Director, Medicinal Chemistry

Director, Medicinal Chemistry

The Discovery Chemistry team at Protagonist Therapeutics is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Director of Medicinal Chemistry to lead and manage a competent chemistry group in small molecule and peptide drug discovery against a diverse range of therapeutic targets. The individual will be responsible for the design and execution of efficient medicinal chemistry strategies in hit/lead discovery, lead optimization, as well as development candidate progression and nomination for first-in-human clinical studies. The individual will lead the design, synthesis, and structure-activity-relationship analysis of new molecules, and solve challenging problems with critical thinking within our multi-disciplinary drug discovery team. The individual will also effectively manage external chemistry resources and seamlessly integrate external resources with internal expertise to ensure high overall chemistry productivity. The individual will have a demonstrated track record in synthetic organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry, and is highly enthusiastic about drug discovery. The individual will co-lead multiple discovery programs, and possess effective interpersonal skills, as well as excellent verbal and written communication capabilities. The Director of Medicinal Chemistry will report to VP of Chemistry.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a competent medicinal chemistry group and external chemistry resources to support multiple small molecule and peptide drug discovery programs.
• Responsible for the design and execution of efficient medicinal chemistry strategies that drive the drug discovery process - including hit/lead discovery and lead optimization, ADME/PK, pharmacology, and toxicology - to successfully deliver development candidates into first-in-human clinical studies.
• Co-lead multiple drug discovery programs against diverse therapeutic targets and provide functional expertise and input in the development of work plans from lead identification to clinical development candidate selection.
• Develop structure-activity relationships and conduct multi-parameter optimization to identify high-quality drug candidates.
• Effectively plan for and prioritize internal and external medicinal chemistry resources to achieve project goals including the use of computational and structural resources.
• Communicate, collaborate, and coordinate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Effectively communicate project work, issues, schedules, and accomplishments to senior management.
• Evaluate and select chemistry CROs and oversee key preclinical chemistry activities.

Professional Experience/Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry or Medicinal Chemistry
• 10+ years of drug discovery experience in a pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology setting as a medicinal chemist
• Experience in leading and managing medicinal chemistry teams
• Demonstrated capabilities and working knowledge of synthetic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and analytical techniques as evidenced by a record of achievement (publications, patents, etc.). Familiarity with the use of computational and structural biology during the drug discovery process
• Demonstrated track record of leading/managing early discovery projects and identifying development candidates against challenging targets with a deep understanding of both hit and lead generation and lead optimization
• Experience in working efficiently within a strong, multi-disciplinary team and utilizing cross-functional information, such as ADME/PK, in vitro assays, and in vivo pharmacology to drive drug design and optimization strategies
• Experience in managing diverse and multiple CROs for medicinal chemistry and biological evaluations
• A strong understanding of the pharmacology, DMPK and toxicology requirements of oral and injectable therapeutics
• Experience in the supervision, mentoring, and development of other scientists
• Proficient in analyzing data, and addressing technical challenges using analytical and problem-solving skills
• Experience in applying structural information and molecular modeling to the drug design process
• Solid understanding of Intellectual property in drug discovery and attention to detail when involved in the drafting of patent applications
• Excellent working knowledge of critical analytical and separations technologies, such as HPLC, RP-HPLC, LC/MS, ion exchange and size-exclusion chromatography, and the ability to evaluate new technologies
• Enthusiastic self-starter with strong organizational and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to successfully thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced, innovative environment with an emphasis on teamwork, collaboration, and communication within team and across the departments

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $210,000 and $250,000/year; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Protagonist Therapeutics is a discovery through late-stage development biopharmaceutical company. The Company's proprietary peptide technology platform enables de novo discovery of peptide therapeutics . Two novel peptides derived from Protagonist's proprietary discovery platform are at or near commercialization. ICOTYDE™ (icotrokinra) is approved in the U.S. for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older who weigh at least 40 kg who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. ICOTYDE is the first and only targeted oral peptide that precisely blocks the Interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) licensed to Janssen Biotech, Inc.,a Johnson & Johnson company. ICOTYDE was jointly discovered by Protagonist and Johnson & Johnson scientists, with Protagonist having primary responsibility for the development of ICOTYDE through Phase 1, and Johnson & Johnson assuming responsibility for further development and commercialization. An NDA for rusfertide, a first-in-class hepcidin mimetic peptide that is being co-developed with Takeda Pharmaceuticals pursuant to a worldwide license and collaboration agreement entered in 2024, is under priority review with the FDA. Protagonist holds an option to co-commercialize rusfertide in the U.S. through a 50/50 profit and loss share structure or can opt-out of this structure. The Company also has a number of preclinical stage drug discovery programs addressing clinically and commercially validated targets including an oral IL-17 peptide antagonist, obesity dual and triple agonists, an oral hepcidin functional mimetic, and the recently announced IL-4 and amylin programs.

More information on Protagonist, its pipeline drug candidates, and clinical studies can be found on the Company's website at