Hybrid Principal Scientist - Lead Drug-Discovery Synthesis

Placements24; Stellenbosch; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Hybrid work in Stellenbosch

Medical and retirement plans

Career development opportunities

Wellness programs

Job summary

Placements24 in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, seeks a Principal Scientist to lead synthetic organic chemistry initiatives within a pharmaceutical R&D setting. The role blends lab-focused execution with strategic planning, mentoring a team of chemists, and guiding drug discovery programs.

You will design and optimize multi-step syntheses, develop scalable routes, and contribute to IP through publications and filings, while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance in a hybrid work environment.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry with emphasis on synthetic chemistry.
• 8+ years of post-PhD experience in synthetic organic chemistry, pharma preferred.
• Proven ability to design and execute complex synthetic routes for drug candidates.
• Strong leadership, communication and mentoring abilities.

Responsibilities

• Design and synthesize novel organic molecules and drug candidates using modern synthetic methodologies.
• Develop and optimize scalable, cost-efficient synthetic routes for target molecules.
• Conduct literature searches and apply insights to solve synthetic challenges.
• Characterize compounds using NMR, MS, HPLC, and related analytical techniques.
• Collaborate with medicinal chemists, biologists, and pharmacologists to advance drug discovery programs.
• Lead research projects, set priorities, and manage timelines.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Project management

Communication

Strategic thinking

Education

Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry

Tools

NMR

MS

HPLC

Flow chemistry

Job description

Placements24 in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, seeks a Principal Scientist to lead synthetic organic chemistry initiatives within a pharmaceutical R&D setting. The role blends lab-focused execution with strategic planning, mentoring a team of chemists, and guiding drug discovery programs.

You will design and optimize multi-step syntheses, develop scalable routes, and contribute to IP through publications and filings, while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance in a hybrid work environment.