Associate Director – Medicinal Chemistry

Latigo Creative

. Plan and effectively lead day-to-day project-based medicinal chemistry efforts initially from the bench .

Posted 10/26/2026full-timeThousand Oaks • California • United StatesSenior💰 $210,000 - $250,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Expertise in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery, with a strong focus on hypothesis generation, synthesis of biologically active small molecules, and collaboration with cross-functional teams. Proven ability to lead projects, develop drug design strategies, and contribute to patent applications.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Ph.D. In Organic Or Medicinal ChemistryIndustrial Drug Discovery ExperienceSynthesis And Design Of Biologically Active Small MoleculesStructure-Based Drug Design TechniquesInterpersonal Team Management

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Medicinal ChemistryData Analysis SoftwareSynthetic Organic ChemistryPharmacologyPharmacokineticsPharmacodynamicsADME/Toxicity ConceptsHit-To-Lead ProcessLead OptimizationCandidate Selection

Soft Skills

Oral Communication SkillsWritten Communication SkillsProblem-Solving Skills

Industry Keywords

Drug DiscoveryIon Channel ModulatorsHypothesis Driven Drug DiscoveryCross-Functional CollaborationCRO Management

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Plan and effectively lead day-to-day project-based medicinal chemistry efforts initially from the bench
Lead/co-lead drug discovery projects
Effectively utilize medicinal chemistry acumen and data analysis software for hypothesis generation
Actively direct and partner with CROs
Actively collaborate with Latigo’s medicinal chemists, computational chemists, and cross-functional scientists
Propose and develop strategies to enhance drug design capabilities, identify quality chemical leads for new projects, and develop high quality candidates for clinical development
Develop and maintain relevant SOPs and other policies, procedures, and systems relevant to the department
Contribute to the building of chemistry infrastructure and company culture
Participate in the writing and execution of patent applications
Interface with or lead internal cross-functional teams and external collaborators and CROs

Requirements

What you’ll need

Ph. D. in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry with >8 years (Assoc Dir) to 12 years (Director) of industrial drug discovery experience
Prior impactful experience in the discovery of ion channel modulators
Demonstrated achievements in synthesis and design of biologically active small molecules as evidenced by publications and patents
Extensive knowledge of modern synthetic organic chemistry
Solid understanding of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and ADME/toxicity concepts
Experience spanning hit-to-lead thru lead optimization and candidate selection
Demonstrated experience with a broad range of modern structure-based drug design and computer assisted drug design techniques
Excellent interpersonal team management together with oral and written communication skills
A passionate interest in hypothesis driven drug discovery, strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work in an interdisciplinary scientific team environment