Lead Organic Chemist - Pharmaceutical Synthesis

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

About the Role

Our client, a cutting-edge pharmaceutical research and development firm, is actively seeking an experienced Lead Organic Chemist to spearhead their drug discovery and synthesis efforts in **Tembisa, Gauteng**. This senior position will play a crucial role in the design, synthesis, and optimization of novel organic molecules with therapeutic potential. The successful candidate will lead a team of highly talented chemists, guiding them through complex synthetic pathways and ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality compounds for preclinical and clinical studies. This role is fundamental to our client's mission of developing life‑saving medications and requires a deep understanding of synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and process development. Based in **Tembisa**, this position offers an exceptional opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking pharmaceutical innovation within the vibrant **Gauteng** research landscape.

Key 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 thorough literature reviews and patent searches to inform synthetic strategies and identify intellectual property opportunities.


• Collaborate closely with medicinal chemists, biologists, and pharmacologists to advance drug discovery programs.


• Oversee the use of advanced analytical techniques (NMR, MS, HPLC) for structural elucidation and purity assessment.


• Ensure adherence to all laboratory safety protocols and regulatory guidelines relevant to pharmaceutical research in **Tembisa**.


• Prepare comprehensive reports on synthesis progress, compound characterization, and process improvements for internal stakeholders and regulatory submissions.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry or a closely related field.


• Minimum of 7 years of progressive experience in synthetic organic chemistry, with a significant portion within the pharmaceutical industry.


• Proven track record of successfully synthesizing complex organic molecules and bringing them through early-stage drug development.


• Expertise in modern synthetic methodologies, including asymmetric synthesis, organometallic chemistry, and catalysis.


• Strong understanding of medicinal chemistry principles and structure-activity relationships (SAR).


• Experience with process chemistry and scale-up considerations for pharmaceutical intermediates and APIs.


• Excellent leadership, team management, and communication skills.


• Proficiency in using chemical structure drawing software and analytical instrumentation.


• Must be legally authorized to work in South Africa and able to commute to our **Tembisa** facility.

Benefits

• This position comes with a highly competitive remuneration package, including a substantial annual salary, potential for performance bonuses, and comprehensive health and retirement benefits.


• Our client invests in its employees' professional growth through access to cutting-edge research facilities, ongoing training programs, and opportunities to attend leading scientific conferences.


• We offer generous annual leave, sick leave, and other provisions to promote a healthy work‑life balance for our team members in **Gauteng**.


• Join a leading organization dedicated to advancing human health through innovative **pharmaceutical synthesis** research in **Tembisa**.