Senior Peptide Scientist—End-to-End Synthesis & SAR

Capable; San Francisco, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity options

Wellness budget

Healthcare coverage

HSA/FSA/401K

Daily dinners

Visa sponsorship

Job summary

Capable is seeking a senior scientist to lead peptide design and synthesis from sequence selection through production, purification, quality control, and biological handoff. You will own challenging chemistry problems and scale reliable workflows, using SAR and biological readouts to guide next steps.

This is a hands-on, technical leadership role with broad ownership. You will work with a mission-driven team in San Francisco, collaborating with cross-disciplinary scientists to advance

Qualifications

• 5+ years in peptide, medicinal, or related chemistry.
• Strong experimental judgment across synthesis and analysis.
• Experience owning chemistry end to end, from design to biological testing.
• Ability to translate potency, efficacy, stability, exposure, or tolerability data into chemistry decisions.
• Creative, fast, and rigorous approach to technical problem-solving.
• Ability to provide technical direction while remaining hands-on on the bench.

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale end-to-end peptide workflows, including sequence design, resin loading, coupling and deprotection, cleavage, purification, characterization, and final quality control.
• Run, optimize, and maintain microwave-assisted solid-phase peptide synthesis systems.
• Resolve difficult synthetic and analytical issues, including failed couplings, low conversion, low crude purity, side products, cleavage problems, solubility limitations, purification challenges, and instrument downtime.
• Own compound identity, purity, yield, analytical records, and readiness for biological testing.
• Interpret SAR, in vitro, and in vivo readouts—including potency, stability, exposure, tolerability, and efficacy to design or prioritize next-round compounds.
• Improve synthesis, purification, and handoff workflows so the team can make high-quality compounds faster and more reproducibly.
• Set a high technical bar, communicate risks clearly, and guide other scientists while remaining directly involved in experimental work.

Skills

Peptide chemistry

Troubleshooting

End-to-end ownership

SAR data interpretation

Problem solving

Team mentorship

Tools

Microwave-assisted SPPS systems

Analytical instrumentation

Job description

Capable is seeking a senior scientist to lead peptide design and synthesis from sequence selection through production, purification, quality control, and biological handoff. You will own challenging chemistry problems and scale reliable workflows, using SAR and biological readouts to guide next steps.

This is a hands-on, technical leadership role with broad ownership. You will work with a mission-driven team in San Francisco, collaborating with cross-disciplinary scientists to advance