Senior Structural Biologist — Lead Drug Design

Placements24; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,750,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Retirement plan

Paid time off

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Structural Biologist to lead structure-based drug design, elucidate high‑resolution structures, and guide medicinal chemistry efforts in a dynamic biopharmaceutical setting in Soweto, Gauteng.

You will oversee protein expression/purification, interpret data to design potent inhibitors, and mentor junior scientists while collaborating with chemists, biologists, and pharmacologists to advance the drug discovery program.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Structural Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics or a related field.
• 5–7+ years of post‑doctoral research in a drug discovery setting.
• Expertise in structure determination techniques (X-ray, cryo-EM or NMR).
• Experience with protein expression, purification and biophysical characterization.
• Knowledge of structure‑based drug design and protein–ligand interactions.

Responsibilities

• Lead structure-based drug design projects from target selection to lead optimization.
• Determine high‑resolution structures of target proteins and protein‑ligand complexes using X‑ray crystallography, cryo‑EM or NMR.
• Express, purify, and characterize proteins and other macromolecules for structural analysis.
• Analyze and interpret structural data to guide design of potent, selective inhibitors or modulators.
• Collaborate with medicinal chemists, biologists and pharmacologists to integrate insights into the pipeline.
• Troubleshoot challenging projects and develop innovative solutions.
• Contribute to new structural biology technologies and methodologies.
• Present findings at internal meetings and external conferences.
• Mentor junior scientists and steer scientific direction of the group.
• Ensure timely project completion and accurate reporting from Soweto.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem-solving

Data interpretation

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Independence

Education

Ph.D. in Structural Biology or related field

Tools

X-ray crystallography

cryo-EM

NMR spectroscopy

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Senior Structural Biologist to lead structure-based drug design, elucidate high‑resolution structures, and guide medicinal chemistry efforts in a dynamic biopharmaceutical setting in Soweto, Gauteng.

You will oversee protein expression/purification, interpret data to design potent inhibitors, and mentor junior scientists while collaborating with chemists, biologists, and pharmacologists to advance the drug discovery program.