Lead Medicinal Chemist — Drug Discovery Leader in Cape Town

Placements24; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 2,000,000 - 3,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive remuneration

Health, dental, vision insurance

Retirement fund

Professional development

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Placements24 in Cape Town, Western Cape, seeks a Principal Medicinal Chemist to lead innovative drug discovery programs. You will identify, synthesize, and optimize novel chemical entities with therapeutic potential, guiding projects from concept to preclinical candidate selection.

This senior role requires building a high-performing team of chemists, collaborating with biology, DMPK and pharmacology, and shaping SAR-driven strategies while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry from a reputable institution.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in medicinal chemistry within pharma/biotech.
• Leadership of drug discovery projects and delivery of clinical candidates.
• Expertise in modern synthetic organic chemistry techniques and instrumentation.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and synthesis of novel small molecules for target programs.
• Direct and mentor a team of medicinal and synthetic chemists.
• Collaborate with biologists, pharmacologists, and DMPK to define SAR.
• Manage CROs for synthetic chemistry support and ensure timely delivery of candidates.
• Present research findings at internal reviews and external meetings.
• Contribute to IP strategy through patent filings.
• Stay updated on advances in medicinal chemistry and methods.

Skills

Medicinal chemistry

Drug design

Leadership

Project management

Education

PhD in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry

Tools

Computational chemistry tools

Structure-based design software

Job description

Placements24 in Cape Town, Western Cape, seeks a Principal Medicinal Chemist to lead innovative drug discovery programs. You will identify, synthesize, and optimize novel chemical entities with therapeutic potential, guiding projects from concept to preclinical candidate selection.

This senior role requires building a high-performing team of chemists, collaborating with biology, DMPK and pharmacology, and shaping SAR-driven strategies while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.