Patient-Centric Mission. Asset-Centric Approach. We’re pursuing our Orexin Receptor 2 Agonist Program to bring potentially transformative treatment options to patients with sleep-wake, neurological, neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.... Backed by Foresite Capital.
About the role
Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, is a clinical-stage company developing orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonists as a new class of medicines for the treatment of narcolepsy and potentially other sleep-wake disorders. Centessa’s lead investigational candidate – cleminorexton (formerly ORX750) – is being developed for narcolepsy type 1, narcolepsy type 2, and idiopathic hypersomnia. Found on 1752vc Careers, the job board for startup and VC roles.
What they're looking for
- BS/MS Chemistry. PhD Strongly preferred
- 10+ years designing small molecules as a medicinal chemistry team leader within a biotech and/or pharmaceutical company
- Experience of working on CNS targets, and across all stages of discovery (hit-to-lead & lead optimisation into IND-ready candidates)
- Proven ability to lead and motivate teams — including remote and virtual teams — toward aggressive timelines, balancing independent scientific judgment with strong interpersonal and leadership skills
- Experience of managing outsourced chemistry teams
- Adaptive problem solver - turn issues into opportunities and translates ideas into solutions, even when the path isn’t clear
More about this role
Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, is a clinical-stage company developing orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonists as a new class of medicines for the treatment of narcolepsy and potentially other sleep-wake disorders. Centessa’s lead investigational candidate – cleminorexton (formerly ORX750) – is being developed for narcolepsy type 1, narcolepsy type 2, and idiopathic hypersomnia. Centessa's OX2R agonist portfolio includes additional clinical and preclinical-stage assets with potential utility across a broader range of neurological, neurodegenerative, and neuropsychiatric conditions.
Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Centessa was recognized as a Great Place to Work ® in 2026.
We are seeking a Director, Medicinal Chemistry who will lead the medicinal chemistry component of a multi-disciplinary team within a CNS GPCR drug discovery program. This is a hands-on leadership role responsible for guiding a virtual, geographically distributed organization — including internal chemistry staff (some based at remote sites), a CRO-based synthetic chemistry team, consultants, and partners — through the identification and progression of small-molecule...
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