Senior Director, Macrocyclic Medicinal Chemistry

BioSpace; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 149,000 - 257,000; Full time

Job summary

Lilly is seeking a senior research scientist to lead hit-finding and hit-to-lead efforts for the synthetic macrocycle platform within the Early Molecule Design (EMD) team at Indianapolis. The role combines medicinal chemistry, ADME/DMPK optimization, and strategic program input across therapeutic areas.

The candidate will guide SAR, design macrocyclic molecules, and mentor junior scientists while partnering with biology and DMPK to deliver breakthrough drug candidates.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Peptide chemistry, Chemical Biology, or a related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant industry experience in drug discovery.

Responsibilities

• Serve as SME in macrocyclic small molecules and macrocyclic peptides; drive hit-finding strategy.
• Design and synthesize macrocyclic compounds enabling hit-to-lead progression.
• Apply SAR to drive iterative DMTA cycles balancing potency and drug-like properties.
• Collaborate with Biology, DMPK, Computational Chemistry, and cross-functional partners.

Skills

Macrocycle hit-finding

Macrocycle design

ADME/DMPK principles

SAR knowledge

Cross-functional collaboration

Scientific communication

Education

Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry/Organic Chemistry/Peptide Chemistry

Tools

ELN

Job description

Lilly is seeking a senior research scientist to lead hit-finding and hit-to-lead efforts for the synthetic macrocycle platform within the Early Molecule Design (EMD) team at Indianapolis. The role combines medicinal chemistry, ADME/DMPK optimization, and strategic program input across therapeutic areas.

The candidate will guide SAR, design macrocyclic molecules, and mentor junior scientists while partnering with biology and DMPK to deliver breakthrough drug candidates.