Senior / Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry

Altos Labs • Redwood City, CA

23h • $174,800 - $316,100

About The Position

Altos Labs is seeking a talented and passionate Medicinal Chemist to join its small-molecule drug discovery team. The role advances science and develops medicines across all stages of drug discovery, from hit identification through lead optimization, in a collaborative, fast-paced environment. The scientist contributes chemistry expertise to one or more drug discovery programs, designing drug-like molecules and optimizing compounds toward drug development candidate selection. The position also includes internal laboratory synthesis, collaboration with Contract Research Organizations, chemistry support across functions, clear communication of scientific findings, and potential leadership of chemistry programs and external CRO chemistry FTEs.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry with 6+ years of post-Ph.D. experience, or equivalent and relevant experience in chemical research.
• Proven expertise in modern synthetic organic chemistry, with a strong track record of lead-author publications and/or patents and an understanding of medicinal chemistry principles.
• Experience in drug discovery, including hit identification, hit-to-lead, and lead optimization.
• Experience with structure-based drug design.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills and demonstrated ability to deliver effective presentations.
• Contemporary expertise and understanding of organic chemistry, including modern synthetic methodologies, multistep synthetic route design, compound purification, and characterization.
• Highly collaborative, team-oriented, and considerate of team needs.
• Passion for developing innovative medicines to address unmet patient needs.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in chemical research within a biotechnology or pharmaceutical setting.
• Experience troubleshooting synthetic issues with CRO partners.
• Leadership potential toward leading chemistry programs and managing external CRO chemistry FTEs.

Responsibilities

• Contribute chemistry efforts to one or more drug discovery programs, designing drug-like molecules and optimizing compounds toward drug development candidate selection.
• Collaborate with Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Structural Biology, Biochemical and Cellular Pharmacology, Machine Learning, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Safety, and disease-area Biology teams.
• Use structure-based, computational, and property-based design tools and methods, and synthesize analogs for molecular targets.
• Conduct multistep syntheses and retrosynthetic analysis of complex molecules, and troubleshoot synthetic issues internally or with CRO partners.
• Organize, analyze, and communicate structure-activity relationship (SAR) data to develop design ideas and influence program direction.
• Design compounds that address challenges involving potency, physical properties, and ADMET.
• Perform synthesis in internal laboratories, collaborate with CROs, and provide general chemistry support to Altos Labs functions.
• Present findings effectively and communicate scientific results to internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrate leadership potential toward leading chemistry programs, including managing external CRO chemistry FTEs.

What This Job Offers

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