Senior Scientist , Chemistry at Deciphera Pharmaceuticals Lawrence, KS

Job Description

The Senior Scientist I, Chemistry, will work in the drug discovery team to enhance the company pipeline of drugs to treat human diseases. The successful candidate will be an experienced PhD chemist/medicinal chemist with 1+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry. This position will report to the Principal Investigator (Chemistry) and is located in our state-of-the-art research facility near the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.

• Contribute scientifically and intellectually to Deciphera kinase inhibitor discovery programs especially in the area of medicinal chemistry
• Design and implement synthetic routes to prepare proprietary small molecules for biological testing in assigned projects
• Track structure activity relationships and optimizing potency, selectivity, and pharmaceutical properties of small molecules for research programs
• Manage interdisciplinary engagement with others in the organization and with various CROs in the areas of kinase inhibitor switch control technology, structure-based drug design, kinase biochemistry, kinase cellular biology, and pharmacology/pharmaceutics
• Generate reports and presentations as required by the organization, and providing input on intellectual property activities
• Adhere to corporate policies including safety, FDA compliance and regulatory matters
• Values other people and promotes the welfare of the organization and colleagues

• Ph.D. in organic or medicinal chemistry with 1+ years of industrial or post-doctoral experience in synthetic organic chemistry / drug discovery or equivalent experience
• High level of creativity and productivity with strong synthetic chemistry problem solving skills
• Demonstrated excellence in organic synthesis, conversant with the current literature
• In-depth knowledge and hands‑on experience with a wide range of techniques in synthesis, purification, and spectroscopic characterization of novel compounds (NMR, LC-MS, HPLC, etc.)
• Experience using the concepts and tools of structure‑based drug design
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Proven interpersonal skills with the ability to work collaboratively as a member of cross‑functional team and maintain effective working relationships
• Effective oral and scientific/technical writing communication skills
• Demonstrated proficiency using MS Office applications is required

Deciphera is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The base salary pay range for this role is $107,000 - $148,000. Actual compensation packages will depend on various factors, including, but not limited to depth of experience, education, skillset, overall performance and/or location.

Deciphera believes in providing a competitive compensation and benefits package to all employees. Our base salary is just one component of Deciphera’s competitive total rewards strategy that also includes annual performance bonus, a long‑term incentive plan, full range of benefits and other incentive compensation plans (if applicable).

• Competitive salary and annual bonus.
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan with company match, and more.
• Generous parental leave and family planning benefits.
• Outstanding culture and opportunities for personal and professional growth.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION

Deciphera is committed to equal employment opportunity and values diversity. To ensure that we comply with reporting requirements, we invite you complete the confidential survey at the end of this application. Providing this information is optional. It will not be accessible or used in the hiring process, and has no effect on your opportunity for employment. This information will also be treated confidentially.

We are committed to make all hiring decisions and other employment decisions on a non‑discriminatory basis.