Senior Medicinal Chemist & Leader, Hybrid Durban

Placements24; Durban; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation package

Performance bonus

Comprehensive health benefits

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Medicinal Chemist in Durban to lead complex synthetic chemistry programs and drive novel therapeutic candidates from discovery through optimization.

You will design, synthesize and characterize new chemical entities, interpret spectroscopic data, and mentor junior chemists in a dynamic research environment within a renowned pharmaceutical organization.

Qualifications

• The candidate must hold a PhD in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry and have a strong medicinal chemistry track record.
• At least 8 years of experience in designing and synthesizing novel compounds with biological activity.
• Expertise in SAR, ADME concepts and drug-discovery strategies is essential.
• Proven leadership and mentoring experience in a fast-paced lab environment.
• Strong communication skills and ability to present complex data clearly.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and synthesis of novel small molecules for targets.
• Develop and optimize multi-step synthetic routes.
• Interpret NMR/MS/IR data to confirm identity and purity.
• Collaborate with biology, pharmacology and DMPK teams.
• Mentor junior medicinal chemists and manage projects.
• Contribute to IP generation through publications and patents.
• Stay updated on new synthetic methodologies and SAR findings.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

SAR knowledge

ADME principles

Drug design

Communication

collaboration

Education

PhD in Organic/Medicinal Chemistry

Tools

NMR spectroscopy

Mass spectrometry

IR spectroscopy

Chromatography

Cheminformatics tools

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Principal Medicinal Chemist in Durban to lead complex synthetic chemistry programs and drive novel therapeutic candidates from discovery through optimization.

You will design, synthesize and characterize new chemical entities, interpret spectroscopic data, and mentor junior chemists in a dynamic research environment within a renowned pharmaceutical organization.