Senior Director Medicinal Chemistry

Join Amgens Mission of Serving Patients

At Amgen, if you feel like youre part of something bigger, its because you are. Our shared missionto serve patients living with serious illnessesdrives all that we do.

Since 1980, weve helped pioneer the world of biotech in our fight against the worlds toughest diseases. With our focus on four therapeutic areas Oncology, Inflammation, General Medicine, and Rare Disease we reach millions of patients each year. As a member of the Amgen team, youll help make a lasting impact on the lives of patients as we research, manufacture, and deliver innovative medicines to help people live longer, fuller happier lives.

Our award-winning culture is collaborative, innovative, and science based. If you have a passion for challenges and the opportunities that lay within them, youll thrive as part of the Amgen team. Join us and transform the lives of patients while transforming your career.

Senior Director Medicinal Chemistry
What you will do

Lets do this. Lets change the world.

Amgen is hiring in the department of Medicinal Chemistry at our Research and Development facility in South San Francisco CA (ASF) where we are building brand new state-of-the art chemistry lab.

This Senior Director role will assume a significant leadership position in a rapidly growing medicinal chemistry group of emerging small molecule drug discovery programs at our South San Francisco site.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a high-performing medicinal chemistry team, augmented by computational chemistry and external contract research organizations (CROs) to deliver clinical candidates
• Lead as a PTL (Project Team Lead) of small molecule (SM) programs across multiple Therapeutic Areas (TAs) and modalities
• Lead a group of scientists and develop high performing teams with an inclusive and innovative culture in a modality agnostic manner
• Partner with biology, pharmacology, and development teams to translate biological insights into actionable clinical strategies
• Define roles and responsibilities within medicinal chemistry and program teams, ensuring efficient project management and optimal allocation of resources to support drug discovery objectives
• Stay abreast of the latest advancements in medicinal chemistry, finding opportunities for external partnerships, collaborations, and integration of new technologies
• Participate as an engaged member of a highly interactive Medicinal Chemistry department, contributing scientific knowledge and leadership across projects and geographic locations
• Provide clear, concise and impactful communications to colleagues and senior leadership describing project objectives and results
• Partners with Legal team to protect Amgens estate of innovative small molecules
• Participate in evaluation of external assets, platforms and technologies
• Partner with site leadership and be responsible for the daily operations of a medicinal chemistry laboratory

What we expect of you

We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. The qualified professional we seek is a Senior Director with these qualifications.

Basic Qualifications:

Doctorate degree PhD OR PharmD OR MD and relevant post-doc where applicable and 7 years of medicinal chemistry experience or

Masters degree and 10 years of medicinal chemistry experience or

Bachelors degree and 12 years of medicinal chemistry experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in Organic Chemistry, or a related field
• Minimum of 18 years of experience in medicinal chemistry within pharmaceutical or biotech industry, with at least 6 years in a departmental leadership role and as a manager of project team leads and medicinal chemistry team leads
• Demonstrated expertise in small molecule drug discovery, structure- and property-based design, and lead optimization, including project leadership roles
• High level knowledge of current medicinal chemistry enabling technologies including parallel synthesis, screening techniques, DNA encoded libraries, targeted protein degradation & induced proximity concepts and ML/generative chemistry
• Strong record of medicinal chemistry patent applications and peer review publications
• Consistent track record of advancing compounds from discovery through clinical stages
• Outstanding leadership and team-building skills, with a collaborative mindset and the ability to mentor and develop scientific talent
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences
• Experience in managing medicinal chemistry & green chemistry lab operations, including partnerships with environmental health and safety
• Full-time onsite at our South San Francisco campus

What you can expect of us

As we work to develop treatments that take care of others, we also work to care for your professional and personal growth and well-being. From our competitive benefits to our collaborative culture, well support your journey every step of the way.

The expected annual salary range for this role in the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico) is posted. Actual salary will vary based on several factors including but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.

In addition to the base salary, Amgen offers a Total Rewards Plan, based on eligibility, comprising of health and welfare plans for staff and eligible dependents, financial plans with opportunities to save towards retirement or other goals, work/life balance, and career development opportunities that may include:

• A comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts
• A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales-based incentive plan
• Stock-based long-term incentives
• Award-winning time-off plans
• Flexible work models, including remote and hybrid work arrangements, where possible

Apply now and make a lasting impact with the Amgen team.

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Application deadline

Amgen does not have an application deadline for this position; we will continue accepting applications until we receive a sufficient number or select a candidate for the position.

Salary Range: $216,444-259,154

As an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people around the world, Amgen fosters an inclusive environment of diverse, ethical, committed and highly accomplished people who respect each other and live the Amgen values to continue advancing science to serve patients. Together, we compete in the fight against serious disease.

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.