Director, Medicinal Chemistry

100 Eli Lilly and Company; United States; Remote; USD 153,000 - 290,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan

Medical benefits

Vacation benefits

Job summary

Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly, seeks a Director of Medicinal Chemistry to lead a CNS-focused drug discovery program. The role oversees internal and CRO chemistry teams, guiding hit-to-lead to IND-ready candidates and shaping IP strategy.

The position is remote within the US, with occasional travel, requiring 10+ years in medicinal chemistry leadership, strong CNS experience, and a track record of managing dispersed teams and outsourcing partners.

Qualifications

• BS/MS Chemistry; PhD preferred
• 10+ years designing small molecules as a medicinal chemistry team leader
• Expert in synthetic and medicinal chemistry with pharmacology/ADME knowledge
• Experience with CNS targets and hit-to-lead to IND-ready candidates
• Proven ability to lead remote and in-person teams toward aggressive timelines
• Experience managing outsourced chemistry teams
• Curiosity and innovation mindset, including AI/digital tools

Responsibilities

• Lead internal chemistry resources including remote staff and CRO teams toward IND-ready candidates
• Serve as chemistry leader within a multi-disciplinary project team and coordinate with partners
• Design new molecules addressing the target product profile and establish IP
• Develop chemistry strategy to secure robust IP across areas of work
• Analyze SAR with weekly data and translate into tractable designs
• Monitor competitor activities to advance internal programs
• Communicate with synthetic teams and maximize throughput of test compounds
• Utilize structure-based design knowledge and predictive tools
• Present data and plan next steps at chemistry and cross-functional meetings
• Defend designs with literature precedent and collaborate with others

Skills

Small molecules design

Leadership (remote)

Pharmacology knowledge

CNS targets experience

Team motivation

Communication

Education

BS/MS Chemistry, PhD preferred

Job description

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life‑changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, self‑less work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us.

Overview

Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, is a clinical‑stage company developing orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonists as a new class of medicines for the treatment of narcolepsy and potentially other sleep‑wake disorders. Centessa’s lead investigational candidate – cleminorexton (formerly ORX750) – is being developed for narcolepsy type 1, narcolepsy type 2, and idiopathic hypersomnia. Centessa's OX2R agonist portfolio includes additional clinical and preclinical‑stage assets with potential utility across a broader range of neurological, neurodegenerative, and neuropsychiatric conditions. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Centessa was recognized as a Great Place to Work® in 2026. We are seeking a Director, Medicinal Chemistry who will lead the medicinal chemistry component of a multi-disciplinary team within a CNS GPCR drug discovery program. This is a hands‑on leadership role responsible for guiding a virtual, geographically distributed organization—including internal chemistry staff (some based at remote sites), a CRO‑based synthetic chemistry team, consultants, and partners—through the identification and progression of small‑molecule and other modality candidates from hit‑to‑lead through IND‑ready status. Success in this role requires strong scientific leadership, sound judgment, and the ability to build effective working relationships across a geographically dispersed team.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage internal chemistry resources — including staff based at remote sites — alongside dedicated synthetic chemistry teams within CROs, setting priorities, resolving synthetic challenges, and directing the groups toward IND‑ready candidate molecules.
• Serve as the chemistry leader within the broader multi‑disciplinary project team, building strong working relationships and effective communication with colleagues, partners, consultants, and CROs to jointly identify the best path forward.
• Use all available resources to creatively design new molecules which address the target product profile, establish new intellectual property, and progress the project toward time‑based goals
• Make substantial contributions to the development of a chemistry strategy that secures a robust intellectual property position for the company in each area of work
• Analyse SAR within weekly pharmacology & ADME data to identify opportunities for improved molecules, and translate these into tractable designs for molecules with drug‑like properties
• Maintain awareness of competitor activities and current medicinal chemistry developments, and use this effectively to advance internal programs
• Communicate regularly with synthetic team, maintain awareness of all ongoing chemistry and look for opportunities to maximise throughput of test compounds
• Effectively utilise in‑house structure‑based drug design knowledge
• Use compound property computational predictive tools to refine designs
• Present data and clearly articulate ideas for next steps at both chemistry‑focused and cross‑functional TCs, and at ad‑hoc F2F meetings
• Use evidence from SAR and literature precedent to defend proposed designs, and also be receptive to alternative suggestions
• Express ideas clearly and professionally in written and verbal interactions within the context of project teams and senior management

Basic Qualifications

• BS/MS Chemistry. PhD
• Strongly preferred. 10+ years designing small molecules as a medicinal chemistry team leader within a biotech and/or pharmaceutical company
• Expert, enthusiastic command of synthetic chemistry and medicinal chemistry principles, combined with solid working knowledge of pharmacology, ADME, pharmaceutical sciences, IP protection, and candidate selection criteria
• Experience of working on CNS targets, and across all stages of discovery (hit‑to‑lead & lead optimisation into IND‑ready candidates)
• Proven ability to lead and motivate teams — including remote and virtual teams — toward aggressive timelines, balancing independent scientific judgment with strong interpersonal and leadership skills
• Experience of managing outsourced chemistry teams
• Adaptive problem solver - turn issues into opportunities and translates ideas into solutions, even when the path isn’t clear. Leverage technical depth and a growth mindset to make impact; imagine what’s possible and pursue it with intention and energy.
• Demonstrate curiosity and drive self‑identified innovation, especially in the exploration of artificial intelligence and digital tools.

Work Location

The Director, Medicinal Chemistry role is a remote based role in the US, with occasional travel. Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).

Compensation and Benefits

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is $153,000 - $290,400 Full‑time. Equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company‑sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well‑being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities). Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.

About Lilly

#WeAreLilly At Lilly we strive to ensure our employees are part of a team that cares about them and our shared purpose of making life better for those around the world. How do we do this? We continue to look for ways to include, innovate, accelerate and deliver while maintaining integrity, excellence and respect for people. We hope that you seek to join us on our journey as we create medicine and deliver improved outcomes for patients across the globe!