Director or Associate Director, Medicinal Chemistry

Director or Associate Director, Medicinal Chemistry

La Jolla, United States | Posted on 09/19/2024

• Industry Pharma/Biotech/Clinical Research
• Work Experience 5+ years
• State/Province California
• Country United States

Job Description

We seek an experienced and creative medicinal chemist with a proven track record of success in drug discovery. Candidates should be motivated to work in an intensely collaborative, multidisciplinary, team-based setting. The role will entail coordinating a medicinal chemistry team with internal and external experimental capabilities, as well as proactively interfacing with diverse teams working on automated experimentation, AI-driven molecular generation, property predictions, and bioassay data generation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead a group of medicinal chemists and drive molecular discovery efforts to deliver development and clinical candidates
• Devise strategies to identify lead molecules and optimize them for potency, selectivity, and ADME properties using multivariant SAR analysis and hypothesis driven design principles
• Work closely with molecular and cellular biology, pharmacology, computational chemistry, ADME, and other key functions
• Act as liaison between Entos, CROs, and other external partners
• Influence the prospective use of computational methods and leverage automated synthesis and high-throughput experimentation capabilities
• Work closely with AI/ML teams to develop and implement relevant predictive models to aid in the design of new molecules
• Communicate project updates clearly and effectively to the broader team and key stakeholders
• Work as a senior member of the Chemistry research group and foster a culture of scientific excellence, innovation, and teamwork

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A Ph.D./Postdoc in organic chemistry with 8 or more years of experience in Pharma/Bio-tech drug discovery
• Expert in modern synthetic organic chemistry approaches and principles demonstrated through publications in journals and patents
• Ability to integrate multiple R&D disciplines into a successful strategic project plan
• Experience in leading projects and driving programs through the preclinical development process
• Experience working with computational chemists as part of project team in design of drug targets is required
• Strong interpersonal, communication, time management, and leadership skills
• Experience mentoring or leading junior chemists
• Creative problem solving and management of relationships with several stakeholders within and beyond the company