Principal Scientist I / II, Medicinal Chemistry
About The Position
Schrödinger is seeking a Principal Scientist in Medicinal Chemistry to contribute to drug discovery and early clinical development programs. The team brings together scientists and drug developers with experience across common target classes and therapeutic areas, supported by software developers, engineers, and computational infrastructure for physics-based drug design and optimization. The specific job title level will be determined based on the candidate’s experience and qualifications. The role focuses on medicinal chemistry strategy and execution to advance programs toward high-quality clinical candidates. It involves managing chemistry contract research organizations (CROs) and collaborating with computational chemists and modelers to apply Schrödinger’s computational platform. The position is suited to a scientist with structure-based drug design expertise who communicates and collaborates effectively in multidisciplinary and geographically distributed teams.
Requirements
- PhD in synthetic organic or medicinal chemistry.
- At least four years of drug discovery experience in a pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology setting.
- Proficiency in structure-based drug design (SBDD).
- Extensive experience working with external chemistry teams at CROs.
- Contemporary knowledge of key medicinal chemistry concepts and a good understanding of biology, pharmacology, drug metabolism, and pharmacokinetics.
- Experience working in geographically distributed teams.
- Strong communication and presentation skills, and ability to work collaboratively in a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment.
Nice To Haves
- Experience leading drug discovery projects as a medicinal chemistry lead or project lead.
- Experience with therapeutic modalities beyond small molecules, particularly peptides and beyond-rule-of-five (bRo5) chemical space.
Responsibilities
- Contribute to Schrödinger’s drug discovery programs as a medicinal chemist.
- Support and execute medicinal chemistry strategies to deliver high-quality clinical candidates.
- Manage chemistry CROs to ensure efficient program execution.
- Collaborate with computational chemists and modelers on applying Schrödinger’s computational platform to advance drug discovery programs.
Benefits
- Competitive salary.
- Equity-based compensation.
- Healthcare, including dental and vision coverage.
- 401(k).
- Pre-tax commuter benefits.
- Flexible work schedule.
- Parental leave program.
- Catered meals in the office.
- Over a month of paid vacation time.
- Company-wide events.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
