Associate Director, Medicinal Chemistry

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals • Cambridge, MA

5h • $169,000 - $238,200

About The Position

Medicinal Chemistry group at Alnylam is seeking a highly motivated and accomplished scientist to join our dynamic drug discovery team. The successful candidate will play a critical role in the design, synthesis, and optimization of small molecules aimed as delivery agents of oligonucleotides to extra-hepatic tissues. This individual will be responsible for driving project strategy and overseeing progression of our small molecule effort from hit identification through lead optimization, with a particular emphasis on suitability for clinical development as oligo conjugates.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry.
• Greater than 8 years of progressively responsible experience in small molecule drug discovery within a pharmaceutical setting.
• Demonstrated experience in advancing at least one compound into clinical development as a group leader or key contributor.
• Strong theoretical and practical knowledge of modern synthetic organic chemistry, reaction mechanisms, and retrosynthetic analysis.
• Extensive experience in small molecule design and optimization, including a deep understanding of SAR, ADME, pharmacokinetics, and drug metabolism principles.
• Proficiency in interpreting complex biological and ADME data to inform compound design.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively interact with multidisciplinary teams and present complex scientific data to diverse audiences.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Familiarity with computational chemistry tools and techniques (e.g., ligand-based and structure-based design).
• Extensive experience with outsourcing chemistry activities to CROs.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute synthetic routes for novel small molecules with desired pharmacological profiles, ADME properties, and physicochemical characteristics in the context of oligo delivery.
• Critically analyze SAR (Structure-Activity Relationships) and SPR (Structure-Property Relationships) data to guide compound design and optimization efforts.
• Drive the strategic direction of medicinal chemistry efforts within projects, ensuring alignment with program goals and timelines.
• Stay abreast of current literature, emerging technologies, and competitive landscape in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.
• Contribute to the identification of new drug targets and therapeutic hypotheses.
• Serve as a key medicinal chemistry leader on one or more drug discovery projects, actively participating in and contributing to cross-functional project teams (e.g., biology, pharmacology, DMPK, toxicology, CMC).
• Present data, conclusions, and recommendations to project teams and senior management effectively and concisely.
• Collaborate closely with computational chemists to leverage advanced modeling techniques for compound design and lead optimization.
• Identify and manage CROs for synthetic chemistry, assay development, or other outsourced activities, ensuring quality and timely delivery.
• Provide scientific guidance and mentorship to more junior chemists, fostering a culture of scientific rigor and continuous learning.
• Contribute to the generation and defense of intellectual property (e.g., patent applications, scientific publications).

Benefits

• comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, a lifestyle reimbursement program, flexible spending and health savings accounts and a 401(k)with a generous company match
• Eligible employees enjoy paid time off, wellness days, holidays, and two company-wide recharge breaks.
• We also offer generous family resources and leave.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees