Lead Medicinal Chemistry & External Partnerships

Cytokinetics; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 205,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Restricted stock units (RSUs)

Health, dental, vision insurance

401k with employer match

Wellness stipend

Paid time off

Job summary

Cytokinetics is seeking an Associate Director, Medicinal Chemistry Project and External Operations Manager to lead discovery programs and manage external CRO partnerships. You will drive strategy, timelines, and protein target design in collaboration with biology, DMPK, and computational teams.

You will mentor scientists, optimize SAR, ensure high-quality deliverables, and maintain productive CRO relationships across US and international partners.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry with 10+ years of pharmaceutical/biotech drug discovery experience.
• Proven hands-on medicinal chemistry expertise with SAR-driven lead optimization.
• Demonstrated leadership in cross-functional drug discovery programs and CRO partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Lead chemistry strategy for cardiovascular and/or neuromuscular discovery programs and manage external CRO partners.
• Set CRO strategy and relationship management, with clear performance expectations and governance.
• Drive productivity by aligning internal and external teams, establishing KPIs and governance.
• Provide scientific leadership to internal and CRO teams, guiding synthesis and SAR strategies.
• Evaluate and onboard CRO vendors, conducting pilots and data-driven vendor comparisons.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Mentoring

Cross-functional teams

Project leadership

Education

Ph.D. in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry

Job description

Cytokinetics is seeking an Associate Director, Medicinal Chemistry Project and External Operations Manager to lead discovery programs and manage external CRO partnerships. You will drive strategy, timelines, and protein target design in collaboration with biology, DMPK, and computational teams.

You will mentor scientists, optimize SAR, ensure high-quality deliverables, and maintain productive CRO relationships across US and international partners.