Staff Scientist, Platform Chemistry

Septerna is a biotechnology company based in South San Francisco, CA on a mission to develop life-changing medicines for patients with the vision to become the industry-leading G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-focused drug discovery company. The company's Native Complex Platform recapitulates GPCRs with their native structure, function, and dynamics outside of the cellular context. This approach enables novel access to modern structural and screening technologies used in industrial-scale drug discovery for the entire class of GPCRs. Septerna has an emerging pipeline of GPCR-targeted small molecule programs with potential for growth to target many GPCRs that have been undruggable and unexploited to date.

We are excited to expand our multidisciplinary team of individuals focused on creating revolutionary medicines to address the unmet needs of patients. At Septerna we strive to embrace diversity of thought, expertise, and background through collaboration. To join our ambitious team, be prepared to bring your real self to work every day; grow and learn from a talented team of drug hunters, scientists, and business professionals; and contribute your passion, creativity, and energy to accomplish our mission. We share a fearless pursuit of ground-breaking innovations and cultivate an environment where our employees succeed by learning from each other and working as a team.

We are committed to the development of meaningful therapeutics for patients with indications of high unmet need. This is a tremendous opportunity to work with talented individuals on the frontlines of therapeutic discovery and development. You will directly help move therapies through preclinical research, positioning them for success in the clinic. The successful candidate will add their passion, unique talents, and expertise to a dynamic team motivated to discover new disease-modifying therapeutics for patients in a fast-paced environment.

For more information see: www.septerna.com.

THE ROLE

We are seeking a highly motivated and creative Chemist to support the Hit-Identification (Hit-ID) chemistry effort across our small molecule drug discovery programs.. Reporting to the Director, Platform Chemistry, this individual will work collaboratively with Platform, Computational Chemistry, Data Science and Medicinal Chemistry teams to identify high quality small molecule leads. The successful candidate will also contribute to chemistry strategy and delivery of tool compounds to support continued development of the Native Complex Platform. The Platform Team enables Hit-ID techniques for screening GPCR targets including DNA-Encoded Library (DEL) screening, small molecule cellular & biochemical High-Throughput Screening (HTS), and advanced approaches to solve ligand-bound GPCR structures for ultra-large library Virtual Screening (VS). An additional focus will be to improve methods and strategies for rapid compound synthesis (e.g. optimized workflows and vendors for off-DNA / HTS / VS hit synthesis) and parallelized hit-expansion (e.g. focused DEL or chemical library design and synthetic execution).

QUALIFICATIONS

• Ph.D. in organic chemistry with at least 5+ years of experience in a biotechnology or pharmaceutical setting. The successful candidate will have expertise in the area of small molecule Hit-ID / early Leads, as applied to medicinal chemistry programs.

REQUIREMENTS

• Experience and understanding of Hit-ID techniques including DNA-Encoded Library (DEL) screening, small molecule library cellular & biochemical High-Throughput Screening (HTS), and ultra-large library Virtual Screening (VS).
• Expertise in data analysis approaches for hit-picking, and prioritization of chemical hits including consideration of appropriate physical properties for future optimization and developability.
• Ability to execute on efficient follow-up chemistry with timely sourcing and/or synthesis of hit compounds and hit-expansion libraries.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate cross-functionally.
• Outstanding communication skills.
• The successful candidate will be motivated to contribute to the discovery of new disease-modifying therapeutics for patients and enjoy working in a fast-paced dynamic team environment.

The anticipated salary range for candidates who will work in South San Francisco, CA is $150,000 - $165,000. Individual pay may vary based on additional factors, including, and without limitation, job-related skills, experience, work location and relevant education or training. Septerna's compensation package also includes benefits, stock options, and annual target bonus for full-time positions.

We are 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, or disability status.

Note to Employment Agencies: Please do not forward any agency resumes. The company will not be responsible for any fees related to resumes that are unsolicited.