Head of Global Chemistry

Job Description

The Global Head of Chemistry acts as the strategic leader of the global drug discovery chemistry team and a core member of the Research leadership team that designs and creates innovative assets across the organization’s key therapeutic areas. First and foremost the Global Head of Chemistry will be a strong drug hunter, with demonstrated experience guiding successful programs. They will manage an international team that is responsible for overseeing all aspects of medicinal chemistry, related to hit identification through to IND filing for small molecule, oligonucleotide therapeutics and the preclinical development of target occupancy and disease progression PET ligands.

The Global Head of Chemistry employs enterprise thinking, multi-disciplinary scientific rigor and business development creativity to leverage partnerships with specialist internal and external organizations to produce innovative small molecule and oligonucleotide therapeutics that possess the potential to become life improving medicines for diseases that align to the company’s therapeutic area strategy.

• Contribute to the Research leadership team beyond specialist input on medicinal chemistry, to ensure that research productivity meets therapeutic area unit clinical development needs and the company’s commercial goals.
• Embed and empower the One Research mindset into the chemistry function and the global research team, fostering shared ownership and enterprise-wide thinking.
• Drive the strategic evolution, direction and leadership of chemistry teams responsible for asset and PET ligand generation for multiple drug discovery programs targeting oncology, neuroscience and gastrointestinal/inflammatory diseases, from hit identification to IND filing.
• Lead the chemistry organization through transformation, operating effectively within evolving structures and organizational ambiguity, while helping to define and implement future-state operating models.
• Dynamically manage the resourcing and prioritization of each chemistry program based on scientific and therapeutic area priority considerations to deliver clinical development compounds within agreed timelines.
• Continuously evaluate and elevate the productivity and capabilities of the global chemistry team through thought leadership and adoption of cutting‑edge technologies and the latest scientific approaches, including building partnerships with key external experts and implementing state-of-the-art AI/ML tools and processes.
• Drive change across the function by bringing teams along through disruption, including the adoption of automation, new ways of working and evolving role definitions, ensuring engagement, clarity and sustained performance.
• Be seen as an inspirational international subject matter expert and global thought leader in medicinal chemistry that fosters a culture of innovation and scientific excellence within the global chemistry team, promoting visionary thinking, knowledge sharing and continuous learning.
• Build effective working relationships with internal business partners to enable program teams to work effectively with cross‑functional teams, including biology, pharmacokinetic, toxicological and pharmaceutical sciences and external partners, to develop and execute chemistry programs and strategies within each drug discovery program in the Research portfolio.
• Share best practices with other groups within Research and deploy enterprise thinking to maximize the success of Research as a whole, demonstrating low ego and non‑territorial leadership.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to team members, fostering their professional growth and development, retaining top talent and ensuring that everyone can achieve their full potential by establishing an equitable and inclusive working environment that is rich in diversity.
• Implement approved ways of working to ensure that the global chemistry team can work in a safe, legally compliant and fiscally accountable environment that provides its members with an industry leading work experience.
• Act as a Company Research ambassador at external public events such as media events and scientific review committees.