Senior Pharmaceutical Development Scientist: Lead Drug Discovery

Placements24; LegKraal Gate; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Performance bonuses

Career progression

Medical insurance

Continuous learning

Retirement plan

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Pharmaceutical Development Scientist to lead and execute R&D activities in drug discovery at our client’s Mahikeng, North West site. You will design and optimize experiments, analyze data, and help advance new therapeutic agents with cross-functional collaboration.

The ideal candidate holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology, pharmacology, biochemistry, or a related life science and has at least five years of post‑doctoral or industry experience in pharmaceutical R&D,

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Pharmacology, Biochemistry or related field.
• Minimum 5 years post‑doctoral or industry R&D experience.
• Proven expertise in experimental design, data analysis and interpretation.
• Excellent communication and problem‑solving abilities.

Responsibilities

• Design, execute and optimize complex experiments in drug discovery and target validation.
• Analyze data, draw conclusions and recommend next research steps.
• Develop assays and models to assess compound efficacy and safety.
• Identify and characterize new drug targets with cross‑functional teams.
• Prepare detailed reports and presentations for internal and external use.
• Collaborate with medicinal chemistry, pharmacology and toxicology teams.
• Maintain meticulous lab records and stay current with literature.
• Mentor junior staff and contribute to a productive lab environment.
• Present scientific data clearly to stakeholders and at conferences.

Skills

Experimental design

Data analysis

Scientific communication

Team leadership

Molecular biology

Drug discovery

Education

PhD in Molecular Biology/Pharmacology/Biochemistry

Tools

PCR

Western blot

Flow cytometry

Cell-based assays

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Pharmaceutical Development Scientist to lead and execute R&D activities in drug discovery at our client’s Mahikeng, North West site. You will design and optimize experiments, analyze data, and help advance new therapeutic agents with cross-functional collaboration.

The ideal candidate holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology, pharmacology, biochemistry, or a related life science and has at least five years of post‑doctoral or industry experience in pharmaceutical R&D,