Senior Research Chemist - Pharmaceuticals

Placements24; Durban; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Fully remote position

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Research Chemist to drive pharmaceutical innovation in a fully remote engagement. Lead design and synthesis of novel drug candidates, optimize routes, and collaborate with scientists across disciplines to advance therapeutic pipelines.

The role requires a PhD in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry with 6+ years of hands-on experience in drug discovery, SAR, and analytical characterization. Remote work enables collaboration with a leading pharma research team.

Qualifications

• PhD in Organic Chemistry or Medicinal Chemistry required.
• Minimum 6 years of hands-on synthetic organic chemistry experience, preferably in pharma.
• Proven drug discovery experience and SAR knowledge.
• Proficiency with modern synthesis, purification, and analytical techniques.
• Ability to work independently in a remote, collaborative team.

Responsibilities

• Design and synthesize novel organic molecules for therapeutic applications.
• Develop scalable synthetic routes for target compounds.
• Characterize compounds using NMR, MS, and HPLC.
• Collaborate with biologists and pharmacologists to assess activity and PK.
• Troubleshoot reactions and optimize yields and purity.
• Maintain lab notebooks and prepare technical reports and patents.

Skills

Medicinal chemistry

Synthetic organic chemistry

SAR studies

Drug discovery

Scientific writing

Remote collaboration

Education

PhD in Organic/Medicinal Chemistry

Tools

NMR

MS

HPLC

Job description

About the Role

Our client seeks a highly accomplished Senior Research Chemist to drive pharmaceutical innovation through a fully remote engagement. This position is central to the discovery and synthesis of novel drug candidates, requiring exceptional expertise in synthetic organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry principles. You will lead projects, design innovative synthetic routes, and contribute significantly to the pipeline development of new therapeutics. This role offers a unique opportunity for an experienced chemist to make a substantial impact on drug discovery from the comfort of their home office, working within a leading pharmaceutical research organization that champions remote collaboration and scientific excellence.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and synthesize novel organic molecules with potential therapeutic applications, focusing on medicinal chemistry optimization.
• Develop efficient and scalable synthetic routes for target compounds and intermediates.
• Characterize synthesized compounds using advanced analytical techniques (NMR, MS, HPLC, etc.).
• Collaborate with biologists and pharmacologists to evaluate the biological activity and pharmacokinetic properties of novel drug candidates.
• Troubleshoot synthetic challenges and optimize reaction conditions to improve yields and purity.
• Maintain detailed laboratory notebooks and prepare technical reports, publications, and patent applications.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, or a closely related field.
• Minimum of 6 years of hands‑on experience in synthetic organic chemistry, preferably within the pharmaceutical industry.
• Demonstrated expertise in drug discovery methodologies and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies.
• Proficiency with modern synthetic techniques, purification methods, and analytical characterization.
• Experience with literature searching, patent analysis, and scientific writing.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple projects, and contribute effectively to a remote research team.

Benefits

• Competitive salary package with performance incentives.
• Fully remote position offering excellent work-life balance.
• Access to cutting-edge scientific resources and virtual collaboration tools.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Opportunities for career growth and professional development in pharmaceutical research.