Lead Synthesis Chemist – Drug Discovery

Placements24; Noord-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Life insurance

Conference attendance

Access to state-of-the-art labs

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Synthetic Organic Chemist to lead critical drug discovery projects in Kimberley, South Africa. You will design and execute complex multi-step syntheses of novel small molecules with therapeutic potential, developing scalable routes and troubleshooting challenging reactions.

Colleagues in medicinal chemistry and other scientists will rely on you to optimize lead compounds and document progress with detailed reports in a dynamic lab environment.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry or Synthetic Chemistry required.
• Minimum 5 years post-PhD experience in synthetic organic chemistry.
• Experience with medicinal chemistry or biologically active molecules preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute multi-step syntheses for novel organic compounds.
• Optimize reaction conditions for yield, purity, and scalability.
• Characterize compounds using NMR, MS, and HPLC.
• Troubleshoot challenging syntheses and develop creative solutions.
• Collaborate with medicinal chemists to advance lead optimization.
• Maintain detailed notebooks and prepare reports on activities.

Skills

Analytical ability

Problem solving

Independence

Team collaboration

Education

Ph.D. in Organic/Synthetic Chemistry

Tools

NMR

MS

HPLC

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Synthetic Organic Chemist to lead critical drug discovery projects in Kimberley, South Africa. You will design and execute complex multi-step syntheses of novel small molecules with therapeutic potential, developing scalable routes and troubleshooting challenging reactions.

Colleagues in medicinal chemistry and other scientists will rely on you to optimize lead compounds and document progress with detailed reports in a dynamic lab environment.