Associate Director, External Discovery Chemistry

MSD in the UK; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

MSD is seeking an outstanding and scientifically driven chemist for an Associate Director role in External Discovery Chemistry, based in the United Kingdom. Lead scientific and operational efforts across UK and European CRO partners to advance high-impact drug discovery programs and integrate CRO contributions into project objectives.

The successful candidate will bring deep medicinal and synthetic chemistry expertise, strong judgment, and a proven ability to build trusted collaborations across

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Chemistry or a closely related scientific discipline is required.
• Extensive experience in organic synthesis and medicinal chemistry; proven track record in drug discovery.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally, including CRO partner visits.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific and operational leadership across UK and European CRO partners to advance external discovery chemistry strategies.
• Collaborate with internal discovery teams and external CRO scientists to integrate CRO contributions into project objectives.
• Guide synthetic route design and optimization; accelerate structure-activity relationship development.
• Communicate effectively with global teams and stakeholders across geographies and time zones.

Skills

Chemistry

Crystallography

Drug Design

Drug Formulations

Medicinal Chemistry

Molecular Design

Organic Chemistry

Organic Synthesis

Process Chemistry

Project Management

Risk Management

Scientific Literacy

Synthetic Chemistry

Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Education

Ph.D. in Chemistry

Tools

X-ray crystallography

Digital chemistry tools

Job description

Job Description

Our company is a global healthcare leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where our company has built its legacy for more than a century. Our success is grounded in ethical integrity, scientific excellence, and an inspiring mission to deliver meaningful advances in global healthcare. Our company is committed to being the world’s premier, most research-intensive biopharmaceutical company, and our Research Laboratories bring together leading discovery capabilities and world-class small molecule and biologics R&D expertise to create breakthrough science that changes the way serious diseases are treated.

Our company is a global healthcare leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines, and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where our company has built its legacy for more than a century. Our success is grounded in ethical integrity, scientific excellence, and an inspiring mission to deliver meaningful advances in global healthcare. Our company is committed to being the world’s premier, most research-intensive biopharmaceutical company, and our Research Laboratories bring together leading discovery capabilities and world-class small molecule and biologics R&D expertise to create breakthrough science that changes the way serious diseases are treated.

We are seeking an outstanding and scientifically driven chemist for an exciting Associate Director role within External Discovery Chemistry. Based in the United Kingdom, this position offers a unique opportunity to help shape and strengthen our external discovery chemistry strategy by providing scientific and operational leadership across our UK and European Contract Research Organization (CRO) partner network. As a key member of the External Discovery Chemistry team, the Associate Director will collaborate with colleagues across our worldwide external discovery organization and partner closely with internal discovery project teams and external CRO scientists. This role will play an important part in advancing high-impact drug discovery programs by integrating CRO contributions into project objectives, enabling innovative molecular design, accelerating structure-activity relationship development, guiding synthetic route planning, and helping resolve complex synthetic chemistry challenges. The successful candidate will bring deep medicinal and synthetic chemistry expertise, strong scientific judgment, and the ability to build trusted collaborations across geographies, cultures, and time zones.

This position will require domestic and international travel (up to 40%), including periodic multi-day site visits and working sessions with CRO partners across UK, Europe and within our broader global CRO partner network.

Qualifications

Education

• Ph.D. in Chemistry or a closely related scientific discipline required

Required Experience

• Multi-year industry experience in organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, drug discovery, and/or external scientific collaboration, with demonstrated readiness for an Associate Director-level role
• Authorization and willingness to travel domestically and internationally, including periodic visits to CRO partner sites and company locations as business needs require
• Proven record of accomplishments in synthetic organic chemistry and/or medicinal chemistry
• Expert proficiency in mining scientific literature and databases
• Familiarity with, and comprehensive knowledge of, digital chemistry tools, data science approaches, and predictive modeling tools used to support modern drug discovery
• Familiarity with X-ray crystallography, structural information, and structure-guided design principles to inform molecular design and optimization
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder-management skills in a global team environment

Preferred Experience

• International work experience with CROs
• Proven record of accomplishments in medicinal chemistry and therapeutic target design

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively for the common good. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Required Skills

Chemistry, Crystallography, Drug Design, Drug Formulations, Medicinal Chemistry, Molecular Design, Organic Chemistry, Organic Synthesis, Process Chemistry, Project Management, Risk Management, Scientific Literacy, Synthetic Chemistry, Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Employee Status

Regular

Flexible Work Arrangements

Hybrid

Job Posting End Date

09/12/2026

• A job posting is effective until 11 59 59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID

R412126