Medicinal Chemist – IPM/PROTAC Lead Designer

General Proximity; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity incentives

Comprehensive medical, dental, and VIS

401(k) retirement plans

Education and health/fitness programs

Meditation retreats

Reading budget

Job summary

General Proximity is building a first-in-class, next-generation drug discovery company focused on induced proximity medicines. We seek an exceptional medicinal chemist to join our Chemistry and Drug Discovery team and shape programs from concept through lead optimization.

You will work at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and platform innovation, designing IPMs, guiding external execution, and interpreting DMPK data to drive progress in a fast-moving startup environment.

Qualifications

• PhD in Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry or related field.
• Minimum 3+ years in small-molecule drug discovery.
• Strong medicinal chemistry foundation for disease-focused discovery.
• Experience designing and optimizing PROTACs or related approaches.
• Experience across hit finding, hit-to-lead, and lead optimization.
• Proven track record optimizing oral exposure and PK data across species.

Responsibilities

• Design and advance medicinal chemistry strategies for next-gen IPMs including PROTACs.
• Lead compound design and SAR campaigns from hit finding to lead optimization.
• Manage external chemistry CROs: design prioritization, execution, timelines, data review.
• Direct external DMPK studies and interpret in vitro/in vivo data for progression.
• Collaborate with Biology and Platform teams to plan screening strategies.
• Contribute to mechanistic studies and inform program direction.
• Support IP strategy through invention generation and patent filings.
• Help evaluate opportunities into new disease areas and applications.

Skills

Medicinal chemistry

PROTACs

Hit-to-lead

Lead optimization

DMPK interpretation

External CRO management

Biochemical/cellular assays

Education

PhD in Chemistry or related field

Tools

Molecular modeling

Molecular dynamics

Crystallography

HTS experience

Job description

General Proximity is building a first-in-class, next-generation drug discovery company focused on induced proximity medicines. We seek an exceptional medicinal chemist to join our Chemistry and Drug Discovery team and shape programs from concept through lead optimization.

You will work at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and platform innovation, designing IPMs, guiding external execution, and interpreting DMPK data to drive progress in a fast-moving startup environment.