Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. Posted September 1, 2026

Principal Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry

US CA San Diego, United States Full time
Notify me about similar jobs

Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Who We Are:

Neurocrine Biosciences is a leading biopharmaceutical company with a simple purpose: to relieve suffering for people with great needs. We are dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing life-changing treatments for patients with under-addressed neurological, psychiatric, endocrine and immunological disorders. The company's diverse portfolio includes FDA-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia, chorea associated with Huntington's disease, classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome, endometriosis* and uterine fibroids*, as well as a robust pipeline including multiple compounds in mid- to late-phase clinical development across our core therapeutic areas. For more than three decades, we have applied our unique insight into neuroscience and the interconnections between brain and body systems to treat complex conditions. We relentlessly pursue medicines to ease the burden of debilitating diseases and disorders, because you deserve brave science. For more information, visit  neurocrine.com , and follow the company on  LinkedIn ,  X , Facebook and YouTube . ( *in collaboration with AbbVie )

About the Role:

Responsible for devising the medicinal chemistry strategy on projects. Leads or co-leads multidisciplinary project teams to advance discovery programs to key milestones. Provides expertise in medicinal chemistry principles, complex small molecule synthesis, purification, and data analysis across multiple projects and outside of direct team. Supervises and mentors both internal direct reports and external CROs towards hypothesis driven chemistry strategies as well as mentoring and influencing chemistry outside of direct group. Monitors and evaluates completion of tasks and projects. _

Your Contributions (include, but are not limited to):

Leads projects and initiatives in the rapid optimization of lead molecules utilizing modern technology available to medicinal chemists such as automated synthesis and purification and novel chemistry

Distills complicated, multidimensional data to clear hypotheses and new experimental directions

Imports new principles/concepts to develop useful new experimental approaches

Researches external intellectual property relevant to project(s) and areas of pursuit and collaborates with internal IP team to plan patent strategy

Contributes substantively to patent and publication preparation and planning

Responsible for designing, planning, and conducting synthesis of analogs and analog libraries

Participates in a multidisciplinary team committed to the continuous improvement of the lead optimization process as well as the expeditious identification and progression of development compounds as well communicating results to the project or program team, or to management

Plans and manages projects. Represents Medicinal Chemistry on cross-functional teams and may lead cross-functional teams. Maintains accountability for deliverables and progress for projects as well as development of internal teams

Independently designs, plans and executes activities towards the goals of one or more Medicinal Chemistry projects to support lead generation through pre-clinical activities

Creates and implements novel ideas in Medicinal Chemistry

Provides effective supervision of lab work and lab personnel and guidance for their professional development as well as ensuring safe laboratory practices

Builds and enhances internal and external professional relationships and collaborations

Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

BS/BA in Chemistry AND 12+ years of experience in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery OR

MS/MA in Chemistry AND 10+ years of experience in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery OR

PhD or equivalent in Organic Chemistry or Medicinal Chemistry AND 8+ years of relevant experience in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery

Advanced knowledge of most or all of the following: complex organic synthesis, parallel synthesis, data analysis, lab automation, and purification in the optimization of lead compounds

Thorough understanding of medicinal chemistry and multi parameter optimization of drug-like compounds and a well-developed understanding of current literature

Excellent interpersonal skills with strong oral and written communication abilities

Excellent laboratory and productivity skills, and the ability to lead and mentor small teams of chemists in these skills

Demonstration of strong cross-functional understanding related to drug development and the identification of high quality candidate compounds

Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate in a matrix environment are required

Strong track record of innovation demonstrated through patents and publications and development candidates is necessary

Assimilates data and research findings outside of Neurocrine for application to new scientific projects and ideas

Maintains broad knowledge of scientific principles and theories and possesses intellectual mastery of multiple scientific areas

Applies understanding of the team's place in the larger organization, and discusses changes, progress, and issues as they relate to other areas

Sees broader picture, impact on multiple programs, teams and/or departments and the company

Ability to work as part of and lead multiple teams

Excellent project management, strong project leadership skills, typically leads small team and/or indirect teams

Excellent computer, presentation, communications, problem-solving and analytical thinking skills

Ability to meet multiple deadlines across a variety of projects/programs, with a high degree of accuracy and efficiency

#LI-LS1

Neurocrine Biosciences is an EEO/Disability/Vets employer.

We are committed to building a workplace of belonging, respect, and empowerment , and we recognize there are a variety of ways to meet our requirements. We are looking for the best candidate for the job and encourage you to apply even if your experience or qualifications don’t line up to exactly what we have outlined in the job description.

_

The annual base salary we reasonably expect to pay is $156,900.00-$214,000.00. Individual pay decisions depend on various factors, such as primary work location, complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. In addition, this position offers an annual bonus with a target of 30% of the earned base salary and eligibility to participate in our equity based long term incentive program. Benefits offered include a retirement savings plan (with company match), paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
US CA San Diego, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 223 comparable Principal Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 41 biopharma companies.

223Comparable roles tracked
207Currently active
41Companies hiring similar roles
12Countries represented

Salary context

79 of 223 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $156,900/yr – $214,000/yr
Lowest disclosed · Sr Research Associate, FPD · Gilead Sciences, Inc. $94,945/yr – $122,870/yr
Peer group range $108,908 – $322,000 (median $183,250)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 223 comparable roles

United States181
India10
United Kingdom8
Germany5
China4
Canada4

+ 6 more countries

Seniority mix

223 of 223 peers have a known seniority level

Senior111
Principal77
Director35

Therapeutic area mix

31 of 223 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology16
Cardiovascular / CVRM5
Immunology3
Neuroscience3
Respiratory2
Gastroenterology1
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly San Francisco, California, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie Worcester, MA Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Merck San Diego, California, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Novartis San Diego, United States Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Advisor / Senior Advisor, CNS/PNS NAMs – Investigative Toxicology
Lilly · Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Research Scientist I, In Vivo Antibody Discovery
AbbVie · Worcester, MA · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Scientist II - Pharmacology
Novartis · Cambridge (USA), United States · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Scientist, AI-Driven Oncology Target Discovery
Cambridge Discovery Hub · Cambridge Crossing, United States · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.