Senior Medicinal Chemist – Precision Oncology & Drug Discovery

IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc.; South San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 148,000 - 183,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision coverage

401k

ESPP

Wellness programs

Job summary

IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. seeks a discovery medicinal chemist to advance oncology programs with high productivity in the lab and strategic proposal of target molecules.

You will work on cutting‑edge synthetic targets, collaborating across multidisciplinary teams to push clinical candidates forward. The role requires a PhD in synthetic organic chemistry and 0–3 years of pharma medicinal chemistry experience, with expertise in asymmetric reactions and modern cross‑coupling.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry with 0–3 years of pharmaceutical industry medicinal chemistry experience.
• Excellent expertise in synthetic organic chemistry, asymmetric reactions, and modern cross-coupling techniques.
• Ability to maintain thorough scientific records and high lab productivity.

Responsibilities

• Apply modern synthetic techniques to prepare complex targets for oncology programs.
• Design high-confidence reaction sequences to avoid liabilities and simplify purification.
• Gather reaction data quickly, troubleshoot transformations, and multitask in/out of the lab.
• Deliver molecules at scales from 10 mg to >25 g and manage external resources.
• Leverage SAR data and structure‑based design to improve affinity and selectivity.
• Present results clearly in diverse forums.

Skills

Synthesis for medicinal chemistry

Asymmetric reactions

Cross-coupling techniques

SAR-driven target design

Oral and written communication

Team collaboration

Education

Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry

Job description

IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. seeks a discovery medicinal chemist to advance oncology programs with high productivity in the lab and strategic proposal of target molecules.

You will work on cutting‑edge synthetic targets, collaborating across multidisciplinary teams to push clinical candidates forward. The role requires a PhD in synthetic organic chemistry and 0–3 years of pharma medicinal chemistry experience, with expertise in asymmetric reactions and modern cross‑coupling.