Group Leader, Discovery Chemistry — Advanced Therapeutics

Planet Pharma; Singapore; On-site; SGD 210,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Planet Pharma is seeking a Group Leader, Discovery Chemistry for its Singapore site to drive advanced synthesis, purification, and platform expansion. You will lead hands-on chemistry work, mentor a high-performing team, and coordinate with biology, delivery, and preclinical groups to nominate drug candidates.

You will shape strategy for novel chemical architectures and establish scalable workflows while engaging with external CROs to accelerate pipeline progress.

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry, Chemical Biology, Organic/Medicinal Chemistry, or a related discipline.
• Proven track record in a pharmaceutical/biotechnology setting focused on modern synthetic chemistry methods.
• Extensive hands-on command of solid-phase synthesis instrumentation, purification systems (e.g., automated chromatography, TFF), and analytical platforms (e.g., UPLC, LC/MS).
• Proven success in advancing complex therapeutic modalities toward candidate selection, with patents/publications/regulatory disclosures.
• Prior experience in therapeutic discovery for metabolic, cardiovascular, chronic, or sensory diseases is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Establish, optimize, and scale high-throughput synthesis workflows and expand platform capabilities into next-generation chemistries and bioconjugation strategies.
• Lead and mentor a growing team of research associates and scientists at the bench.
• Serve as the lead chemistry expert on multidisciplinary project teams with biology, delivery, and preclinical groups.
• Manage external CRO networks for routine activities while keeping core chemistry internal.
• Invent new chemical compositions, draft patent documentation, and help secure core technology assets.

Skills

Leadership

Mentorship

Cross-functional collaboration

Drug discovery

Strategic planning

Education

PhD in Chemistry or related field

Tools

Solid-phase synthesis instrumentation

Automated chromatography

TFF

UPLC

LC-MS

Job description

Planet Pharma is seeking a Group Leader, Discovery Chemistry for its Singapore site to drive advanced synthesis, purification, and platform expansion. You will lead hands-on chemistry work, mentor a high-performing team, and coordinate with biology, delivery, and preclinical groups to nominate drug candidates.

You will shape strategy for novel chemical architectures and establish scalable workflows while engaging with external CROs to accelerate pipeline progress.