Senior Medicinal Chemist & Leader - Hybrid (Durban)

Placements24; Durban; Hybrid; ZAR 1,500,000 - 2,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation package

Performance bonus

Health, vision & dental insurance

Retirement savings plan

State-of-the-art facilities

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Principal Medicinal Chemist for a renowned pharmaceutical research organization in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Lead design, synthesis, and optimization of novel therapeutic candidates within a collaborative discovery team.

The role emphasizes SAR-driven lead optimization, modern synthetic methods, and cross-functional collaboration with biology and pharmacology. Mentorship and IP contribution are key aspects.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, or closely related field.
• 8+ years of medicinal chemistry experience in pharma/biotech.
• Proven track record in designing/synthesizing novel compounds with activity.
• Expertise in modern synthetic organic chemistry including asymmetric synthesis and catalysis.
• Strong SAR, ADME understanding and drug discovery strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and synthesis of novel small molecules for therapeutic targets.
• Develop and execute complex multi-step synthetic routes for target compounds.
• Optimize lead compounds based on SAR data, ADME, and PK data.
• Utilize modern synthetic chemistry techniques and instrumentation.
• Collaborate with biology, pharmacology, and DMPK teams.

Skills

SAR understanding

Leadership

Mentoring

Analytical thinking

Communication

Education

Ph.D. in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry

Tools

Cheminformatics tools

Computational chemistry

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Principal Medicinal Chemist for a renowned pharmaceutical research organization in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Lead design, synthesis, and optimization of novel therapeutic candidates within a collaborative discovery team.

The role emphasizes SAR-driven lead optimization, modern synthetic methods, and cross-functional collaboration with biology and pharmacology. Mentorship and IP contribution are key aspects.