Director/Senior Director of Medicinal Chemistry

Full-time in our Santa Cruz Office | Hybrid (2–3 days in Santa Cruz) | Remote (US) Reports To: VP of Medicinal Chemistry & CMC Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt

About Unnatural Products

Unnatural Products (UNP) is an integrated biotech company at the forefront of macrocyclic peptide drug discovery. Our mission is delivering first-in-class macrocycle therapeutics for diseases with high unmet medical need. UNP's platform couples machine learning-based in silico tools with direct-to-biology parallel peptide chemistry to enable the discovery and rapid optimization of non-natural macrocyclic peptides directed toward extracellular and intracellular targets.

Based in Santa Cruz, CA, we are a passionate team of scientists and operators doing high-quality science in a beautiful setting—where innovation and work-life balance go hand in hand.

The Role

UNP is seeking an accomplished and motivated Director/Sr. Director of Medicinal Chemistry to contribute to the discovery and development of novel macrocyclic peptide therapeutics. Reporting to the VP of Medicinal Chemistry & CMC, the ideal candidate will have a proven track record of advancing drug discovery projects from initiation to development candidate (DC), along with strong analytical and problem-solving skills and experience leading chemistry teams. A strong medicinal chemistry foundation is required; experience with peptides is desired.

What You'll Do

  • Provide strategic and scientific leadership of medicinal chemistry teams on cross-functional discovery teams

  • Drive the advancement of screening hits through hit-to-lead and lead optimization stages to deliver high-quality development candidates

  • Lead, mentor, and provide career development for staff, fostering scientific excellence and team growth through both direct management and indirect influence

  • Manage a group of approximately 4 internal chemists

  • Deliver progress updates against project and departmental goals to internal teams, senior leadership, and other stakeholders

  • Champion improvements that increase efficiency and enable coordinated execution across departments

  • Communicate ideas, concepts, and results clearly to senior leadership, project teammates, and external stakeholders in both presentation and written formats

  • Effectively leverage chemistry CROs in conjunction with internal chemistry resources

Key Qualifications

  • PhD in Organic or Medicinal Chemistry with 9+ years of relevant industry experience in a biopharmaceutical setting

  • Demonstrated expertise in modern medicinal and synthetic chemistry, from early discovery through early development, including excellence in data analysis, hypothesis generation, and decision making

  • Strong track record of success in project advancement, including leadership roles in cross-functional teams

  • Proven people management skills, with experience supervising and developing scientific talent

  • Experience managing and integrating work from multiple external partners or CROs, including global vendors

  • Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills

  • Experience with solution- or solid-phase peptide synthesis and structure-based drug design is desirable

Why Join Us?

As our Director/Sr. Director of Medicinal Chemistry, you will have a direct hand in accelerating the discovery of novel peptide therapeutics to treat diseases with high unmet medical need. We value integrity, transparency, curiosity, and a collaborative spirit. If you are passionate about people and biotech, we'd love to talk.

The salary range for this role is $210,000–$300,000. Title and compensation will be competitive and commensurate with the candidate's career experience, qualifications, and the responsibilities of the position.

Unnatural Products is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants, welcoming individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. All employment decisions are made based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability status, or any other status protected by law.