Senior Organic Chemist – Drug Discovery & Synthesis

Placements24; Mossel Bay; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Stock options

Professional development

Paid time off

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Senior Organic Chemist to join the Mossel Bay drug discovery team. You will design and execute complex multi-step syntheses, optimize reactions, and collaborate with medicinal chemists and biologists to advance candidates.

The role requires a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry with 5+ years of hands-on experience in synthetic chemistry, plus strong analytical and purification skills in a pharmaceutical environment. Occasional travel and a supportive research facility are offered.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry or closely related field.
• Minimum 5 years hands-on experience in synthetic organic chemistry.
• Experience in pharmaceutical/biotech settings preferred.
• Proficiency with 1D/2D NMR, HRMS for characterization.
• Experience with column chromatography, HPLC and crystallization.
• Strong problem-solving and independent work capability.
• Excellent communication and team collaboration skills.
• Familiarity with Mossel Bay region is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute scalable synthetic routes for novel molecules.
• Perform multi-step organic syntheses including asymmetric steps.
• Optimize reaction conditions for yield and stereoselectivity.
• Purify compounds using chromatography and HPLC.
• Characterize compounds with NMR, MS, IR and related methods.
• Collaborate with medicinal chemists and biologists to advance candidates.
• Maintain detailed notebooks and prepare technical reports.
• Troubleshoot synthesis challenges and propose solutions.
• Stay current with literature in synthetic and medicinal chemistry.
• Present findings through internal reports and presentations.

Skills

Synthetic organic chemistry

Reaction optimization

Purification techniques

Independent work

Team collaboration

Education

Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry

Tools

Column chromatography

Preparative HPLC

Crystallization

NMR/MS/IR

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Senior Organic Chemist to join the Mossel Bay drug discovery team. You will design and execute complex multi-step syntheses, optimize reactions, and collaborate with medicinal chemists and biologists to advance candidates.

The role requires a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry with 5+ years of hands-on experience in synthetic chemistry, plus strong analytical and purification skills in a pharmaceutical environment. Occasional travel and a supportive research facility are offered.