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Director/Senior Director, Medicinal Chemistry

Iambic Therapeutics, Inc, San Diego, CA, United States


Job Summary We seek an accomplished and creative medicinal chemistry leader with a proven track record of success in advancing drug discovery programs, setting scientific strategy, and leading cross‑functional teams to deliver impact. Candidates should be motivated to work in an intensely collaborative, multidisciplinary, team‑based setting. The role will entail leading drug discovery projects, coordinating a medicinal chemistry team with internal and external experimental capabilities, as well as proactively interfacing with diverse teams working on automated experimentation, ML‑driven molecular generation, property predictions, and bioassay data generation.

This position will be on‑site at our San Diego Headquarters.

Key Responsibilities

Lead a group of

project scientists

and drive molecular discovery efforts to deliver development and clinical candidates

Devise strategies to execute hit ID, identify lead molecules and optimize them for potency, selectivity, and ADME properties using multivariant SAR analysis and hypothesis driven design principles

Act as a liaison between Iambic, CROs, and other external collaborators, including partnered research projects

Influence the prospective use of computational methods and leverage automated synthesis and high‑throughput experimentation capabilities

Work closely with AI/ML teams to develop and implement relevant predictive models to aid in the design of new molecules

Contribute to platform development by collaborating with AI/ML and chemistry automation teams to enhance processes and accelerate the design–make–test (DMT) cycle

Communicate project updates clearly and effectively to the broader team and key stakeholders

Work as a senior member of the Chemistry research group and foster a culture of scientific excellence, innovation, and teamwork

Qualifications

Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry with 15+ years of Pharma/bio‑tech drug discovery experience (portfolio of programs from hit/lead to development candidate) or MS/BS with 20+ years of experience

Expertise in modern synthetic organic chemistry, evidenced by high‑quality publications and patents

Proven cross‑functional leadership: integrating biology, DMPK/ADME, CADD, and CMC to build and execute strategic project plans

Practical experience and working knowledge of target protein degradation and associated modalities (molecular glues, PROTACS)

Track record of program leadership advancing compounds through preclinical development (candidate nomination, IND‑enabling interfaces, CRO oversight)

Experience working with computational chemists as part of project team in design of drug targets is required

Strong interpersonal, communication, time management, and leadership skills

Experience mentoring or leading junior chemists

Creative problem solving and management of relationships with several stakeholders within and beyond the company

Pay & Benefits We offer industry leading competitive pay, company paid healthcare, flexible spending accounts, voluntary life insurance, 401K matching, and uncapped vacation to our team. We are in a brand‑new state‑of‑the‑art facility in beautiful San Diego with an onsite gym, dining, and easy access to great places to live and play.

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