Remote Principal Scientist — Drug Discovery Leader

Placements24; Bellville; Hybrid; ZAR 1,400,000 - 1,900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work setup

Annual conference budget

Health and dental benefits

Equity options

Professional development budget

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Principal Scientist in Drug Discovery to lead remote research programs, identify novel targets, and develop innovative assays across multiple disease areas. You will mentor a distributed team and collaborate with internal and external partners to drive the pipeline from target validation to lead optimization.

The role emphasizes remote-first collaboration, strategic project leadership, and impactful publications and patents, with a focus on cross-disciplinary coordination

Qualifications

• PhD in life sciences required with 10+ years in drug discovery.
• Proven ability to lead multiple drug discovery projects from target to preclinical candidate.
• Strong expertise in target validation strategies and assay development (biochemical and cellular).
• Demonstrated independence and successful remote team leadership.
• Record of high-impact publications and patent filings.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic research programs for novel drug discovery initiatives.
• Identify and validate new therapeutic targets across disease areas.
• Develop and optimize assays for target engagement and efficacy.
• Interpret complex data to drive go/no-go decisions.
• Collaborate with medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and DMPK to advance leads.
• Mentor a remote team of bench scientists and associates.
• Publish scientific reports and presentations for internal/external use.
• Manage collaborations with academic and external partners.

Skills

Drug discovery leadership

Target validation

Assay development

Remote leadership

Scientific communication

Project management

Publications & patents

Education

PhD in Pharmacology/ Biochemistry/ Molecular Biology

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Principal Scientist in Drug Discovery to lead remote research programs, identify novel targets, and develop innovative assays across multiple disease areas. You will mentor a distributed team and collaborate with internal and external partners to drive the pipeline from target validation to lead optimization.

The role emphasizes remote-first collaboration, strategic project leadership, and impactful publications and patents, with a focus on cross-disciplinary coordination