Sr Advisor / Scientific Director - Chemistry – Fragment Hit Elaboration

Role Summary

Lilly Small Molecule Discovery is seeking a Chemist to join our Novel Platforms Fragment-based Discovery team. This is a hands-on, lab-based role with no direct reports. This role is focused on developing internal capabilities in the area of fragment-based ligand design (FBLD). We are looking for a Chemist with strong expertise in developing fragment hits into pre-lead candidates. In this role you will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to develop workflows and methods to deliver a robust platform for FBLD enabling innovative therapeutic discovery.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategy and execution for early-stage medicinal chemistry from fragment hit identification to pre-lead candidate nomination.
• Triage and extract key pharmacophoric and structural insights from early biophysics and fragment screening data.
• Coordinate with internal and external chemistry resources to prioritize and ensure timely delivery of the chemical matter.
• Partner with chemistry, biophysics, structural biology and AI/ML teams to coordinate the progression of our fragment hits, to portfolio candidates, across several protein targets.

Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in chemistry with a focus on synthetic organic chemistry.
• Experience in small molecule drug discovery in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical setting and a B.S. with 10+ years‚Äô experience, M.S. with 8+ years‚Äô experience or Ph.D. with 5+ years‚Äô experience.
• Demonstrated success in FBLD taking low affinity fragment hits (mM) to at least pre-lead candidate molecules (nM) and ideally beyond e.g. IND, market.
• Proficiency with molecular modeling, MD, FEP, AI-assisted design, and cheminformatics.
• Proven ability to independently design experiments, troubleshoot challenges, and effectively collaborate in a fast-paced environment.

Skills

• Proficiency with molecular modeling, MD, FEP, AI-assisted design, and cheminformatics.
• Excellent communication, documentation, and scientific presentation skills.
• Strong emphasis on data quality and reproducibility; platform development and continuous optimization.
• Ability to adapt in a fast-paced, evolving research environment.
• Experience in lead compound optimization for potency, selectivity, ADME and PK.

Education

• BS, MS, or PhD in chemistry with a focus on synthetic organic chemistry.

Additional Requirements

• The physical demands of this job are consistent with a laboratory environment.
• This position will require travel.