Senior Principal Scientist, Peptide Therapeutics

The Position

A healthier future. It’s what drives us to innovate. To continuously advance science and ensure everyone has access to the healthcare they need today and for generations to come. Creating a world where we all have more time with the people we love. That’s what makes us Genentech.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Medicinal Chemist (Senior Principal Scientist) to join our innovative research and development team. This is a technical leadership position within our Peptide Therapeutics department, focused on advancing Peptide Therapeutics.

The ideal candidate will be a significant contributor and a proven leader, responsible for optimizing and advancing novel peptide therapeutics into clinical development. You will lead the Medicinal Chemistry efforts for a highly integrated and collaborative team, applying your deep scientific expertise to solve complex drug discovery challenges and drive projects forward.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive the discovery of novel peptide therapeutics. Govern the design and synthesis of innovative peptides and peptidomimetics with enhanced potency, stability, and pharmacokinetic properties.

• Lead scientific and project teams from concept to clinic. Initiate and lead new research projects, guiding them from early hit identification through lead optimization, with the ultimate goal of advancing promising compounds to clinical development.

• Implement rational drug design strategies. Apply a broad repertoire of skills, including peptide synthesis, conformational analysis, and computational methods to implement strategic structure-activity relationship plans that optimize the pharmaceutical properties of peptide leads.

• Champion cross-functional collaboration. Lead or co-lead multidisciplinary teams, serving as a key scientific partner to colleagues in Research Biology and Drug Discovery to overcome complex challenges associated with the development of peptide therapeutics.

• Provide scientific leadership and mentorship. Supervise and mentor junior scientists, contribute to the prioritization of team objectives, and propose future strategies to meet broader portfolio goals.

• Ensure data integrity and project success. Oversee the analysis and interpretation of complex analytical data, including mass spectrometry, HPLC, and NMR, to confirm compound identity and purity. You will be responsible for managing multiple projects simultaneously, delivering high-quality results on time.

Who You Are

• Education: Ph.D. or postdoctoral degree in Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, or a related field.

• Experience: A minimum of 7 years of experience in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry, with a proven track record of advancing drug candidates from the conceptual stage into clinical testing.

Technical Expertise:

• Demonstrated mastery in complex molecule organic synthesis, including proficiency in both automated solid-phase peptide synthesis, and solution-phase small molecule synthesis, utilizing state-of-the-art protecting group and purification strategies.

• Must possess expertise in high-throughput and parallel synthesis for library generation, coupled with the expert ability to analyze and interpret all relevant analytical data (HPLC, Mass Spectrometry, NMR) to confirm the identity and purity of all synthesized drug candidates.

• Required experience in designing, developing, and implementing novel synthetic routes to overcome challenging chemical and physicochemical issues associated with optimizing both peptide and small molecule scaffolds.

• Must possess deep experience in the design and multi-step synthesis of novel, non-commercial building blocks and scaffolds to enable SAR exploration and overcome property liabilities.

• Deep knowledge of macrocyclic peptides, including the properties required for different routes of administration (i.e. IV vs SC vs PO, etc), and related library-based screening technologies (e.g., OBOC, mRNA display, AS/MS).

Computational Methods:

• Experience with computational modeling and simulation for peptide design and optimization, including conformational sampling and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.

• Proficiency in structure-based drug design and ligand-based drug design to guide peptide modifications.

• Familiarity with machine learning and AI-driven platforms for predicting peptide properties, optimizing sequences, and generating novel scaffolds.

• Experience using common computational chemistry software (e.g., Schrödinger, MOE, Maestro, or similar).

Leadership & Collaboration:

• Demonstrated success in a leadership role, guiding multidisciplinary teams to deliver drug candidates.

• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to inspire and lead within a globally matrixed organization.

• A highly collaborative and transparent style, with a proven ability to mentor junior scientists and build strong relationships across all levels of the organization.

Relocation benefits are available for this posting.

The expected salary range for this position based on the primary location of California is $168,600 to $313,000. Actual pay will be determined based on experience, qualifications, geographic location, and other job-related factors permitted by law. A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual and Company performance. This position also qualifies for the benefits detailed at the link provided below.

Benefits (

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Genentech is an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy and practice to employ, promote, and otherwise treat any and all employees and applicants on the basis of merit, qualifications, and competence. The company's policy prohibits unlawful discrimination, including but not limited to, discrimination on the basis of Protected Veteran status, individuals with disabilities status, and consistent with all federal, state, or local laws.

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