Head of Drug Discovery Team (Medicinal Chemist)

About Company:

Job Title

Head of Drug Discovery Department (Medicinal Chemist)

Location              

Seoul, South Korea

About our Client

Pioneer in a web-based AI drug discovery platform developer

Role Summary

Our client is seeking an accomplished leader to head their Drug Discovery Department. This team partners with both domestic and global pharmaceutical companies, driving joint research initiatives and delivering technical services. The department plays a pivotal role in validating and evaluating cutting-edge AI technologies, with a mission to accelerate partner projects and enable successful drug development.

Key Competencies:

Key Responsibilities

• Participate in joint research and technical service projects.
• Review drug development strategies and feasibility for partner projects.
• Conduct AI-driven drug discovery research in collaboration with experts in AI, computational chemistry, and programming.
• Validate and evaluate compounds generated by AI models in partnership with external testing institutions.
• Assess synthetic feasibility and novelty of AI-generated drug structures and perform structural optimization.
• Collaborate with the planning team to enhance the AI drug discovery platform, providing feedback and documentation for feature improvements.

Opportunities for Growth

• Gain experience across the full drug development cycle: target validation, virtual screening, lead optimization, and preclinical candidate selection.
• Develop expertise in integrating AI and computational tools into innovative drug discovery processes.
• Work in a multidisciplinary team that values diversity and continuous learning.

An Ideal Candidate:

Key Requirements

• Master’s degree or higher in Medicinal Chemistry.
• 10–15 years of hands-on experience in drug discovery pipelines (Hit-to-Lead, Lead Optimization, etc.) within the pharmaceutical/biotech industry.
• Proven track record of successfully leading research teams and projects.
• Strong expertise in synthesis and drug design, with extensive cross-functional and external collaboration experience.
• Preferred: Experience using AI-based platforms or in silico tools for drug discovery (preferred but not mandatory).

What’s on Offer

• Flexible working hours, hybrid work (up to 2 remote workdays per week)
• Equipment support, professional development
• Health & wellness programs. 

Contact

May Lwin, Permanent Associate Consultant

02 6200 9787

May.Lwin@adecco.com

Additional Information:

Seoul - 서울특별시