Sr. Scientist​/Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry

Sr. Scientist/Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry

San Francisco, CA

We are seeking an exceptional medicinal chemist to join our Chemistry and Drug Discovery team. This is a rare opportunity to help build a next-generation drug discovery company from the ground up and contribute directly to the creation of a novel class of therapeutics.

In this role, you will work at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and platform innovation, partnering closely with cross-functional teams to advance our core discovery capabilities and drive programs from concept through lead optimization. You will play a central role in molecular design of next-generation IPMs, external execution, planning compound screening in routine biophysical or cellular assays and driving data interpretation, and scientific strategy, with the chance to make an outsized impact in a fast-moving startup environment.

We are looking for a scientist who combines deep medicinal chemistry expertise with creativity, urgency, and a rigorous builder's mindset.

What You'll Do

Design and advance medicinal chemistry strategies for next-generation induced proximity medicines, including bifunctional and molecular glue-related modalities.

Lead compound design and SAR campaigns from hit finding and HTS follow-ups through hit-to-lead and lead optimization.

Manage external chemistry CROs, including compound design prioritization, synthetic execution, timelines, and data review.

Direct external DMPK studies and interpret in vitro and in vivo data to guide compound progression.

Partner closely with Biology and Platform teams to design screening strategies and support compound evaluation in biochemical, biophysical, and cellular assays.

Contribute to mechanistic studies that strengthen understanding of lead molecules and inform program direction.

Support intellectual property strategy through invention generation and contributions to patent filings.

Help evaluate and expand opportunities into new disease areas and therapeutic applications.

High Agency. Initiative, independence, and self-accountability are some of our most valued traits.

Enthusiastic. We love people who are excited about what they are doing and are generally attempting to build a high-energy team.

Intensity and Grit. Early-stage startups are hard. Drug discovery is doubly so. We are looking for candidates who have a demonstrated ability to stick with complex problems for the long haul, with a team that has your back along the way.

Prosocial. We are here to create life-saving medicines for the patients who need it most. You should be, too.

• PhD in Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, or a related field.
• A minimum of 5 years of industry experience in small-molecule drug discovery.
• Strong foundation in medicinal chemistry and its application to disease-focused drug discovery.
• Experience designing, synthesizing, and optimizing induced proximity medicines, including PROTACs or related approaches.
• Experience across hit finding, hit-to-lead, and lead optimization, including experience building follow-up strategy for HTS, DNA-encoded or phenotypic screening follow-up.
• Demonstrated success optimizing compounds for oral exposure and interpreting pharmacokinetic data across multiple species.
• Deep understanding of physicochemical properties and in vitro DMPK parameters, including solubility, permeability, metabolic stability, and plasma protein binding, and how to apply them to lead optimization.
• Experience managing external chemistry CROs and driving synthetic programs efficiently.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Nice to have:
• Experience contributing to programs that advanced from discovery into clinical development
• Background in computational chemistry, molecular modeling, or molecular dynamics
• Familiarity with chemical biology or structural biology techniques, including assay development, compound profiling, pulldown experiments, protein purification, or crystallography
• Experience with HTS or phenotypic screening
• Experience in proteomics, including PTM analysis or chemoproteomic target deconvolution

• Strong equity incentives.
• Top tier medical, dental,…