Scientist I, Chemistry (Contract)

Pliant Therapeutics, Inc.; South San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 94,000 - 103,000; Full time

Job summary

Pliant Therapeutics, Inc. is seeking a PhD organic chemist for a 9-month contract to write experimental sections of patent applications. The role is desk-based with collaboration with medicinal chemists and patent counsel. Hybrid position requiring 3 days per week at Pliant (South San Francisco).

You will translate ELN records into patent-ready procedures, verify data, build compound tables, and ensure consistency across applications while maintaining strict confidentiality.

Qualifications

• PhD in Organic Chemistry or closely related field.
• Experience writing experimental procedures and characterization data.
• Strong ability to interpret 1H/13C NMR, LCMS and HRMS data, including stereochemistry.
• Working knowledge of multistep synthesis and common reaction types.
• Proficiency with ChemDraw (structures, schemes and naming), Word and Excel.
• Experience with patent-related writing or applications.
• Medicinal chemistry experience, ideally with heterocyclic, peptidomimetic or drug-like small molecules.

Responsibilities

• Write clear, reproducible experimental procedures for intermediates and final compounds, in patent format.
• Draft general procedures and synthetic schemes, and map each example to the correct general method.
• Compile and verify characterization data (1H/13C NMR, LCMS, HRMS, chiral HPLC).
• Check every structure against its data: confirm NMR, masses and stereochemistry match.
• Generate and check chemical names (IUPAC) and keep numbering consistent.
• Build and maintain compound tables, cross-referenced to IDs and data tables.
• Track each example's status across applications and maintain an audit trail.
• Collaborate with medicinal chemists and patent counsel to meet deadlines.
• Handle all compound and invention information under strict confidentiality.

Skills

Experience writing experimentalProced

NMR interpretation

Data consistency and attention to -

Education

PhD in Organic Chemistry or related field

Tools

ChemDraw

ChemOffice

Scilligence

D360

Job description

At Pliant, we believe differentiated science can make a meaningful impact. We see our success as a direct result of the central role that each team member plays in advancing our mission to develop therapies that target the disease at its source. We are seeking creative, curious and collaborative individuals whodare to succeed, are committed tomaking an important impacton patient's lives and will help us buildone Pliant!

Description

We are seeking a PhD organic chemist for a 9-month contract to write the experimental sections of our patent applications. Working from electronic lab notebook (ELN) records and analytical data, you will turn completed synthetic work into accurate, consistent, patent-ready procedures and characterization data. This is a desk-based role with no laboratory work. You will work closely with our medicinal chemists and patent counsel.

This is a 9-month contract role (40 hours per week) reporting to the SVP, Research. This is a hybrid position, requiring 3 days/week at Pliant (South San Francisco).

Responsibilities

• Write clear, reproducible experimental procedures for intermediates and final compounds, in patent format, from ELN entries and the original chemists' notes.
• Draft general procedures and synthetic schemes, and map each example to the correct general method.
• Compile and verify characterization data (¹H/¹³C NMR, LCMS, HRMS, chiral HPLC) and write data strings in a consistent format.
• Check every structure against its data: confirm that NMR assignments, masses and stereochemistry match the drawn compound, and flag any discrepancies.
• Generate and check chemical names (e.g., IUPAC names using ChemDraw), and keep compound, example and intermediate numbering consistent throughout each application.
• Build and maintain compound tables, cross-referenced to internal compound IDs, ELN references and biological data tables.
• Track every example's status (data complete, under review, final) across multiple applications, and keep an audit trail of changes.
• Work with medicinal chemists to resolve gaps or inconsistencies in the records, and with patent counsel to meet drafting and filing deadlines.
• Handle all compound and invention information under strict confidentiality.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, abilities, and prior experience required.

• PhD in Organic Chemistry or a closely related field, with 0-2 years of postdoctoral or industry experience.
• Demonstrated experience writing experimental procedures and characterization data, for example in a dissertation, supporting information for publications, or patent applications.
• Strong ability to interpret ¹H and ¹³C NMR, LCMS and HRMS data and confirm that it is consistent with a proposed structure, including stereochemistry.
• Working knowledge of multistep synthesis and common reaction types, sufficient to spot errors in reagents, equivalents, yields or workups.
• Proficiency with ChemDraw (structures, schemes and naming), Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Exceptional attention to detail: able to check large volumes of data for consistency without losing accuracy.
• Strong organizational skills: able to track hundreds of compounds across several documents and deadlines.
• Proactive communicator who raises gaps early and asks chemists precise, easy-to-answer questions.

Required Qualifications

• Prior experience preparing experimental sections or examples for composition-of-matter patent applications.
• Medicinal chemistry experience, ideally with heterocyclic, peptidomimetic or other drug-like small molecules.
• Familiarity with patent structure and terms (examples, general procedures, Markush structures, claims) and the importance of written description and enablement.
• Experience with ELN and chemistry informatics tools (e.g., Scilligence, D360, ChemDraw/ChemOffice).
• Experience organizing large data sets in Excel, including lookups and data validation.

The hourly rate for this role is $68/hr - $75/hr. Individual pay may vary based on additional factors, including, and without limitation job-related skills, experience, work location and relevant education or training.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Pliant Therapeutics, Inc.'s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.