Lead Organic Chemist: Drug Discovery & Synthesis Leader

Placements24; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Bonus potential

Health benefits

Retirement benefits

Training opportunities

Generous leave

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking an experienced Lead Organic Chemist in Gauteng to steer drug discovery and synthesis efforts in Tembisa. You will lead a team of chemists, design multi-step routes, and drive scale-up from lab to preclinical stages while ensuring safety and compliance.

You will collaborate with medicinal chemists, biologists, and pharmacologists to optimize compounds and strategies, leveraging advanced analytical tools to ensure quality and regulatory readiness.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry or closely related field.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in synthetic organic chemistry, with significant pharma experience.
• Proven track record of synthesizing complex molecules and advancing early-stage drug development.
• Expertise in modern synthetic methodologies including asymmetric synthesis, organometallic chemistry, and catalysis.
• Strong understanding of medicinal chemistry principles and SAR.
• Experience with process chemistry and scale-up for intermediates and APIs.
• Excellent leadership, team management, and communication skills.
• Proficiency in chemical drawing software and analytical instrumentation.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and execution of complex multi-step synthetic routes for novel drug candidates.
• Direct and mentor a team of organic chemists, providing technical guidance, training, and performance management.
• Develop and optimize synthetic methodologies to improve yield, purity, and scalability of target molecules.
• Conduct literature reviews and patent searches to inform strategies and IP opportunities.
• Collaborate with medicinal chemists, biologists, and pharmacologists to advance drug discovery programs.
• Oversee use of analytical techniques (NMR, MS, HPLC) for structure elucidation and purity assessment.
• Ensure adherence to laboratory safety protocols and regulatory guidelines for pharma research in Tembisa.
• Prepare comprehensive reports on synthesis progress, compound characterization, and process improvements for stakeholders and regulatory submissions.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Analytical thinking

Project coordination

Communication

Education

Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry

Tools

ChemDraw

NMR

MS

HPLC

Job description

Placements24 is seeking an experienced Lead Organic Chemist in Gauteng to steer drug discovery and synthesis efforts in Tembisa. You will lead a team of chemists, design multi-step routes, and drive scale-up from lab to preclinical stages while ensuring safety and compliance.

You will collaborate with medicinal chemists, biologists, and pharmacologists to optimize compounds and strategies, leveraging advanced analytical tools to ensure quality and regulatory readiness.