MSD Principal Scientist Medicinal Chemistry London Discovery 

United Kingdom, England, London 

567938310

Job Description

You will play a leadership role in a multidisciplinary, highly collaborative discovery team and be responsible for leading programs with multiple therapeutic areas ensuring rigorous scientific quality and pipeline progress. Additionally, you will play a significant role in departmental and network-wide activities defining strategic direction and implementing best practices in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery, while directly influencing actions to execute on the same. Working collaboratively with our discovery teams at the Francis Crick Institute and the London BioScience Innovation Centre, and our global Chemistry function, you will take advantage of the technologies and capabilities across the wider company network and partner externally with academic and biotech groups.

You will also contribute to the critical evaluation and selection of new targets and may help identify and review opportunities for collaboration, licensing and acquisition of pipeline programs. Furthermore, you will be responsible for helping to establish and maintain a culture of engagement within the London Discovery Chemistry department, driving diversity and inclusion initiatives, leading a small group of talented medicinal chemists and supporting their growth and personal development including performance management. To accomplish the above, the successful candidate must have excellent interpersonal, cross functional collaboration and communication skills and a passion for developing talent.

Key Characteristics:

• A strong knowledge of Medicinal Chemistry design principles, including structure-based drug design and the influence of physicochemical properties, defining project strategy and driving execution from target validation through to preclinical candidate selection.
• A good understanding of the related scientific disciplines that are pertinent to drug discovery and early development (e.g. pharmacology, cell biology, chemical biology, ADME, formulation, hit discovery, large scale synthesis, structural biology, drug safety/toxicology, IP) and an ability to lead cross-discipline projects.
• The ability to recruit, mentor, coach, and support career development of a team of talented scientists.
• As a senior leader in the group, you will serve as a scientific leader and role model for London Discovery Chemistry, partnering with the Global Discovery Chemistry organization, and representing London Chemistry in global networks and at interfaces with other disciplines.
• A demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively in teams, at interfaces and with senior stakeholders in complex and diverse team environments spanning multiple partner disciplines is key.
• Maintaining a proactive and visible external scientific presence including authoring significant scientific publications, instigating & leading external collaborations, presenting at key scientific conferences, and/or chairing high-impact scientific sessions.
• Strong personal development focus and ability to thrive on increasing levels of responsibility.

Education Required:

• Ph.D. in Chemistry or related field.

Required Experience:

• Significant (8+ years) industry experience in drugdiscovery.
• Track record of delivery of medicinal chemistry programs across hit generation to candidate nomination.
• Project and department leadership team experience.
• Experience leading, training and developing team members in chemistry & drug discovery.

Closing date for applications: 3rd February 2025

Current Contingent Workers apply

Not Applicable

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