Director, Medicinal Chemistry

Director, Medicinal Chemistry

South San Francisco, California, United States

Kardigan is a heart health company working to make cardiovascular disease preventable, curable and no longer the leading cause of death in the world. It is Kardigan's mission to develop multiple targeted treatments in parallel that bring people with cardiovascular diseases to the cures they deserve. Led by Tassos Gianakakos, Jay Edelberg, M.D., Ph.D., and Bob McDowell, Ph.D., Kardigan's co-founders have reunited after leading MyoKardia to discover and develop mavacamten, the first cardiac myosin inhibitor, resulting in an acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2020. We have a cutting-edge discovery and translational research platform, a pipeline of late-stage candidates, and an industry-leading team that is driven to improve the lives of patients. At Kardigan, we are motivated by our values which guide how we work, interact, and achieve our goals.

Driven by patients and their families, we are deeply committed to improving the lives of patients and prioritizing their needs above all else. We believe in being authentic—leading with truth to bring out the best in others by creating an environment where every person knows they will be fully accepted. With an eagerness to learn, we encourage the highest levels of curiosity and are open to changing our minds. We are committed to winning as a team with urgency, excellence, and intention, and support each other no matter what role we play or where we sit. Lastly, we strive to enable the impossible because patients are counting on us. We are not afraid to take risks to unlock innovation and advance scientific discoveries. These values are the foundation of our work, empowering us to make a real difference, every day.

Position Title: Director, Medicinal Chemistry

Department: Medicinal Chemistry

Reports To: Senior Director, Discovery Sciences

Location: South San Francisco, CA – On-site 4 days per week (Mon to Thurs)

Job Overview

The Director, Medicinal Chemistry will provide experienced chemistry leadership to small molecule drug discovery programs in Kardigan's preclinical portfolio. This role involves providing leadership to cross-functional project teams and effectively collaborating to advance preclinical programs from initiation to delivery of a development candidate.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as the Chemistry Lead for preclinical drug discovery programs.
• Co-lead the preclinical project team, working closely with Biology co-lead to develop and execute project plans, manage ongoing activities, and ensure project success.
• Lead new molecule design on Integrate potency, selectivity, DMPK, safety, and in vivo pharmacology data to guide new compound design and address liabilities.
• Provide oversight of CRO-executed chemical synthesis and assays, ensuring a high standard for productivity and data quality.
• Collaborate with IP Legal to deliver strong intellectual property.
• Effectively communicate complex scientific data, analyses, and strategies to project teams and in governance meetings.
• Recruit, mentor, and manage medicinal chemists as the group grows.

Qualifications and Preferred Skills

• PhD in Chemistry with a focus on Organic or Medicinal Chemistry.
• 8+ years of pharma/biotech industry drug discovery experience with a strong track record of leading medicinal chemistry across hit identification, hit-to-lead, lead optimization, and development candidate nominations. Prior experience delivering a development candidate or equivalent is a plus.
• Experience managing teams of external chemistry FTEs at CRO collaborators is strongly preferred.
• Deep expertise in synthetic and medicinal chemistry, physicochemical property-based design, structure-based design, and relevant drug discovery disciplines (e.g., biology, DMPK, and material science). Prior experience in cardiovascular disease is a plus.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly communicate complex scientific concepts to a broad range of collaborators, leaders, and stakeholders.
• Track record of consistent scientific achievement and successful drug discovery work (peer-reviewed publications, patent inventorship, conference presentations).
• Prior direct management experience, including hiring, mentoring, and performance management of chemists.

Exact Compensation may vary based on skills, experience and location.

Pay range

$207,000 - $250,000 USD