Remote Principal Scientist, Organic Synthesis & Discovery

Placements24; Mossel Bay; Hybrid; ZAR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible remote work

Stock options

Retirement plan

Global health/dental/vision insurance

Performance bonuses

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Remote Principal Scientist in Organic Synthesis to lead high-impact drug discovery programs from anywhere worldwide. The role combines scientific leadership with mentorship, advancing multi-step routes for novel compounds and natural products.

You will guide strategy, collaborate across chemistry and analytical teams, publish and file patents, and drive innovation in a distributed organization while maintaining excellence and robust experimental design.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry or closely related discipline.
• 10+ years in synthetic organic chemistry, preferably in pharma/biotech.
• Proven track record in designing and executing complex syntheses and contributing to drug discovery.
• Deep expertise in modern synthetic methodologies, reaction mechanisms, and stereoselective synthesis.
• Strong leadership in remote setting and ability to mentor teams.
• Excellent spectroscopy and chromatography skills for structure elucidation and purity.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute multi-step syntheses of complex organic molecules, including natural products and drug candidates.
• Develop and optimize synthetic routes for scalability and efficiency.
• Provide expert scientific guidance and mentorship to junior scientists.
• Lead research strategy for projects, identify critical synthetic challenges and propose innovative solutions.
• Collaborate with computational, medicinal, and analytical chemists to advance drug discovery programs.
• Author high-impact publications and patent applications.

Skills

Leadership

Mentorship

Strategic planning

Scientific communication

Remote collaboration

Education

PhD in Organic Chemistry

Tools

NMR spectroscopy

MS spectroscopy

Chromatography

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Remote Principal Scientist in Organic Synthesis to lead high-impact drug discovery programs from anywhere worldwide. The role combines scientific leadership with mentorship, advancing multi-step routes for novel compounds and natural products.

You will guide strategy, collaborate across chemistry and analytical teams, publish and file patents, and drive innovation in a distributed organization while maintaining excellence and robust experimental design.