Senior Drug Discovery Scientist (Hybrid) – Equity Eligible

Placements24; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,700,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement savings plans

Equity participation

Job summary

Placements24 in Cape Town, Western Cape, ZA is seeking a Senior Research Scientist to drive drug discovery efforts. You will identify targets, design and synthesize candidates, and advance lead compounds through preclinical stages, leading projects and mentoring junior scientists.

The ideal candidate holds a PhD in medicinal chemistry or related field, 7+ years post-doctoral experience, and a track record of translating hits to leads.

Qualifications

• PhD in Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology, Organic Chemistry, or a related life science field.
• Minimum of 7 years of post-doctoral research experience in pharmaceutical drug discovery.
• Demonstrated success in identifying and advancing drug candidates from hit to lead/preclinical stages.
• Strong leadership, project management, and mentoring abilities.
• Excellent scientific writing and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Design, synthesize, and optimize small molecule drug candidates.
• Develop and execute in vitro and in vivo assays to evaluate efficacy and mechanism.
• Collaborate with biologists, pharmacologists, and formulation scientists.
• Conduct literature reviews and stay abreast of recent scientific developments.
• Prepare detailed research reports, publications, and patent applications.
• Manage research projects, including resource allocation and timelines; analyze data.
• Provide scientific leadership and mentorship to junior staff.
• Troubleshoot experimental issues and develop innovative solutions.
• Present research findings at internal meetings and external conferences.
• Ensure all research activities comply with ethical and regulatory standards.
• Contribute to the strategic direction of the drug discovery pipeline.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Scientific writing

Communication

Mentoring

Data analysis

Education

PhD in Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology, Organic Chemistry

Tools

Computational chemistry tools

Job description

Placements24 in Cape Town, Western Cape, ZA is seeking a Senior Research Scientist to drive drug discovery efforts. You will identify targets, design and synthesize candidates, and advance lead compounds through preclinical stages, leading projects and mentoring junior scientists.

The ideal candidate holds a PhD in medicinal chemistry or related field, 7+ years post-doctoral experience, and a track record of translating hits to leads.