Associate Director​/Director, Medicinal Chemistry; Modalities

Associate Director / Director, Medicinal Chemistry (New Modalities)

Pharmaron is a global CRO helping pharma and biotech companies bring new therapies to life. With over 25,000 employees worldwide across 23 locations in the US, UK and China, we support drug discovery through to manufacturing with fully integrated, high-quality services.

We’re proud of the impact we make and just last year, we supported over 780 discovery projects, 1,000+ CMC programmes, and 1,000+ clinical trials across all phases. Our teams are involved in everything from small molecules to biologics and gene therapies, and we work with more than 3,000 global customers. To learn more, visit  .

Pharmaron is seeking an experienced medicinal chemistry leader to drive the design and delivery of cutting-edge drug discovery programmes, with a particular focus on driving the expansion of our Integrated Drug Discovery (IDD) capabilities into modalities beyond traditional small molecules, such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), oral peptide and oligonucleotide therapeutics.

This is a high impact project facing role, ideal for a scientific leader with a proven track record of advancing molecules through lead optimisation and a passion for innovation beyond traditional small molecules.

The Integrated Drug Discovery (IDD) Services group at Pharmaron is responsible for leading and delivering drug discovery projects for our client partners. The team comprises scientific expertise and strategic leadership across medicinal chemistry, CADD, biology, DMPK and translational science. Combined with Pharmaron’s global research capabilities we design and deliver integrated programmes from target identification and hit finding through to IND filing.

Working closely with our partners we define strategy, coordinate execution across teams and with an AI enabled accelerated Design–Make–Test–Analyse cycle support the progression of projects and innovative medicines towards the clinic.

This role will build on the substantial capability and track record of Pharmaron’s experimental teams in ADC, peptide and oligonucleotide chemistry, and be responsible for the strategic direction and growth of the IDD team’s expertise and leadership in new therapeutic modalities.

You will lead end-to-end medicinal chemistry strategy
, partnering with global, multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality candidates across diverse therapeutic areas. You will also play a key role in expanding integrated drug discovery expertise in modalities beyond traditional small molecules
.

• Lead and deliver medicinal chemistry strategies from hit identification to candidate selection
• Lead on capability building
  , delivering project strategy and molecule design for emerging modalities such as
  antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs),
  oral peptide
  and oligonucleotide therapeutics
  .
• Maintain a high degree of understanding of internal and external developments relevant to the design and optimisation of next generation and emerging modalities
• Drive scientific excellence in compound design
  , ensuring clear hypotheses and robust data-led decision making
• Provide insightful medicinal chemistry critique across the IDD portfolio
• Work closely with CADD, in vitro biology, in vivo pharmacology and DMPK teams to design and advance compounds across discovery programmes, contributing scientific insight, data interpretation and chemistry leadership
• Provide leadership to global project teams
  , including close collaboration with China-based experimental teams
• Partner with clients and internal stakeholders to ensure efficient programme delivery
• Communicate programme strategy, progress and outcomes to senior leadership and…