Job Description

Well-funded start-up in SSF seeks a Head of Medicinal Chemistry (Vice President or Executive Director) to advance our internal pipeline of small molecule therapeutics into the clinic. Experience with neurodegeneration, CNS, or other brain-penetrant therapeutics required. Experience with covalent inhibitors, bifunctionals, and molecular glues preferred.

Company Highlights:

• Well-funded
• Small molecule therapeutics
• Two lead targets: CNS oncology + neurodegeneration
• ~25 full-time employees
• Reports to CEO

Responsibilities:

• Lead all medicinal chemistry efforts from target validation to preclinical candidate selection and manage all chemistry project timelines
• Design and develop small molecule compounds, libraries, and probes
• Oversee the synthesis and optimization of platform-driven small molecules, libraries, and probes
• Plan and oversee execution of compound scale-up for bulk intermediate supply and preclinical studies (PK/PD, efficacy, safety)
• Manage external chemistry collaborations, including CRO chemistry programs and CMOs
• Provide scientific and strategic leadership for medicinal chemistry programs, leading and mentoring chemists and driving the progression of compounds from discovery through IND and into the clinic
• Develop and contribute to our intellectual property (IP) domain by way of patents and/or publications
• Stay at the forefront of scientific advancements, including AI/ML-driven drug discovery and emerging therapeutic modalities
• Join the Scientific Leadership Team and serve as a scientific leader, mentor, and subject matter expert (SME) on multiple project teams
• Represent in our board meetings, investor meetings and partnering discussions

Qualifications:

• PhD in synthetic organic chemistry with 10+ years of industry experience in drug discovery
• Deep expertise in small molecule medicinal chemistry (synthetic organic chemistry, hit identification and validation, hit-to-lead, structure-based and/or pharmacophore-based drug design and lead optimization, ADME/DMPK optimization)
• Proven track record of advancing small molecule medicinal chemistry programs leading to clinical candidates
• Experience with neurodegeneration, CNS, or other brain-penetrant therapeutics
• Experience with GMP manufacturing and process chemistry to support IND-enabling studies
• Proven ability to manage external partners, including CROs and CMOs
• Understanding of computer aided drug design (CADD) and AI/ML-driven approaches in medicinal chemistry
• Scientifically rigorous, highly organized, and with significant attention to detail
• Hands-on, team-oriented leader with a passion for mentoring and building high-performing teams in a fast-paced start-up environment
• Experience with and/or openness to emerging drug modalities such as covalent inhibitors, bifunctionals, and molecular glues

Job Tags

Similar Jobs