Senior Director, Analytical Chemistry

Scorpion Therapeutics; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Equity (new hire)

Medical/dental/vision

401(k) match

PTO & holidays

Job summary

Scorpion Therapeutics is seeking a senior analytical chemist to lead analytical development and material characterization for small molecules across development stages.

The role requires deep expertise in LC/GC/NMR/MS/XRPD, regulatory knowledge, and experience guiding external partners through method transfer and validation. Strong communication and teamwork are essential for cross-functional collaboration.

Qualifications

• PhD/masters in physical science with analytical focus.
• ≥12 years in analytical chemistry for small molecules.
• Experience with early development/IND-enabling activities.

Responsibilities

• Lead analytical development and material characterization for existing and new compounds per development phase.
• Set phase-appropriate analytical method strategy for small molecules incl. impurity profiling.
• Provide expertise in analytical testing (DSC, IR, particle size, GC, MS, XRD).
• Oversee external CDMO partners for method transfer, troubleshoot non-conformances, root cause analysis.
• Support formulation development with material testing and impurity identification.
• Investigate analytical deviations, OOS results, and stability trends.
• Prepare analytical CMC sections and bioanalytical components for IND–NDA submissions.

Skills

Communication skills

MS Office

Attention to detail

Independent / Team player

Analytical mindset

Education

PhD in Analytical Chemistry

Master’s in Analytical Chemistry

Bachelor in Physical Science

Tools

LC-MS/MS

LC

GC

NMR

MS

XRPD

Job description

Responsibilities

• Lead analytical development and material characterization for existing and new compounds appropriate to the phase of development.
• Establish phase-appropriate analytical method strategy for small molecule DS/DP, including solid-state characterization and impurity profiling.
• Provide expertise in analytical testing including DSC, IR, particle size, GC, mass spectrometry, XRD, and common pharmaceutical methodologies.
• Oversee external CDMO partners for development, optimization, qualification, validation, and transfer of analytical methods; troubleshoot issues/non-conformances, determine root cause, and optimize testing.
• Support formulation development with material testing, impurity/degradation identification; support pre-clinical test article characterization.
• Investigate and resolve complex analytical deviations, OOS results, and stability trends.
• Author/review analytical CMC sections and relevant bioanalytical components for IND through NDA and ROW regulatory submissions.

Qualifications

• PhD/Master’s/Bachelor’s in physical science field (ideally analytical chemistry or related).
• ≥12 years analytical chemistry experience in small molecule testing (biologics/large molecule experience not counted).
• Experience with early development/IND-enabling activities.
• Strong API and impurity testing experience (drug product only not sufficient).
• Preferred: supervised outsourced plasma concentration analysis using LC-MS/MS in GLP and per FDA/EMA bioanalytical method validation guidelines.
• Expertise in LC, GC, NMR, MS, XRPD and related methodologies.
• Knowledge of FDA/EMA/ICH guidelines for drug substance manufacturing and quality assurance.
• Excellent written/verbal communication; strong interpersonal skills; attention to detail; strong MS Office skills; ability to work independently or as part of a team.

Benefits

• Annual performance incentive bonus; new hire equity package; medical/dental/vision; 401(k) match; PTO; paid holidays.