Head of Medicinal Chemistry, Drug Design, London

Overview

In this role you will provide scientific leadership for the London Drug Design portfolio, guiding a ~25-person medicinal chemistry team to clinical candidate nomination while shaping the AI-enabled drug design platform. You’ll bridge Chemistry with Computational Drug Design, Biology and Pre-Clinical teams to accelerate the clinic, foster a high-performance culture, and advance innovative chemistry that leverages AI. This is a high-impact leadership position at the intersection of chemistry and AI, with a focus on strategic delivery and talent development. Join a collaborative, ambitious environment driving towards solving disease with digital biology.

Pay / Benefits

• hybrid working
• strong development culture
• inclusive culture
• opportunity to shape cutting-edge AI-driven drug design
• staff growth and mentorship
• competitive package (implied)

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and portfolio guidance for the London Drug Design portfolio
• Mentor and manage a growing team of ~25 Medicinal Chemists
• Champion an AI-First approach and integrate AI tools across chemistry activities
• Foster cross-functional collaboration with Computational Drug Design, Biology and Pre-Clinical Development
• Represent the company with external collaborators and manage CRO resources
• Continuously optimise workflows and challenge conventional medicinal chemistry dogmas

Key requirements

• PhD in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry or related field, or equivalent industrial experience
• 10+ years industrial experience in pharma/biotech/CRO
• Proven leadership and mentorship in medicinal chemistry
• Track record in drug discovery progress (Hit ID to Lead Nomination; DMPK familiarity)
• Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving and decision-making for drug discovery
• Experience managing CRO resources and external collaborations
• Publications, patents, and presentations demonstrating scientific achievement

• Strategic thinking
• Mentorship and talent development
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Medicinal chemistry expertise in drug discovery
• DMPK familiarity
• Experience with AI/ML-enabled drug design workflows

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