Lead Medicinal Chemist - Drug Discovery Leader

Placements24; Kimberley; Hybrid; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus program

Health, dental, vision insurance

Stock options and long-term incentives

Professional development support

State-of-the-art facilities

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a highly experienced Lead Medicinal Chemist to drive their drug discovery efforts in Kimberley, Canada. You will design, synthesize, and optimize novel small molecule drug candidates while leading a team of medicinal chemists and guiding discovery programs.

The ideal candidate will have a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry with 8+ years in the pharma/biotech industry, strong SAR skills, and a track record of compounds advancing toward clinical development.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, or related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in pharma/biotech with medicinal chemistry focus.
• Proven track record of designing and synthesizing novel small molecules, including clinical candidates.
• Extensive experience with modern synthetic organic chemistry techniques and analytical methods (NMR, MS, HPLC).
• Strong understanding of ADMET properties and optimization strategies.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and synthesis of novel chemical entities with therapeutic potential.
• Perform SAR studies to optimize potency, selectivity, and PK properties.
• Collaborate with biologists, pharmacologists, and computational chemists to define target profiles.
• Oversee execution of synthetic routes and purification of target compounds.
• Mentor and guide junior medicinal chemists and manage discovery projects.
• Manage project timelines, resources, and budgets for Kimberley-based programs.

Skills

Leadership

Medicinal chemistry

SAR analysis

ADMET optimization

Team mentoring

Project management

Communication

Education

PhD in Medicinal Chemistry

Tools

NMR

MS

HPLC

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a highly experienced Lead Medicinal Chemist to drive their drug discovery efforts in Kimberley, Canada. You will design, synthesize, and optimize novel small molecule drug candidates while leading a team of medicinal chemists and guiding discovery programs.

The ideal candidate will have a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry with 8+ years in the pharma/biotech industry, strong SAR skills, and a track record of compounds advancing toward clinical development.