Senior Principal Chemist - Pharma Synthesis Leader

Placements24; Stellenbosch; Hybrid; ZAR 1,500,000 - 2,100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Retirement fund options

Generous vacation time

Professional development opportunities

Conferences access

Advanced training

Job summary

Placements24 seeks a Principal Chemist based in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, to lead complex synthetic route design for novel drug candidates. You will optimize scalable processes and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to drive drug discovery.

The role demands a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and 8+ years in synthetic organic chemistry, with strong leadership and publication-focused mindset. Expect a challenging, collaborative research environment with advanced lab facilities.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry or closely related field is required.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in synthetic organic chemistry.
• Expertise in modern synthetic methodologies and retrosynthetic analysis.
• Proven experience in process development and scale-up.
• Proficient spectroscopic and chromatographic characterization techniques.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and execution of multi-step synthetic routes for complex molecules.
• Develop scalable, cost-effective synthetic processes for pharma development.
• Perform literature searches and feasibility studies on new methods.
• Use NMR, MS, HPLC, GC for characterization and purity assessment.
• Collaborate with medicinal chemists and pharmacologists to advance programs.
• Troubleshoot challenges and propose innovative solutions.
• Mentor junior chemists and foster scientific excellence.
• Contribute to patents, filings, and publications.

Skills

Organic Chemistry

Stereochemistry

Medicinal Chemistry

Process Development

Scale-up

Retrosynthetic Analysis

Leadership

Education

Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry

Tools

NMR

MS

HPLC

GC

Job description

Placements24 seeks a Principal Chemist based in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, to lead complex synthetic route design for novel drug candidates. You will optimize scalable processes and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to drive drug discovery.

The role demands a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and 8+ years in synthetic organic chemistry, with strong leadership and publication-focused mindset. Expect a challenging, collaborative research environment with advanced lab facilities.