Associate Director / Director, Medicinal Chemistry

Pharmaron; Hoddesdon; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Pharmaron in the United Kingdom seeks an experienced Associate Director/Director of Medicinal Chemistry to lead end-to-end drug discovery programmes and deliver high-quality candidates. You will drive strategy and work with global, multidisciplinary teams.

This senior role requires a proven track record in lead optimisation, collaboration with CADD, biology and DMPK, and a passion for innovation in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Permanent contract with competitive remuneration.

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry/Medicinal Chemistry (or equivalent) is required.
• 10+ years in drug discovery within a top pharma, biotech or CRO.
• Proven track record of delivering candidates into clinical development.
• Experience delivering ADC molecules through hit expansion and optimisation.
• Experience managing external collaborations and client-facing projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver medicinal chemistry strategies from hit identification to candidate selection.
• Maintain awareness of internal and external developments in medicinal chemistry design and optimisation.
• Drive scientific excellence in compound design with data-led decision making.
• Provide medicinal chemistry critique across the IDD portfolio.
• Collaborate with CADD, in vitro biology, in vivo pharmacology and DMPK to design and advance compounds.
• Provide leadership to global project teams, including China-based teams.
• Partner with clients to ensure efficient programme delivery and communicate progress to senior leadership.

Skills

Medicinal chemistry

Lead optimisation

External collaborations

Drug discovery leadership

CADD

Education

PhD in Chemistry/Medicinal Chemistry

Tools

CADD

DMPK

Computational tools

Job description

Associate Director / Director, Medicinal Chemistry

Associate Director / Director, Medicinal Chemistry

Pharmaron is a global CRO helping pharma and biotech companies bring new therapies to life. With over 25,000 employees worldwide across 23 locations in the US, UK and China, we support drug discovery through to manufacturing with fully integrated, high-quality services.

We’re proud of the impact we make and just last year, we supported over 780 discovery projects, 1,000+ CMC programmes, and 1,000+ clinical trials across all phases. Our teams are involved in everything from small molecules to biologics and gene therapies, and we work with more than 3,0

The Opportunity

Pharmaron is seeking an experienced medicinal chemistry leader to drive the design and delivery of cutting-edge drug discovery programmes. You will lead end-to-end medicinal chemistry strategy, partnering with global, multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality candidates across diverse therapeutic areas.

This is a high impact project facing role, ideal for scientific leader with a proven track record of advancing molecules through lead optimisation and a passion for innovation in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.

The Integrated Drug Discovery (IDD) Services group at Pharmaron is responsible for leading and delivering drug discovery projects for our client partners. The team comprises scientific expertise and strategic leadership across medicinal chemistry, CADD, biology, DMPK and translational science. Combined with Pharmaron’s global research capabilities we design and deliver integrated programmes from target identification and hit finding through to IND filing. Working closely with our partners we define strategy, coordinate execution across teams and with an AI enabled accelerated Design–Make–Test–Analyse cycle support the progression of projects and innovative medicines towards the clinic.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and deliver medicinal chemistry strategies from hit identification to candidate selection
• Maintain a high degree of understanding of internal and external developments and approaches to medicinal chemistry design and optimisation
• Drive scientific excellence in compound design, ensuring clear hypotheses and robust data-led decision making
• Provide insightful medicinal chemistry critique across the IDD portfolio
• Work closely with CADD, in vitro biology, in vivo pharmacology and DMPK teams to design and advance compounds across discovery programmes, contributing scientific insight, data interpretation and chemistry leadership
• Provide leadership to global project teams, including close collaboration with China-based experimental teams
• Partner with clients and internal stakeholders to ensure efficient programme delivery
• Communicate programme strategy, progress and outcomes to senior leadership and external partners
• Support business development, proposal development and scientific positioning t
• Represent Pharmaron at International conferences, client meetings and industry events
• Contribute to IP strategy and patent drafting for client projects.

About you

You are a scientific leader with deep expertise in medicinal chemistry and experience operating in complex, fast-paced drug discovery environments.

Experience:

• PhD in Chemistry/Medicinal Chemistry (or equivalent experience)
• 10+ years in drug discovery within a leading pharma, biotech or CRO
• Proven track record of delivering candidates into clinical development
• Experience of delivering ADC molecules through hit expansion and further optimisation in a discovery and preclinical environment
• Ideally you will also have experience managing external collaborations and client-facing projects

Technical expertise:

• Outstanding knowledge of medicinal chemistry, including the use of structural information, physicochemical properties and multiple parameter optimisation in compound design.
• Knowledge of DMPK, toxicology and chemical conceptsrelevant to decision making and drug design.
• Familiarity with modern synthetic chemistry and computational tools

What sets you apart

• Strategic thinker with strong problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Collaborative leader, able to influence across functions, cultures and geographies
• Excellent communicator with a client-focused mindset
• Passion for innovation and continuous learning
• Results-driven with high attention to detail and execution

Why Pharmaron?

Collaborative Culture: Thrive in our inclusive and collaborative environment, where teamwork and innovation go hand in hand. Here, your voice matters, and your contributions make a real impact. "Employees Number One" and "Clients Centered" are the core cultural values at Pharmaron. Our culture, which sets Pharmaron apart from other organizations, has evolved from our deep commitment to our employees, partners and collaborators.

• Collaborate with a global network of scientific experts
• Contribute to transformational drug discovery programmes
• Opportunity to shape future capabilities and strategy

Pharmaron is a premier service provider for the life sciences industry. Founded in 2004, Pharmaron has invested in its people and facilities and established a broad spectrum of research, development, and manufacturing service capabilities throughout the entire drug discovery, preclinical, and clinical development process across multiple therapeutic modalities, including small molecules, biologics, and CGT products. With over 25,000 employees and operations in the U.S., the U.K. and China. Pharmaron has an excellent track record in delivering R&D solutions to its partners in North America, Europe, Japan, and China.

Associate Director / Director, Medicinal Chemistry

• Salary Competitive
• Frequency Annual
• Job Reference ukpharmaron/TP/79/770
• Contract Type Permanent Contract
• Closing Date No expiry date
• Job Category Scientific (Medicinal Chemistry)