Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry

At Neurocrine Biosciences, we pride ourselves on having a strong, inclusive, and positive culture based on our shared purpose and values. We know what it takes to be great, and we are as passionate about our people as we are about our purpose – to relieve suffering for people with great needs.

Neurocrine Biosciences is a leading neuroscience‑focused, biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing life‑changing treatments for patients with under‑addressed neurological, neuroendocrine, and neuropsychiatric disorders. The company’s diverse portfolio includes FDA‑approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia, chorea associated with Huntington’s disease, classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids, as well as a robust pipeline of multiple compounds in mid‑to late‑phase clinical development across our core therapeutic areas.

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Responsible for devising the medicinal chemistry strategy on projects. May lead or co‑lead multi‑disciplinary project teams to advance discovery programs to key milestones. Provides expertise in medicinal chemistry principles, complex small molecule synthesis, purification, and data analysis. Supervises and mentors both internal direct reports and external CROs towards hypothesis‑driven chemistry strategies. Monitors and evaluates completion of tasks and projects. Contributes to development of policies and department strategies.

• Leads projects and initiatives in the rapid optimization of lead molecules utilizing modern technology available to medicinal chemists such as automated synthesis and purification.
• Distills complicated, multidimensional data to clear hypotheses and new experimental directions.
• Imports new principles/concepts to develop useful new experimental approaches.
• Researches external intellectual property relevant to project(s) and areas of pursuit.
• Contributes substantively to patent and publication preparation.
• Responsible for designing, planning, and conducting synthesis of analog libraries as well as communicating results to the project or program team.
• Participates in a multidisciplinary team committed to the continuous improvement of the lead optimization process as well as the expeditious identification of development compounds.
• Plans and manages projects. Represents Medicinal Chemistry on cross‑functional teams. Maintains accountability for deliverables and progress for projects.
• Independently designs, plans and executes activities toward the goals of one or more Medicinal Chemistry projects to support lead generation through pre‑clinical activities.
• Supervises laboratory work and/or lab personnel and ensures safe laboratory practices.
• Creates and implements novel ideas in Medicinal Chemistry.
• Provides effective supervision of laboratory personnel and guidance for their professional development.
• Builds and enhances internal and external professional relationships.
• Other duties as assigned.

• BS/BA in Chemistry and 10+ years of experience in chemistry, parallel synthesis, lab automation, and purification in the optimization of lead compounds OR
• MS/MA in Chemistry preferred and 8+ years of industrial experience OR
• Pharm
  
  D or PhD in Chemistry preferred and 5+ years of industrial experience.
• Advanced knowledge of complex organic synthesis, parallel synthesis, data analysis, lab automation, and purification in the optimization of lead compounds.
• Thorough understanding of medicinal chemistry and a well‑developed understanding of current literature.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with strong oral and written communication abilities.
• Excellent laboratory and productivity skills.
• Demonstration of cross‑functional understanding related to drug development.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate in a matrix environment are required.
• Strong track record of innovation demonstrated through patents and publications is necessary.
• Assimilates data and research findings outside of Neurocrine for application to new scientific projects.
• Maintains broad knowledge of…