Director of Medicinal Chemistry
About Us
Kardigan is a heart health company working to make cardiovascular disease preventable, curable and no longer the leading cause of death in the world. It is our mission to develop multiple targeted treatments in parallel that bring people with cardiovascular diseases to the cures they deserve.
At Kardigan, we are motivated by our values which guide how we work, interact, and achieve our goals. Driven by patients and their families, we are deeply committed to improving the lives of patients and prioritizing their needs above all else. We believe in being authentic—leading with truth to bring out the best in others by creating an environment where every person knows they will be fully accepted. With an eagerness to learn, we encourage the highest levels of curiosity and are open to changing our minds. We are committed to winning as a team with urgency, excellence, and intention, and support each other no matter what role we play or where we sit. Lastly, we strive to enable the impossible because patients are counting on us. We are not afraid to take risks to unlock innovation and advance scientific discoveries.
These values are the foundation of our work, empowering us to make a real difference, every day.
Position Title: Director of Medicinal Chemistry
Department: Discovery Research
Reports To: VP of Discovery Research
Job Overview
The Director of Medicinal Chemistry will lead the Medicinal Chemistry function in Discovery. Reporting to the VP of Discovery, this individual will be responsible for the generation of structure-activity relationships and compound design to enable the identification of first-in-class and best-in-class medicines. They will build strong relationships across R&D and represent Medicinal Chemistry on cross functional project teams. Co-leading discovery stage projects is also part of the responsibilities. The role may also include building in-house laboratory capabilities, supervising direct reports, and close collaboration with EH&S. They will also support research activities and the transition of assets from the discovery stage. The successful candidate has experience with leading drug discovery projects and a proven track record of delivering small-molecule clinical candidates in the pharmaceutical industry.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Lead the Medicinal Chemistry function.
- Drive medicinal chemistry efforts on cross functional project teams.
- Generate SAR and drive multi-parameter medicinal chemistry optimization.
- Co-lead small-molecule drug discovery projects.
- Represent the Medicinal Chemistry function on cross-functional drug discovery teams.
- Manage CROs.
- Contribute to compound design and route scouting.
- Building in-house chemistry laboratory capabilities may be a responsibility.
- Managing and mentoring direct reports may also be a responsibility.
- Medicinal Chemistry EH&S.
Qualifications and Preferred Skills
- A PhD in organic/medicinal chemistry with a minimum of 8-10+ years of small-molecule medicinal chemistry experience on drug discovery projects in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry.
- Experience leading drug discovery projects is preferred.
- Proven track record of contributions to successful drug discovery campaigns resulting in the selection of small-molecule clinical candidates.
- Significant experience applying contemporary medicinal chemistry strategies for the optimization of biochemical activities, pharmaceutical properties, PK, PD, and safety profiles.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively on cross-functional teams.
- Experience (2+ years) managing chemistry CROs.
- Experience (2+ years) mentoring and supervising direct reports.
Exact Compensation may vary based on skills, experience and location.
Pay range
$192,000 - $268,000 USD
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