Senior Principal Scientist, Peptide Therapeutics—Impact-Driven

Genentech; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 169,000 - 313,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation benefits

Job summary

Genentech, a leader in biotechnology, seeks a Senior Principal Medicinal Chemist to lead the Medicinal Chemistry efforts for peptide therapeutics. You will drive design, synthesis, and optimization of novel peptide candidates and guide projects from discovery through to clinical development, partnering with Research Biology and Drug Discovery teams.

The role requires a Ph.D. or equivalent in Organic/Medicinal Chemistry with 7+ years in biotech/pharma.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or postdoctoral degree in Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, or a related field.
• Minimum 7 years in biotechnology/pharma with progressing drug candidates toward clinical testing.

Responsibilities

• Lead discovery of novel peptide therapeutics and guide from hit to clinic.
• Direct multidisciplinary teams and align strategies across R&D.
• Oversee SAR-driven design, synthesis, and profiling of peptide and peptidomimetic leads.
• Mentor junior scientists and set portfolio priorities.
• Ensure data integrity from mass spectrometry, HPLC, and NMR for compound identity and purity.

Skills

Macrocyclic peptides

Complex molecule synthesis

High-throughput synthesis

Computational modeling

Structure-based drug design

Molecular dynamics

AI-driven peptide design

Analytical data interpretation

Education

Ph.D. in Organic Medicinal Chemistry

Tools

Schrödinger

MOE

Maestro

Job description

Genentech, a leader in biotechnology, seeks a Senior Principal Medicinal Chemist to lead the Medicinal Chemistry efforts for peptide therapeutics. You will drive design, synthesis, and optimization of novel peptide candidates and guide projects from discovery through to clinical development, partnering with Research Biology and Drug Discovery teams.

The role requires a Ph.D. or equivalent in Organic/Medicinal Chemistry with 7+ years in biotech/pharma.