Medicinal Chemistry Program Leader
About The Position
Takeda is seeking a hands-on medicinal chemistry leader at the Associate Director level to drive execution of discovery programs. The role leads day-to-day compound design, synthesis, and progression for one or more programs, translating target and biology strategy into potent, selective, and developable molecules. As the chemistry lead on cross-functional project teams, the position directs internal chemists and external partners, including contract research organizations, and is accountable for program milestones from hit-to-lead through candidate nomination. The role also partners with discovery scale-up and process chemistry colleagues to ensure synthetic tractability and timely material supply for key studies. The leader contributes to program governance and portfolio decisions, mentors junior chemists, applies new methodologies and technologies to improve design-make-test-analyze cycles, and contributes to intellectual property and scientific records. The position is classified as hybrid under Takeda’s Hybrid and Remote Work policy and is located in Boston, Massachusetts.
Requirements
- PhD in Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, or a related discipline with 6 or more years of pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience in medicinal chemistry; or MS with 12 or more years; or BS with 14 or more years.
- Proven track record of contributing to or leading discovery programs that advanced compounds to candidate nomination or the clinic.
- Strong understanding of medicinal chemistry principles, SAR, drug design, and the interplay of potency, ADME, pharmacokinetics, and physical properties.
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional project teams and drive execution against timelines and milestones.
- Experience directing, mentoring, and developing chemists, including work with external CRO partners.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain complex scientific concepts to a broad audience.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, a proactive approach to challenges, and the ability to adapt to changing priorities and make sound decisions with incomplete data.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in a large pharmaceutical or biotechnology company, including managing programs across internal and external sites.
- Experience in oncology, neuroscience, or inflammation.
- Experience with small-molecule modalities beyond traditional compounds, such as macrocycles, peptides, or degraders.
- Publication record in medicinal chemistry or related fields, and named inventor on patent filings.
Responsibilities
- Lead medicinal chemistry program execution from hit identification through lead optimization and candidate nomination, delivering against agreed milestones, timelines, and candidate criteria.
- Design and prioritize compounds using structure-activity relationships, structure-based and computational design, and multiparameter optimization of potency, selectivity, ADME, and safety properties.
- Serve as chemistry lead on cross-functional teams with biology, pharmacology, DMPK, and toxicology, communicating progress, risks, and recommendations to the team and management.
- Direct internal chemists and CRO-based teams, set priorities, review synthetic plans and data, and ensure timely, high-quality delivery within program budget and resources.
- Partner with discovery scale-up and process chemistry colleagues to ensure synthetic tractability and timely material supply for in vivo and other key studies.
- Prepare data packages and recommendations for program reviews and portfolio decisions, including go/no-go decisions and candidate nomination.
- Mentor and develop junior chemists, sharing best practices in design, synthesis, and data interpretation.
- Apply methodologies and technologies such as computational design, parallel synthesis, and automation to improve the speed and quality of design-make-test-analyze cycles.
- Contribute to invention disclosures and patent filings, and maintain accurate, well-documented scientific records.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
