Director, Discovery Chemistry

Merck • South San Francisco, CA

10h • $194,100 - $305,600 • Onsite

About The Position

Are you ready to embark on an exciting career journey where your expertise in medicinal chemistry can drive groundbreaking discoveries and have a lasting impact on global healthcare? Our Discovery Chemistry team in South San Francisco, CA is looking for a collaborative and creative Director to join us. In this role, you will have the opportunity to develop people, lead transformative projects, influence scientific strategy, set departmental vision, and expand your network. As a leader in our organization, you will leverage your talent across the following principal responsibilities:
Leverage your people leadership talent to enable the growth and development of a team of exceptional scientists. This includes fostering their scientific curiosity, guiding their career paths, and promoting continuous learning. By embracing a culture and modeling inclusive behaviors, you will create an environment where everyone feels valued and supported.
Lead Drug Discovery Projects: Utilize your expertise in bioconjugate drug discovery to lead high-impact research drug-conjugates projects across multiple therapeutic areas. Collaborate with cross-functional, multidisciplinary teams, leveraging their skills and knowledge, to achieve project goals and milestones. Your strategic thinking, innovative problem-solving, and incisive decision-making will drive outcomes that can transform the lives of patients.
Contribute to Scientific Strategy: Shape our scientific strategy by applying your deep knowledge of bioconjugate chemistry, staying informed on and sharing industry trends. Collaborate with key stakeholders to identify promising biological targets, innovative technologies, and cutting-edge research approaches. Provide strategic guidance and data-driven recommendations that align with our mission and goals, driving scientific innovation and enhancing our competitive position.
Influence the internal and external scientific community: Leverage your strong network and effective communication skills to foster collaborations with partners, thought leaders, and stakeholders within and outside of our company. Actively participate in conferences, industry events, and scientific forums to stay informed about emerging trends, expand our visibility, and establish strategic alliances that amplify Discovery Chemistry's impact at our company and on the broader scientific community. Cultivate relationships that reinforce our leadership in drug discovery and create opportunities for transformative partnerships.
Lead and Develop Scientific Talent: Build, lead, and develop high-performing scientists and teams, fostering a culture of scientific excellence, inclusion, accountability, and continuous learning. Through coaching, mentoring, performance management, and succession planning, empower individuals to achieve their full potential and advance their careers. Create an environment that encourages innovation, collaboration, healthy debate, and shared ownership, while ensuring the organization has the capabilities, talent, and leadership needed to deliver on current and future strategic objectives. As a people manager, you will shape the culture of Discovery Chemistry and help develop the next generation of scientific leaders.
To excel in this role, you will need strong skills in scientific and people leadership, strategic thinking, effective communication, collaboration, balanced risk-taking, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Your passion for science, unwavering commitment to patients, and ability to inspire and empower others and dedication to developing talent will set you apart.
Embark on a career journey where your expertise and leadership will shape the future of medicinal chemistry, driving innovations that transform healthcare. Together, let's push the boundaries of scientific discovery and make a meaningful difference in the lives of people worldwide.

Requirements

• Bachelor's (with 13+ years), Master's (with 9+ years) or Ph.D. (with 7+ years) in chemistry or related field with relevant industry experience in drug discovery
• Experience in bioconjugate chemistry, linker and payload design and drug discovery
• Demonstrated experience in leading drug discovery projects.
• Proficiency in complex problem-solving and the ability to influence strategy across organizational boundaries
• Strong leadership, communication, and collaboration skills
• Proven track record of influencing teams, departments, and the enterprise, with the ability to work and influence across functional boundaries
• Bioconjugation
• Chemistry
• Drug Discovery Research
• Leadership
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Project Leadership
• Strategic Thinking
• Synthetic Chemistry

Nice To Haves

• Proven managerial experience with a track record of training, developing talent, and mentoring team members in the field of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery.

Responsibilities

• Leverage people leadership talent to enable the growth and development of a team of exceptional scientists, fostering their scientific curiosity, guiding their career paths, and promoting continuous learning.
• Lead Drug Discovery Projects utilizing expertise in bioconjugate drug discovery for high-impact research drug-conjugates projects across multiple therapeutic areas, collaborating with cross-functional, multidisciplinary teams.
• Contribute to Scientific Strategy by applying deep knowledge of bioconjugate chemistry, staying informed on industry trends, and collaborating with stakeholders to identify promising biological targets and innovative technologies.
• Influence the internal and external scientific community by leveraging strong networks and communication skills to foster collaborations with partners, thought leaders, and stakeholders.
• Lead and Develop Scientific Talent by building and leading high-performing scientists and teams, fostering a culture of scientific excellence, inclusion, accountability, and continuous learning through coaching, mentoring, and performance management.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
• retirement benefits, including 401(k)
• paid holidays
• vacation
• compassionate and sick days
• annual bonus
• long-term incentive

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree