Job Description

Overview

Monte Rosa Therapeutics (MRT) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the discovery and development of molecular glue degraders (MGDs) to eliminate disease-causing proteins previously considered undruggable. We are seeking an accomplished and collaborative Senior Director of Medicinal Chemistry to lead and shape our drug discovery efforts in Boston. This leadership role will be central to advancing our growing pipeline from hit identification through development candidate nomination and IND-enabling studies. The ideal candidate will bring deep medicinal chemistry expertise, strong leadership capabilities, and a passion for driving innovative science toward transformative medicines.

Responsibilities

• Lead Monte Rosas Boston Medicinal Chemistry group with scientific rigor, creativity and urgency, to deliver novel protein degraders into clinical development.
• Design and execute medicinal chemistry strategies from early discovery through candidate selection, applying structure- and property-based design.
• Drive compound design and optimization, integrating SAR, ADME/DMPK, pharmacology, and safety data to achieve optimal target product profiles.
• Collaborate with computational chemistry to apply machine learning and AI tools for molecular design and optimization.
• Work as a team and in close partnership with Basel Medicinal Chemistry and global Discovery Chemistry groups.
• Inspire and develop a team of experienced medicinal chemists, fostering innovation, collaboration, and cross-site synergy.
• Partner cross-functionally with biology, biophysics, DMPK, and computational teams to enable data-driven decisions and accelerate discovery timelines.
• Direct and manage external CRO partnerships, ensuring efficient execution of complex synthetic routes and timely compound delivery.
• Represent Monte Rosas science and strategy at internal governance meetings and external scientific forums, with clarity and impact.
• Mentor and develop next-generation scientific leaders within the medicinal chemistry organization.

Qualifications

• PhD in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry with 15+ years of post-graduate experience in small molecule drug discovery within biotech or pharma.
• Proven track record of leadership in advancing programs from hit-to-lead through candidate nomination and IND-enabling studies.
• Knowledge and ideally experience proximity inducing modalities
• Demonstrated excellence in modern medicinal chemistry, including property-based optimization, hypothesis-driven design, and integration of structure-based and computational approaches.
• Deep understanding of DMPK, pharmacology, and safety optimization principles.
• Strong synthetic chemistry foundation with creativity in solving complex chemical challenges.
• Experience of managing cross-functional and cross-site teams, including external research collaborations and CRO networks.
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills, capable of articulating scientific vision and strategy across levels and disciplines.
• Track record of building strong teams
• Strategic thinker with the ability to balance hands-on problem solving and high-level scientific direction.

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