Associate Director, Medicinal Chemistry Project & External Operations Manager

Cytokinetics seeks an experienced medicinal chemist to lead discovery projects and manage external chemistry partnerships. The role combines hands-on scientific leadership of cardiovascular and neuromuscular programs with strategic oversight of CRO relationships and external operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead chemistry strategy and timelines for one or more cardiovascular and neuromuscular discovery programs
• Own CRO strategic direction, performance goals, and accountability metrics across chemistry partnerships
• Establish KPIs and governance structures to monitor and improve CRO productivity and quality
• Provide scientific guidance on synthetic routes, compound design, and SAR optimization to internal and external teams
• Assess prospective CRO vendors, design pilot studies, and make recommendations on selection and onboarding

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry with 10+ years pharmaceutical/biotech drug discovery experience
• Demonstrated leadership of multidisciplinary projects from hit-to-lead through candidate nomination
• Hands-on expertise in compound design, synthetic strategy, and SAR-driven lead optimization
• Deep knowledge of CRO landscape, capabilities, and limitations across domestic and international partners
• Proven experience managing external chemistry teams and multiple concurrent discovery programs
• Track record setting expectations with vendors and stakeholders to drive productivity improvements
• Experience evaluating vendors and conducting comparative pilot studies