Senior Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry

We are offering a unique opportunity to join our team in the Roche Innovation Center Basel.

The Medicinal Chemistry Team in Pharma Research and Early Development, located in Basel, is part of Small Molecule Research. We are a community of drug-hunters comprising expertise in synthesis, design and purification. Our  responsibility, in collaboration with our therapeutic areas and functions, is to convert hypotheses into innovative small molecules for treating diseases of high unmet medical need.
As a Senior Principal Scientist and Scientific Contributor in Medicinal Chemistry, you are accountable for driving medicinal chemistry projects as part of a creative team. Your responsibilities include the implementation of appropriate medicinal chemistry strategies to answer key hypotheses to advance the project and drive design of novel molecules, culminating in the identification of clinical candidates. You are business-savvy, creative and curious to learn and possess the interpersonal skills and scientific leadership to drive scientific excellence at a project level. 
In this role:

• You contribute to medicinal chemistry projects, utilizing adequate knowledge to optimize physicochemical properties and develop structure-activity relationships for potency, ADME and safety
• You generate novel, testable hypotheses and use state of the art methods to efficiently drive target design
• You play a key leading role in defining scientific strategies and goals within a project team setting, working seamlessly with a multiplicity of models from fully internal to fully externalised med chem environments
• You build strong relationships with peers within project teams to support advancement of compounds to identify clinical candidates. You are able to work on projects in a dynamic manner and you act collaboratively and decisively
• You are part of a cross-functional matrix Team. You may have indirect management responsibilities when leading projects or teams as a project leader
• You may assume leadership roles in due diligences representing Medicinal Chemistry
• You may work on target assessments, providing technical expertise to identify new small molecule projects to enter the portfolio

What else are we offering?
We are dedicated to supporting our staff in the development of their knowledge and skills and offer further career opportunities where people demonstrate talent and aptitude.

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for a dedicated and seasoned medicinal chemist and project leader, PhD with 10+ years in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry or equivalent experience. You possess a solid experience in leading project teams up to clinical candidate selection including experience in global research and development teams. Your outstanding med chem knowledge and expertise is coupled with the latest knowledge of med chem informatics and computational tools. You bring:

• System thinking & decisiveness: ability to connect the project to a portfolio view; willing to take tough decisions and pivot quickly
• Demonstrated learning agility embodying flexible ways of working, building a highly collaborative and interdependent team environment to progress the project forward with urgency
• Strong problem-solving skills: wanting to make a difference, you find excitement in developing creative, innovative solutions, and meeting project objectives
• Excellent communication skills: admired for your inclusive way of working you can influence at all levels. You are skilled at presenting program strategy, issues, mitigation plans and critical steps to governance committees and senior leadership
• Strong mentoring and coaching capabilities: foster and guide teams to stimulate scientific innovation, mastery and professional growth.

If you are proud of contributing and feel you have the dedication to teamwork and innovation that we are seeking, then Roche is the organization for you. Every role at Roche plays a part in making a difference to patients’ lives. If you want to work in a passionate team, make your mark & improve lives, apply now.
Roche embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

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Roche is an equal opportunity employer.