Job Description

Overview

Job Title: Associate Director / Director, Medicinal Chemistry (Small Molecules)

Location: Cambridge, MA

Industry: Commercial-Stage Pharmaceutical Company

Employment Type: Full-Time

About the Role

A commercially successful, innovation-driven pharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, MA is seeking an Associate Director/Director in Medicinal Chemistry to join their growing small molecule drug discovery team. This is a high-impact role offering the opportunity to lead early- and late-stage discovery programs with direct visibility to senior leadership. The ideal candidate will bring deep synthetic and medicinal chemistry expertise, strategic leadership, and a successful track record of drug discovery in large pharma environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional medicinal chemistry efforts from hit generation through candidate nomination and into preclinical development.
• Design and execute synthetic strategies to optimize potency, selectivity, PK, and safety of small molecule drug candidates.
• Partner closely with DMPK, biology, structural biology, and computational chemistry to guide SAR and compound profiling.
• Mentor and manage internal scientists and external CRO resources.
• Contribute to portfolio strategy and shape the future of the small molecule pipeline.
• Communicate data and strategy effectively to stakeholders across discovery, development, and executive leadership.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry with 10+ years of industry experience in small molecule drug discovery.
• Proven success advancing programs to development candidate stage, ideally through IND-enabling studies.
• Current or recent experience in large pharma is required
• Deep understanding of structure-based drug design, SAR development, and synthetic optimization.
• Demonstrated leadership and project ownership in multidisciplinary team settings.
• Strong communication, strategic thinking, and mentoring capabilities.

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