Senior Medicinal Chemist: Lead Optimization

Placements24; Vereeniging; Hybrid; ZAR 1,100,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Retirement savings plan

Professional development support

Collaborative R&D environment

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Scientist specializing in Medicinal Chemistry to contribute to drug discovery in Vereeniging, South Africa. The role focuses on design, synthesis, and optimization of novel small molecules, advancing hit-to-lead and lead optimization with biologists and chemists.

You will apply advanced synthetic organic chemistry, SAR analysis, and modern analytical techniques in a collaborative R&D environment aimed at creating life-changing medicines.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry is required.
• Minimum of 5 years of medicinal chemistry experience in pharma/biotech.
• Strong synthetic organic chemistry expertise including asymmetric synthesis.
• Proficiency with analytical techniques for compound characterization.
• Experience in SAR exploration and structure-based design.

Responsibilities

• Design and synthesize novel small molecules with desired pharmacological properties.
• Optimize lead compounds to improve potency, selectivity, and PK profiles.
• Develop robust synthetic routes and troubleshoot challenging reactions.
• Characterize compounds using NMR, LC-MS, and HPLC.
• Collaborate with biologists to guide SAR and compound design.
• Maintain detailed records and contribute to scientific reports.

Skills

Medicinal Chemistry

Asymmetric synthesis

Heterocyclic chemistry

SAR exploration

Analytical techniques

Education

Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry or Medicinal Chemistry

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Scientist specializing in Medicinal Chemistry to contribute to drug discovery in Vereeniging, South Africa. The role focuses on design, synthesis, and optimization of novel small molecules, advancing hit-to-lead and lead optimization with biologists and chemists.

You will apply advanced synthetic organic chemistry, SAR analysis, and modern analytical techniques in a collaborative R&D environment aimed at creating life-changing medicines.