Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry (Associate Director)

Do you want to join a team where the mission is meaningful, the challenges are complex, and you can directly see the results of your hard work? At Lundbeck, we are tirelessly dedicated to restoring brain health, so every person can be their best. Inspired and driven by our purpose, we are the only global biopharmaceutical company focused solely on brain diseases. As Lundbeck's North American hub for early-stage drug discovery, the Lundbeck La Jolla Research Center positions our company to deliver transformative treatments for brain disease. Join us on our journey of discovery!

SUMMARY:

Lundbeck La Jolla Research Center, Inc. (LLJRC), a discovery research arm of H. Lundbeck A/S, is seeking an experienced medicinal chemist to support preclinical stage programs in the portfolio and make transformative medicines for patients with brain diseases. In this role, the successful candidate will be responsible for leading project teams to design and synthesize first-in-class small molecules and progress them to the drug candidate stage, as well as for supervising and mentoring members of the Medicinal Chemistry team.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Lead the medicinal chemistry efforts on one or more projects, working with multi-disciplinary project teams in developing innovative, high-quality small molecule therapeutics
• Supervise direct reports, including fostering career development; train and mentor junior staff
• Interact with and coordinate the activities of globally-dispersed functional area members, and oversee activities at Contract Research Organizations (CROs)
• Define program objectives and budgets in line with broader company goals, and communicate project strategy to key stakeholders
• Contribute to objective setting for medicinal chemistry department and research site
• Identify opportunities to access state-of-the-art chemistry capabilities and infrastructure
• Conduct data analyses, prepare reports, and present to project teams, site, and global Research governance
• Contribute to publications in peer-reviewed journals, present work at scientific conferences, and prepare patent applications
• Approximately 50% of work is lab-based and focuses on development of robust synthetic strategies towards drug-like small molecule compounds

REQUIRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

• Ph.D. in organic chemistry or related area with 7+ years of relevant experience in biotechnology or pharmaceutical drug discovery/development OR Master's degree in organic chemistry or related area with 10+ years of relevant experience in biotechnology or pharmaceutical drug discovery/development

• Experience driving programs from hit-finding stage to candidate delivery
• Track record of successfully managing direct reports and serving as mentor to colleagues
• Demonstrated leadership and collaborative skills in drug discovery with a broad knowledge of medicinal chemistry
• Expertise in working with CROs and functional area partners in a matrixed fashion
• In-depth knowledge of synthetic organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry problem solving
• Ability to develop, implement, and clearly communicate chemistry strategies to team, management, and collaborators
• Excellent collaboration, communication, and presentation skills.
• Expertise in use of data visualization and analysis systems, SciFinder, and Chemdraw
• Both effective team player and strong individual contributor, flexible, and able to handle multiple tasks and deliver high quality results under tight timelines
• Thrives in a team environment of shared goals and responsibilities

PREFERRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

• Experience leading project teams
• Expertise in state-of-the-art cheminformatics systems and methods, including AI/ML
• Experience in hit triage, hit-to-lead chemistry, tool identification, and parallel synthesis
• Experience in CNS drug discovery
• Familiarity with chemical biology principles

TRAVEL:

• Willingness/Ability to travel up to 10% domestically. International travel may be required.

The range displayed is specifically for those potential hires who will work or reside in the state of California, if selected for this role, and may vary based on various factors such as the candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies and proficiency for the role. Salary Pay Range: $170,000 - $210,000 and eligibility for a 20% bonus target based on company and individual performance, and eligibility to participate in the company's long-term incentive plan. Additional benefits for this position include flexible paid time off (PTO), health benefits to include Medical, Dental and Vision and company match 401k. Additional benefits information can be found on our site .

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Why Lundbeck

Lundbeck offers a robust and comprehensive benefits package to help employees live well and protect their health, family, and everyday life. Information regarding our benefit offering can be found on the U.S. career site .

Lundbeck is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to disabled veterans and other individuals with disabilities during our employment application process. If, because of a disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please visit the U.S. career site .

Lundbeck is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by law, rule, or regulation. Lundbeck participates in E-Verify .

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About Lundbeck

Lundbeck is a global pharmaceutical company specialized in brain diseases. For more than 70 years, we have been at the forefront of neuroscience research.

We are tirelessly dedicated to restoring brain health, so every person can be their best. We are committed to fighting stigma and discrimination against people living with brain diseases and advocating for broader social acceptance of people with brain health conditions. Our research programs tackle some of the most complex challenges in neuroscience, and our pipeline is focused on bringing forward transformative treatments for brain diseases for which there are few, if any therapeutic options.

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About Lundbeck

Lundbeck is a global pharmaceutical company specialized in brain diseases. For more than 70 years, we have been at the forefront of neuroscience research.

We are tirelessly dedicated to restoring brain health, so every person can be their best. We are committed to fighting stigma and discrimination against people living with brain diseases and advocating for broader social acceptance of people with brain health conditions. Our research programs tackle some of the most complex challenges in neuroscience, and our pipeline is focused on bringing forward transformative treatments for brain diseases for which there are few, if any therapeutic options.

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