Associate Director, Medicinal Chemistry

1d1 day ago

Revolution Medicines

Redwood City, US · Full-time · $240,000 – $340,000

About this role

Revolution Medicines is a clinical-stage precision oncology company focused on developing novel targeted therapies to inhibit frontier targets in RAS-addicted cancers. The company’s R&D pipeline comprises RAS(ON) Inhibitors and RAS Companion Inhibitors. As Associate Director of Medicinal Chemistry, you will join a world-class Discovery Research organization committed to patients with RAS pathway mutations.

This role focuses on early hit discovery across hit-to-lead, lead optimization, and delivering anti-cancer drug candidates. You will lead medicinal chemistry strategies for target validation, hit finding, and optimization. It offers scientific leadership and people management in a highly collaborative environment.

Day-to-day involves driving hypothesis-driven Design–Make–Test–Analyze (DMTA) cycles to deliver differentiated small-molecule leads. Identify scientific risks, define mitigation strategies, and provide data-driven recommendations. Collaborate with Screening Sciences, Discovery Biology, Computational Chemistry, DMPK, Pharmacology, and CMC teams.

Manage and mentor medicinal chemists, oversee external CRO activities, and foster scientific excellence. Communicate strategies and data to cross-functional teams and senior leadership. Contribute to invention disclosures, patents, and publications aligning with RevMed’s Integrated Discovery Research vision.

Requirements

Ph.D. degree in chemistry
Minimum of 5 years of experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry with a track record of scientific innovation in the medicinal chemistry discipline
Working knowledge of modern medicinal chemistry and drug discovery approaches
Track record of involvement in identifying a development candidate with a deep understanding of hit generation, hit-to-lead, structure-based drug design and lead optimization
Experience managing scientific collaborations and external CRO resources
Strong problem-solving skills with sound technically driven decision-making
Effective written and verbal communication skills and interpersonal
An innovative team-player and leader with capacity to be effective in a dynamic and fast-paced environment

Responsibilities

Lead and execute medicinal chemistry strategies for early-stage discovery programs, including target validation, hit finding, and hit-to-lead optimization
Design and drive efficient, hypothesis-driven Design–Make–Test–Analyze (DMTA) cycles to deliver differentiated small-molecule leads and development candidates
Identify key scientific risks, define mitigation strategies, and provide data-driven recommendations at project decision points
Collaborate closely with cross-functional partners in Screening Sciences, Discovery Biology, Computational Chemistry, DMPK, Pharmacology, and CMC
Communicate project strategy, data, and conclusions clearly to cross-functional teams and senior leadership
Provide scientific oversight and direction for external chemistry CRO activities to ensure quality, efficiency, and alignment
Contribute to invention disclosures, patent filings, and external scientific publications
Manage, coach, and mentor medicinal chemists, providing technical guidance, performance feedback, and career development support