Currently, we are looking for a Principal Scientist to join our Medicinal Chemistry team. If you are an experienced medicinal chemist, scientifically curious and thrive in a collaborative environment, we want to hear from you.

The Opportunity

Our Medicinal Chemistry Department in Copenhagen, Denmark, is seeking a talented and motivated medicinal chemist to join our team of successful peptide drug hunters.

It is our ambition to significantly evolve the scope and applicability of peptide drugs. We therefore strive for excellence in drug design and synthesis as well as world class expertise in lead identification & optimization.

As a key member of our team, you will play a crucial role in advancing our medicinal chemistry programs and contributing to the development of groundbreaking therapies.

The Role

In your new role, you will be an integral part of our interdisciplinary, highly collaborative research teams, working to identify innovative peptide drugs. You will have the opportunity to make a significant impact on our drug discovery efforts:

• You will lead medicinal chemistry efforts to discover novel therapeutic peptides. This includes designing and prioritizing target compounds and planning their synthesis.
• You will analyze complex data sets to develop structure-activity relationships and build new hypotheses for further optimization.
• You will work with chemists at Zealand as well as with teams at CROs to advance your projects.
• You will contribute to the chemistry team’s development not only from a medicinal chemistry and methodology perspective, but also through establishing new collaborations to expand our capabilities

Your Background

• Ph.D. in organic or medicinal chemistry, with several years professional experience in an international biotech or pharma environment.
• Extensive experience in medicinal chemistry, with a proven track record of successfully delivering on lead optimization and lead finding projects.
• Deep understanding of drug discovery challenges, equipped with knowledge of modern peptide drug discovery and optimization strategies.
• Strong team-player attitude, engaging in constructive collaborations and valuing knowledge sharing.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, with a willingness to learn basic Danish.

Bonding to innovate ​

Our employees are fundamental to our success, and we continue to be able to attract and retain people with vast experience and talent. We have a unique culture, characterized by excellent teamwork and strong engagement across the organization.​

Making bonds is at the core of everything we do. From discovering and developing the best new peptide drugs for patients, to engaging with our partners or connecting with each other.​

We bond as a result of our entrepreneurial culture where our people are encouraged to pursue their ideas and turn them into reality. We are curious about each other’s knowledge and expertise. ​

We bond through curiosity and playfulness as a team, allowing ourselves to challenge common thinking and drive future innovation. Zealand Pharma is a place where everyone is heard and contributes to the success, we all want to experience.​

The Zealand Pharma DNA builds on four values: (1) We are bold, (2) We empower people, (3) We work as one team, and (4) We can be trusted.​

Let’s bond and be bold ​

We offer a combined compensation package which includes a base salary, pension, bonus, and a possibility to join our employee share program. We care about our employees’ well-being and offer health insurance, use of massage, fitness, and a range of social clubs and activities

To find out more about working at Zealand, visit https://www.zealandpharma.com/careers/zealand-as-a-workplace/

Interested? Please apply no later than November 30, 2024, or as soon as possible. The applications will be reviewed as they come in.

For further information, please contact Stefan Schunk at SSchunk@zealandpharma.com.

About Zealand Pharma A/S

Zealand Pharma A/S (Nasdaq Copenhagen: ZEAL) ("Zealand") is a Danish biotechnology company on a mission to change lives with next generation peptide medicines. In our effort to reach our goals bonding is at the core of everything we do. Let it be discovering and developing the best new peptide drugs for patients, engaging with partners or connecting with each other. This has led to more than 10 drug candidates invented by Zealand having advanced into clinical development, of which two have reached the market. Zealand’s current pipeline of internal product candidates focus on specialty gastrointestinal and metabolic diseases. Additionally, the portfolio includes clinical license collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim and pre-clinical license collaboration with Alexion Pharmaceuticals. Zealand is based in Copenhagen (Søborg), Denmark. For further information about the Company's business and activities, please visit www.zealandpharma.com or bond with us through LinkedIn.