Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry

Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry We are seeking a highly motivated and accomplished medicinal chemistry leader to drive drug discovery programs from Hit-to-Lead through Development Candidate nomination. This individual will not only independently lead medicinal chemistry strategy for one or more programs but also provide scientific and strategic leadership to one or more project leaders in their reporting line, demonstrating impact through advancing Neomorph’s targeted protein degradation (TPD) platform and pipeline.

The successful candidate will influence scientific direction beyond their directly led programs, mentor and develop scientists and project leaders, and help strengthen scientific decision-making and medicinal chemistry capabilities across the organization. They will bring strong strategic judgment and communication skills to multidisciplinary drug discovery teams spanning chemistry, biology, analytical sciences, pharmacology, DMPK, and toxicology.

Role and Responsibilities
· Independently lead medicinal chemistry programs from Hit-to-Lead through Lead Optimization and Development Candidate nomination, while concurrently mentoring direct-report project leaders to achieve key milestones and deliver on drug discovery programs.
· Influence and advise other project leaders and apply learnings across programs to improve scientific strategy and portfolio decisions.
· Guide project teams in defining key scientific questions, critical experiments, interpreting multidisciplinary data, assessing risk, and making clear progression decisions.
· Develop medicinal chemistry strategies to balance potency, selectivity, physicochemical properties, ADME/DMPK, safety, and develop ability.
· Contribute directly to compound design, experimental planning, data analysis, and synthetic problem-solving.
· Partner with biology, pharmacology, analytical sciences, DMPK, toxicology, CMC, and other functions to execute integrated project plans.
· Mentor medicinal chemists and project leaders to develop scientific judgment, strategic thinking, and project leadership capabilities.
· Communicate strategies, results, risks, and recommendations to project teams and senior leadership.
· Manage external chemistry CROs and other external partners, including defining project scope, communicating scientific objectives, prioritizing activities, evaluating deliverables, and ensuring high-quality and timely execution.
· Contribute to intellectual property, publications, and external scientific communications while upholding rigorous scientific and safety standards.
· Maintain high standards of scientific rigor, laboratory safety, and documentation.

Required Qualifications
· Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, or a related field with 8+ years of relevant industry experience; M.S. with 11+ years; or B.S. with 14+ years of relevant experience.
· Track record of independently leading medicinal chemistry programs through major drug discovery decisions, including Development Candidate nomination.
· Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop scientists to achieve key project milestones.
· Strong command of medicinal chemistry, synthetic organic chemistry, and structure-based and ligand-based drug design.
· Demonstrated success in multiparameter optimization and in translating complex data into actionable project strategies.
· Demonstrated scientific creativity, sound judgment, and a strong track record of solving complex chemistry challenges.
· Ability to influence programs beyond those directly led and to mentor scientists and project leaders across the organization.
· Effective collaboration across disciplines and with senior leadership, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
· Experience managing…