, ensuring operational excellence while impacting the company's growth. The ideal candidate has extensive talent acquisition experience and thrives in fast-paced environments, bringing clarity and empathy to their interactions. Join this innovative team to play a crucial role in recruiting top-tier talent to change drug discovery processes.

Benefits

Flexible remote work (2 days/week)

Relocation support

French lessons available

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience in talent acquisition, preferably agency or in-house.
• Strong organizational skills and proactive ownership in a recruiting context.
• Genuine interest in sourcing and talent intelligence.

Responsibilities

• Lead and refine sourcing strategies for scientific and deep-tech roles.
• Oversee interview coordination, ensuring a fair candidate experience.
• Own job descriptions and hiring documentation for clarity and scalability.
• Manage operational aspects of talent acquisition across the company.
• Track and interpret hiring funnel metrics for data-driven decisions.

Skills

Strategic sourcing

Candidate experience management

Data-driven decision making

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Job description

About AQEMIA

AQEMIA is a drug invention company dedicated to creating entirely new medicines to address major unmet medical needs. At the core of our mission is QEMI, our proprietary molecule‑invention platform, which uniquely combines cutting‑edge science with advanced technology. Powered by physics‑based modeling, statistical mechanics, and generative AI, QEMI allows our teams to design novel drug candidates from first principles.

What makes AQEMIA different is our commitment to true innovation: our research is dedicated to the invention of new molecular entities, not the refinement of existing ones. We focus on inventing never‑before‑seen molecules, without relying on experimental data, and advancing them into a growing pipeline of proprietary programs and strategic partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies.

Our most advanced preclinical programs are currently in vivo optimization, targeting diseases still waiting for effective treatments, offering our teams the opportunity to work on science that can make a real difference in people’s lives.

For more information, visit AQEMIA.com and our LinkedIn.

About our Team

AQEMIA brings together a diverse, multidisciplinary team of 65+ professionals based in Paris and London. Our scientists and engineers, including chemists, physicists, machine learning experts, and software engineers, work side by side to push the boundaries of early‑stage drug discovery.

This close collaboration across disciplines is central to our approach, enabling us to tackle complex scientific challenges from first principles and translate cutting‑edge ideas into novel therapeutic candidates. At AQEMIA, team members are encouraged to contribute their expertise, learn from one another, and play an active role in shaping the future of drug invention.

About This Role

We’re looking for a Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist to play a key role in shaping and scaling our hiring strategy. You will work in close partnership with leadership and hiring managers to drive end‑to‑end recruitment, build and nurture high‑quality pipelines, and continuously elevate how we attract, assess, and engage top talent in a highly competitive deep‑tech environment.

This role is for someone who combines strategic thinking with strong execution, thrives in fast‑moving, ambiguous environments, and genuinely cares about building high‑performing teams. You’ll have a high level of autonomy, clear ownership over critical hires, and a meaningful impact on the company’s growth.

You’ll be a trusted partner to the business, influencing decisions, structuring scalable processes, and setting the standards for talent acquisition at Aqemia.What You’ll Be Doing

• Strategic Sourcing & Market Intelligence: Lead and continuously refine sourcing strategies for highly specialised scientific, AI, and deep‑tech roles. Leverage LinkedIn, GitHub, open‑web channels, and market mapping to build long‑term, high‑impact talent pipelines.
• Candidate Experience & Hiring Quality: Set the standard for candidate experience: oversee interview coordination and communication, ensure fairness and consistency, and act as a guardian of a respectful, high‑quality hiring journey at every stage.
• Hiring Content & Process Design: Own and evolve job descriptions, interview frameworks, and hiring documentation to ensure clarity, alignment with business needs, and scalability as Aqemia grows.
• End‑to‑End Talent Operations Ownership: Own the operational backbone of Talent Acquisition across the company: ensure ATS integrity, high‑quality pipelines, and consistent, scalable hiring processes across multiple teams and seniority levels.
• Data‑Driven Hiring Decisions: Define, track, and interpret funnel metrics; proactively identify bottlenecks and risks; and provide actionable insights to leadership to keep hiring aligned with company priorities.

You Could Be a Great Fit If

• You bring solid, hands‑on experience from an agency, in‑house talent team, or fast‑moving scale‑up, and you’re comfortable operating in complex, evolving environments.
• You combine strong organisational skills with proactive ownership; you design structure, anticipate needs, and ensure execution remains smooth and reliable.
• You have a genuine interest in sourcing and talent intelligence; whether expert or advanced, you enjoy refining search strategies and staying close to the market.
• You communicate with clarity, empathy, and credibility; candidates and stakeholders alike feel informed, respected, and confident when working with you.
• You naturally act as a connector and stabilising force, keeping people, processes, and priorities aligned as things move quickly.
• You thrive in high‑growth, fast‑paced contexts, adapting calmly to shifting priorities while maintaining focus on outcomes.
• You have a strong attention to detail and quality, understanding that accuracy, consistency, and follow‑through directly impact hiring excellence.

Why This Role Matters

This role is central to Aqemia’s ability to scale. You will shape how candidates experience Aqemia, how hiring managers make decisions, and how the Talent function operates day to day and long term.

By driving high‑quality hiring practices, strong stakeholder partnerships, and operational excellence, you will directly impact the speed, quality, and sustainability of our growth. Your work will influence who joins Aqemia, how teams are built, and ultimately how we deliver on our mission.

Why Join Us?

At AQEMIA, we work for a mission: joining us means having your own impact on changing the way drugs are discovered, and helping to shape thedirectionof our fast‑growing company and team.

Expanding Drug Discovery Pipeline

Focused on critical therapeutic areas like Oncology, CNS, Immuno‑inflammation… with in vivo proof of concept/patent stage programs. Collaborations with top Pharma, including a $140 M Sanofi deal.

Interdisciplinary Team

Brilliant talent from tech and life sciences.

DeepTech Recognition

Part of French Tech 120 and France 2030.

Prime Location

Based in central Paris and London (King’s Cross) with the possibility of 2 remote days per week.

International Environment

The work language is English – relocation support and French lessons granted if needed.

Strong Financial Backing

$100 M raised from leading European and International investors.