Senior Manager, R&D in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Job Title

Work Your Magic with us! Start your next chapter and join Millipore Sigma. Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you've got big plans - so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people's lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet.

That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

Your Role:

Join us as a strategic R&D team lead within Chemical Synthesis Solutions (CSS) R&D  this pivotal role, you will serve as the cornerstone scientific bridge between chemistry and biology. You are a dual-domain expert: a chemist with deep protein/peptide/DEL and medicinal chemistry foundations who independently designs and executes the in vitro biochemical and cell-based assays required to validate chemical hypotheses. Your work spans the full early drug discovery continuum - from target identification and mechanism of action (MOA) studies, through proof-of-concept (PoC) validation of CSS chemical products and proprietary platforms, to enabling the characterization of novel therapeutic modalities including peptide drugs, ADCs, ASOs, and targeted protein degraders.

Furthermore, you will spearhead the design, construction, and strategic application of DNA-Encoded Libraries (DELs), leveraging this technology to validate high-throughput affinity screens. You will lead a cross-disciplinary sub-team and act as a senior scientific partner to customers, Key Opinion Leaders, and internal stakeholders. You will ensure CSS remains the partner of choice for customers navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of novel therapeutic modalities.

You will also sustain strategic momentum across adjacent domains including next-generation biomaterials and drug delivery, and shape the 5-10 year chemical biology capability roadmap for CSS.

Core Responsibilities:

• Chemical Biology & Medicinal Chemistry Interface
• In Vitro Biochemical & Cell-Based Assay Development
• MOA Studies, Target Identification & Proof-of-Concept Validation
• Novel Modalities & Capability Strategy
• Cross-Domain Portfolio Leadership & Operations
• External Partnerships, KOLs & Innovation

Who You Are

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD in Chemical Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, Bioorganic Chemistry, Biochemistry, or a closely related discipline with a strong chemical biology component.
• Minimum 10 years of post-doctoral R&D experience in pharma, biotech, or life science tools (industry or academic), with a demonstrated track record spanning both chemistry and in vitro biology.
• Deep, hands-on expertise in chemical biology: chemical probe design and synthesis, ABPP, photoaffinity labeling, chemoproteomics, or equivalent target identification and MOA methodologies.
• Strong protein and peptide chemistry expertise: SPPS/LPPS, peptide conjugation, cyclic/stapled peptide design, site-specific protein modification, and bioconjugation strategies for ADCs, PROTACs, and peptide therapeutics.
• Solid medicinal chemistry literacy: SAR, ADME, selectivity optimization, and drug-likeness principles applied to small molecules, peptides, and chemical probes.
• Deep technical expertise in mammalian cell culture, biochemical and cell-based functional assays, binding assays, and protein labeling - with the ability to independently design, develop, and execute these workflows - and a strong focus on characterizing novel modalities (ASOs, RNA, proteins, ADCs, peptide drugs, PROTACs, etc.).
• Comprehensive understanding of MOA study design across diverse therapeutic target classes (kinases, proteases, E3 ligases, nucleic acid targets, GPCRs, etc.).
• Hands-on expertise in the construction and utilization of DNA-Encoded Libraries (DELs-ssDELs, dsDELs), encompassing library design, split-and-pool synthesis, DNA-compatible chemistry, affinity selection screening, and hit deconvolution/sequencing analysis.
• Proven track record leading R&D teams: sustaining scientific performance, managing cross-domain project portfolios, and driving deliverables from…