Senior Organic Chemist & Team Lead — Scale-Up & Innovation

Placements24; Stellenbosch; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement contributions

Performance-based incentives

Continuous training

Conference participation

Opportunities for advancement

High quality of life in Stellenbosch

Job summary

Placements24 in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, ZA, seeks a Lead Organic Chemist to design and execute synthetic routes for complex molecules, optimize reactions, and drive projects from discovery to scale-up.

The role leads a team of chemists, collaborates with process development, performs detailed characterization (NMR, LC-MS, GC-MS, HPLC), and contributes to patents and technical reports while ensuring safety and rigorous record-keeping.

Qualifications

• PhD in Organic Chemistry from an accredited university.
• Minimum of 7 years post-PhD or industrial experience in synthetic organic chemistry.
• Experience leading a team and managing research projects.
• Strong expertise in multi-step synthesis and process chemistry.
• Proficient with NMR, LC-MS, GC-MS, and HPLC for compound characterization.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute synthetic routes for target molecules with a focus on efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and scalability.
• Lead and mentor a team of synthetic organic chemists, providing technical guidance and project oversight.
• Optimize reaction conditions, explore new methodologies, and troubleshoot synthetic problems.
• Collaborate with process development and manufacturing teams for technology transfer and scale-up.
• Conduct literature searches and stay abreast of advances in organic synthesis and catalysis.
• Prepare detailed technical reports, research summaries, and contribute to patent applications.
• Ensure compliance with laboratory safety regulations and maintain accurate records.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Multi-step synthesis

Analytical thinking

Communication

Education

PhD in Organic Chemistry

Tools

NMR

LC-MS

GC-MS

HPLC

Job description

Placements24 in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, ZA, seeks a Lead Organic Chemist to design and execute synthetic routes for complex molecules, optimize reactions, and drive projects from discovery to scale-up.

The role leads a team of chemists, collaborates with process development, performs detailed characterization (NMR, LC-MS, GC-MS, HPLC), and contributes to patents and technical reports while ensuring safety and rigorous record-keeping.