Senior/Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemist

Scorpion Therapeutics is a precision oncology company founded in February 2020 by a preeminent group of scientists from Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital – Keith Flaherty, M.D., Gaddy Getz, Ph.D. and Liron Bar-Peled, Ph.D. – along with entrepreneur and CEO, Gary D. Glick, Ph.D. The company has raised $270M in Series A and Series B financings led by blue-chip investors, including Atlas Venture, Boxer Capital of Tavistock Group, EcoR1 Capital, LLC, Omega Funds, and Vida Venture.

Scorpion’s mission is to serve oncology patients by discovering and developing best-in-class and first-in-class small molecule cancer medicines that address large patient segments with significant unmet medical needs. To accomplish this mission, we are building a highly collaborative team focused on the pursuit of novel approaches to small molecule drug discovery.  This approach relies upon dynamic collaboration between cancer biology, proteomics, data science, structural biology and medicinal chemistry – with the ultimate goal of realizing the full potential of targeted/precision oncology.

We are seeking a highly motivated, experienced medicinal chemist with a demonstrated track record of successes in drug discovery and synthetic organic chemistry.  This person will provide leadership in the discovery of drug candidates though advanced medicinal chemistry and help manage external resources in support of Scorpion’s projects from hit ID to development candidate identification. This is a unique opportunity to work closely with a skilled group of scientists representing medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, biology, structural biology and other disciplines to advance programs to the clinic.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Closely collaborate with other medical chemists and computational chemists in the design of novel compounds that address the project candidate profile.
• Analyze emerging project data and leverage a deep understanding of synthetic and medicinal chemistry to devise and implement creative scientific strategies to solve project issues.
• Lead and manage a team of external synthetic chemists, applying the best available compound synthesis strategies, to prepare high value compound targets.
• Collaborate with project teams to identify discover quality development candidates in an efficient and rapid manner by helping define issues, screening strategies, experiments and influence team direction.
• Proactively monitor, propose and implement the best medicinal chemistry approaches for Scorpion programs by staying abreast of advances in the field.
• Maintain excellent communication across internal and external team members.
• Proactively communicate strategy, critical issues and recommendations to enable appropriate resource decisions.
• Serve as a scientific resource to the company who will champion new technologies/ideas to enhance capabilities.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS

• Ph.D. in chemistry, specializing in synthetic organic synthesis or relevant experience.
• 3+ (and preferably 5+) years of experience supporting the synthetic and medicinal chemistry of drug discovery project teams.
• Experience managing and interacting with synthetic chemistry CRO’s.
• A strong record of achievement with a broad understanding of synthetic and medicinal chemistry as evidenced by contributions to drug programs and publications in high-impact journals.
• Understanding of other drug discovery disciplines (e.g., biology, safety, PKDM, etc.).
• Proficient skills in the use of structure-based or other computer-aided design tools.
• Experience participating on a team that has advanced compounds to clinical development is preferred.
• Commitment to the highest-quality research with outstanding organizational abilities and scientific execution.
• An enthusiastic self-starter energized by working in a fast-paced, collaborative and results-oriented environment.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills.

Scorpion Therapeutics Inc., is an Equal Opportunity Employer who strives to create and maintain a diverse working environment. We do not discriminate for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.