Medicinal Chemistry Project Leader

Arvinas is a biotechnology company dedicated to improving the lives of patients suffering from debilitating and life-threatening diseases through the discovery, development, and commercialization of therapies that degrade disease-causing proteins. Arvinas uses its proprietary PROTAC Discovery Engine platform to engineer PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras, or PROTACs, that are designed to harness the body’s own natural protein disposal system to selectively and efficiently degrade and remove disease-causing proteins.

This differentiated approach has enabled Arvinas to build a broad pipeline of investigational therapies across oncology and neurodegenerative diseases, including ARV-102, targeting LRRK2 for neurodegenerative diseases; ARV-806, targeting KRAS G12D for mutated cancers, including pancreatic, colorectal, and non-small cell lung cancers; ARV-393, targeting BCL6 for relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin Lymphoma; ARV-027, targeting the polyglutamine-expanded androgen receptor, or polyQ-AR, in skeletal muscle for spinal bulbar muscular atrophy; and vepdegestrant, targeting the estrogen receptor for patients with locally advanced or metastatic ER+/HER2- breast cancer.

Building on its leadership in targeted protein degradation, Arvinas achieved a major milestone in May 2026 with the first-ever U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a PROTAC protein degrader therapy. The approval marked a significant advancement for the field and demonstrated the therapeutic potential of targeted protein degradation as a novel treatment modality. This PROTAC has been out-licensed for commercialization and further development.

#TeamArvinas is made up of passionate and curious employees, whose diverse thoughts and perspectives are highly valued. Arvinas employees embrace the freedom to pursue innovation, think creatively, and give back. They are driven by the company’s values and mission – to improve the lives of patients with serious diseases by pioneering therapies created with our revolutionary PROTAC protein degradation platform. We’re really excited about the work we’re doing inside and outside of Arvinas, and think you will be, too. But don’t just take our word for it – learn more about life at Arvinas and what employees have to say.

Arvinas is headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut. For more information about Arvinas, visit www.arvinas.com and connect on LinkedIn and X.

Position Summary

The Medicinal Chemistry Project Leader is expected to lead the chemistry efforts as part of a cross-functional project team to drive programs to key decisions at all stages of the preclinical pipeline. This role requires deep understanding and utilization of key concepts in medicinal chemistry to design molecules with optimized potency, selectivity and pharmacokinetic properties, with a particular emphasis on degrader-antibody conjugates. This role reports to the Executive Director, Medicinal Chemistry. This work can be performed on-site at our headquarters in New Haven, CT with hybrid work arrangements being available, depending on work requirements and project needs.

 

Principal Responsibilities

• Drive milestone decision-making on assigned PROTAC projects, which may focus on degrader-antibody conjugates, from inception to clinical candidate nomination in line with target product profiles and timelines within a team environment
• Expeditious molecular and synthetic design of PROTACs, degrader-antibody conjugates, and libraries in conjunction with state-of-the-art computational chemistry resources to enable program advancement
• SAR analysis of complex, multivariate datasets to generate new testable hypotheses
• Dynamic interaction with external CRO resources to ensure synthetic and data needs are fulfilled according to agreed timelines and standards
• Solicitation and analysis of necessary experimentation/data to allow identification and prioritization of issues, and crisp-decision making within the project environment to meet company, project and personal goals and timelines
• Strong communication skills to drive smooth collaboration and decision-making with other functions in drug discovery
• Exemplify leadership, demanding excellence in performance at all levels
• Provide transparent, coherent, and focused scientific updates to manager and company executives on request. Represent company interests at conferences and in scientific matters to external organizations as needed
• Craft and communicate data-based strategic recommendations and decisions to leadership within research and development

 

Qualifications

• Proven track record of leading research projects through milestone decisions toward clinical candidate nomination
• Extensive experience in the synthetic and medicinal chemistry of antibody-drug conjugates. Specific experience with degrader-antibody conjugates preferred.
• Extensive knowledge around structure-based design, SAR generation, and multi-parametric optimization
• Deep understanding of pharmacokinetic principles and in vivo pharmacology
• Proven ability to collaborate and communicate project needs and strategy to multidisciplinary team members and senior leaders
• Must be legally authorized to work in the US without the need for employer sponsorship now or at any time in the future..
• The duties of this role are generally conducted in a combination of company office and home office environments. Employees must be able, with or without an accommodation to lift/carry 15/30 pounds unassisted/assisted; work comfortable in a controlled environment with and around biological, infectious and hazardous materials; gown/degown PPE; use a computer; engage in communications via phone, video, and electronic messaging; engage in problem solving, analysis and dialogue; collaborate with others; maintain general availability during standard business hours.

 Education

• A PhD in organic chemistry or medicinal chemistry with 8+ years of pharma/biotech-based drug discovery experience

 

Arvinas is proud to offer a competitive package of base and incentive compensation as well as a comprehensive benefits program designed to support the health, wellness and financial security of our employees and their families. Benefits include group medical, vision and dental coverage, group and supplemental life insurance, and much more. To learn more about Arvinas, please visit www.arvinas.com

Arvinas is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.