Senior Principal Scientist​/Director, Medicinal Chemistry

Senior Principal Scientist / Director, Medicinal Chemistry

We’re looking to hire a Senior Principal Scientist or Director of Medicinal Chemistry to join us in our mission to discover and develop drugs that improve human health through the use of breakthrough computational methods.

Our drug discovery and early clinical development team includes a cross‑functional group of scientists and drug developers with experience working on all common target classes and therapeutic areas. We’re supported by more than 100 software developers and engineers, as well as a large‑scale computational infrastructure to apply our proprietary physics‑based drug design and optimization platform. Several programs we have worked on have achieved development candidates, including progression to clinical development and FDA approval.

View our entire pipeline of wholly‑owned programs and collaborations here.

The specific job title will be determined based on the candidate's experience and qualifications.

Who will love this job:

• A passionate scientist with a robust background in structure‑based drug design
• A team player skilled at working in a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment
• An excellent communicator and presenter
• A dedicated collaborator who enjoys working with geographically distributed teams

What you’ll do:

• Lead drug discovery programs in effective collaboration with cross‑functional teams
• Execute medicinal chemistry strategies to deliver high‑quality clinical candidates
• Collaborate effectively with computational chemists and modelers on the application of Schrödinger’s computational platform for rapid advancement of drug discovery programs
• Drive continuous improvement and implementation of new strategies for our Therapeutics Group’s experimental hit‑finding capabilities
• Provide strategic and technical expertise to the Medicinal Chemistry team and the broader Therapeutics Group

What you should have:

• PhD in synthetic organic or medicinal chemistry
• At least eight years of drug discovery experience in a pharmaceutical and/or biotech setting
• Demonstrated track record in medicinal chemistry, as evidenced by successful advancement of drug discovery projects to clinical candidate nomination
• Excellent understanding of biology, pharmacology, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics
• Demonstrated experience and expertise with modern experimental hit‑finding techniques
• Extensive experience working with external chemistry teams at CROs
• Hands‑on experience advancing therapeutic modalities beyond small molecules (e.g., degraders, peptides, ADCs) is a plus

Pay and perks: Schrödinger understands it’s people that make a company great. Because of this, we’re prepared to offer a competitive salary, equity‑based compensation, and a wide range of benefits that include healthcare (with dental and vision), a 401k, pre‑tax commuter benefits, a flexible work schedule, and a parental leave program. We have catered meals in the office, a company culture that is relaxed but engaged, and over a month of paid vacation time.

Our Administrative and Human Resources departments also plan a myriad of fun company‑wide events. New York is home to our largest office, but we have teams all over the world. Schrödinger is honored to have been included in Crain’s New York Best Places to Work, Built In’s NYC Best Place to Work, and Newsweek’s list of America’s 100 Most Loved Workplaces.

Estimated base salary range: $185,000 - $250,000. Actual compensation package is dependent on a number of factors, including, for example, experience, education, degrees held, market data, and business needs. If you have any questions regarding the compensation for this role, do not hesitate to reach out to a member of our Strategic Growth team.

Sound exciting? Apply today and join us!

As an equal opportunity employer, Schrödinger hires outstanding individuals into every position in the company. People who work with us have a high degree of engagement, a commitment to working effectively in teams, and a passion for the company's mission. We place the highest value on creating a safe environment where our employees can grow and contribute, and refuse to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious belief, sex, age, disability, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, marital status, partnership status, caregiver status, sexual and reproductive health decisions, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.

To us, “diversity” isn't just a buzzword, but an important element of our core principles and key business practices. We believe that diverse companies innovate better and think more creatively than homogeneous ones because they take into account a wide range of viewpoints. For us, greater diversity doesn't mean better headlines or public images—it means increased adaptability and profitability.