Back to jobs
New

Senior Scientist I, Medicinal Chemistry

South San Francisco

Pliant Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company and leader in the discovery and development of novel integrin-based therapeutics. Based in South San Francisco, California, Pliant was founded in 2015 to develop therapeutics to modulate specific pathways upregulated or dysfunctional in certain diseases.  Our approach involves developing novel integrin-based therapeutics to treat solid tumors and other diseases. Integrins are a crucial link between a cell's internal structure and its external environment and function in cell signaling, regulation and adhesion as well as wound healing and immune response.

Founded by a team of world-renowned researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, this group discovered key insights into the integrin biology and developed small molecule therapeutics to target this devastating disease process. Launched in 2016 by Third Rock Ventures, a leading healthcare venture capital firm, Pliant has developed an industry-leading proprietary library of over 15,000 integrins that serve as a key driver to its portfolio. We believe our platform may be broadly applicable across multiple disease areas including delivery of drug payloads to cells utilizing integrin receptor-binding molecules as tissue-specific delivery and internalization mechanisms. Currently, Pliant is conducting a Phase 1 study of PLN-101095, a small molecule, dual-selective inhibitor of αvß8 and αvß1 integrins, that has shown encouraging clinical activity in the development of a treatment of immune checkpoint resistant solid tumors.

Description

Reporting to the SVP of Research, the Senior Scientist I, Medicinal Chemistry will bring deep expertise in medicinal chemistry and will play a key role in advancing a pipeline of novel therapeutics enabled by integrin biology and targeted delivery strategies. This role will lead the design and optimization of drug candidates that leverage integrin-mediated delivery to selectively target tissues and cell types.

Responsibilities

  • Design and drive medicinal chemistry strategies for integrin-targeted therapeutics and delivery-enabled small molecules
  • Utilize Structure-Activity Relationships to prioritize hypotheses, set design criteria, and guide external synthesis efforts
  • Evaluate and interpret complex datasets and translate findings into clear, actionable design decisions
  • Collaborate closely with biology, structural biology, DMPK, and translational teams to integrate insights into compound design and program strategy
  • Prioritize and manage multiple tasks to ensure timelines and deliverables are met
  • Maintain high-quality documentation and data management practices
  • Present data and strategy clearly to internal teams and senior leadership
  • Contribute to intellectual property strategy and filings
  • Foster a collaborative, innovative, and high-performance research culture

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, abilities, and prior experience required.

  • PhD in Organic Chemistry or a related discipline
  • 4+ years of relevant industry experience
  • Strong foundation in synthetic organic chemistry and medicinal chemistry, with demonstrated ability to guide compound design, interpret SAR, and apply physicochemical and structural insights leading to optimized drug candidates
  • Proven ability to work effectively on multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced research environment
  • Demonstrated track record of progressing compounds towards development
  • Exceptional organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

    Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), linker-payload systems, or other targeted delivery modalities
  • Demonstrated ability to integrate biology-driven insights into chemistry strategy, including payload selection and receptor-mediated uptake strategies
  • Track record of meaningful contributions to candidate selection

How you work

  • Dare to Succeed: Brings intellectual curiosity and scientific courage to challenge conventional approaches and explore innovative chemistry and delivery strategies. Pursues bold yet data-driven solutions to advance integrin-enabled therapeutics.
  • Make an Impact: Takes strong ownership of scientific outcomes, proactively driving decisions and progress with urgency and accountability. Translates complex data into clear actions that move programs efficiently toward development.
  • One Pliant: Works collaboratively across disciplines, valuing diverse perspectives to strengthen scientific decisions. Aligns individual contributions with team and company goals to drive collective success.

The annual base salary for this role is $160,000 – $180,000. Individual pay may vary based on additional factors, including, and without limitation job-related skills, experience, work location and relevant education or training. Pliant’s compensation package also includes benefits, equity, and annual target bonus for fulltime positions.

 

 

To understand how Pliant complies with and manages your personal information with respect to the California Consumer Privacy Act, please visit https://pliantrx.com/ccpa-applicant-and-staff-privacy-notice/. 

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Pliant Therapeutics, Inc.? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Pliant Therapeutics, Inc.’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.