Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry

Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry

On site in San Diego, CA

Status: Direct Hire | FTE

Comp: 165-180k

Role Summary

We are seeking a senior medicinal chemist to play a central, hands-on role across all phases of small molecule drug discovery — from platform library expansion and hit identification through hit-to-lead progression and lead optimization — with the ultimate goal of driving programs to development candidate nomination and IND-enabling status.

The ideal candidate brings deep synthetic expertise, a genuine comfort with ambiguity and novelty, and an appetite for continuous learning. This person will help shape program strategy while remaining willing to contribute at the bench when it matters most.

Qualifications

• PhD in synthetic organic chemistry with 4-8+ years of pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience in small molecule drug discovery
• Demonstrated understanding of program strategy and therapeutic hypothesis development, including assay relevance, clinical translatability, and the role of physicochemical properties in late-stage in vivo studies and clinical dosing
• Strong command of both classical and contemporary synthetic methodology and reaction mechanism
• Track record of applying ligand- and structure-based design principles to molecule crafting, leveraging the full breadth of available synthetic tools
• Proven ability to lead within and across integrated drug discovery teams, with at least one development candidate delivery as evidence of impact
• Experience mentoring junior chemists and managing external/outsourced chemistry partnerships
• Genuine enthusiasm for contributing to a fast-moving organization in whatever capacity the science demands — including direct laboratory work

What We're Looking For

Beyond credentials, we care about how you think and work:

• Intellectual curiosity that drives you to ask better questions
• The confidence to take on problems without a clear roadmap
• Creative instincts that lead to non-obvious solutions
• Rigorous attention to detail at every stage of the work
• Willingness to question established thinking when the data warrants it