Job Description

Our company has a rapidly growing interdisciplinary team of scientists in London and exciting plans to expand our London presence, initially at the Francis Crick Institute as part of our ‘Skylab’ expansion, and from 2027 in our new ‘state of the art’ London Discovery and UK headquarters at the hub of London’s Knowledge Quarter.  This will be home to approximately 180 scientists alongside other colleagues in clinical, regulatory and business roles, including marketing, finance and administration.

Our teams combine leading drug discovery capabilities and world-class R&D with the purpose of turning breakthrough science into life-changing medicines, applying leading-edge medicinal, synthetic and computational chemistry to support target validation and identify high quality clinical candidates

To deliver on our mission of turning breakthrough science into meaningful and impactful medicines, we are seeking a Principal Scientist in Medicinal Chemistry (Director-level) to join our London Discovery Chemistry Leadership Team and play an important part in our growth journey building a truly integrated drug discovery site. There is a requirement for this role to be primarily onsite at the Francis Crick Institute.

You will play a leadership role in a multidisciplinary, highly collaborative discovery team and be responsible for  leading programs with multiple therapeutic areas ensuring rigorous scientific quality and pipeline progress.  Additionally, you will play a significant role in departmental and network-wide activities defining strategic direction and implementing best practices in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery, while directly influencing actions to execute on the same.   Working collaboratively with our discovery teams at the Francis Crick Institute and the London BioScience Innovation Centre, and our global Chemistry function,  you will take advantage of the technologies and capabilities across the wider company network and partner externally with academic and biotech groups.

You will also contribute to the critical evaluation and selection of new targets and may help identify and review opportunities for collaboration, licensing and acquisition of pipeline programs.  Furthermore, you will be responsible for helping to establish and maintain a culture of engagement within the London Discovery Chemistry department, driving diversity and inclusion initiatives, leading a small group of talented medicinal chemists and supporting their growth and personal development including performance management. To accomplish the above, the successful candidate must have excellent interpersonal, cross functional collaboration and communication skills and a passion for developing talent.

To accomplish the above, you must have excellent interpersonal, cross functional collaboration and communication skills and a passion for developing talent.

Key Characteristics:

A strong knowledge of Medicinal Chemistry design principles, including structure-based drug design and the influence of physicochemical properties, defining project strategy and driving execution from target validation through to preclinical candidate selection.A good understanding of the related scientific disciplines that are pertinent to drug discovery and early development (e.g. pharmacology, cell biology, chemical biology, ADME, formulation, hit discovery, large scale synthesis, structural biology, drug safety/toxicology, IP) and an ability to lead cross-discipline projects.The ability to recruit, mentor, coach, and support career development of a team of talented scientists.As a senior leader in the group, you will serve as a scientific leader and role model for London Discovery Chemistry, partnering with the Global Discovery Chemistry organization, and representing London Chemistry in global networks and at interfaces with other disciplines. A demonstrated ability to communicate and collaborate effectively in teams, at interfaces and with senior stakeholders in complex and diverse team environments spanning multiple partner disciplines is key.Maintaining a proactive and visible external scientific presence including authoring significant scientific publications, instigating & leading external collaborations, presenting at key scientific conferences, and/or chairing high-impact scientific sessions.Strong personal development focus and ability to thrive on increasing levels of responsibility.

Education Required: 

Ph.D. in Chemistry or related field.

Required Experience:  

Significant (8+ years) industry experience in drug discovery.  Track record of delivery of medicinal chemistry programs across hit generation to candidate nomination. Project and department leadership team experience. Experience leading, training and developing team members in chemistry & drug discovery.  

Your role at our company is integral to helping the world meet new breakthroughs that affect generations to come, and we’re counting on your skills and inventiveness to help make meaningful contributions to global medical advancement. At our company, we’re inventing for life. 

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively for the common good. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Closing date for applications: 3rd February 2025

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

02/4/2025

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID:R324173