Scientist Chemistry (bachelor/master) Full-time NEW

Scientist Chemistry

Developing future oncology medicines through hands-on medicinal chemistry.

Within our Medicinal Chemistry department, we have an exciting opportunity for a Scientist Chemistry, who is enthusiastic about hands-on laboratory work and enjoys working closely with colleagues in a collaborative environment. This role offers the chance to apply your expertise, and to make a real impact on the progress of our projects.

Acerta Pharma will be relocating to Amsterdam, with the current move planned for early 2027. Until that time, you will be working from our facilities in Oss. After the move, you will be based at our new site in Amsterdam.

Your challenge:

As a Scientist, you will be part of our Medicinal Chemistry team and focus on the synthesis and analysis of new molecules. You will be the driving force in the lab, contributing to the progress of our projects towards clinical development.

What will you be doing?

• Synthesize new bioactive substances chemical entities within medicinal chemistry programs, using state-of-the-art organic chemistry techniques. Together with your colleagues, you will implement new synthetic routes and processes to get to the desired molecules most efficiently.
• Scale up the synthesis of interesting analogues from mg to g scale for further in vivo testing.
• Present your work in regular chemistry and project meetings and actively take part in discussing the chemistry of your and other teams.
• Familiarize yourself with important concepts on optimization of small molecules for different modalities in modern Medicinal Chemistry (e.g. learn about the usage of AI and computational Chemistry structure-based drug design within this process).
• Maintain a high quality and accurate electronic notebook, a safe working environment, and operate according to our guidelines on Safety, Health and Environment.

What are you bringing?

• Completed bachelor's or master's degree in chemistry with organic chemistry as a specialisation (or equivalent).
• Please note that PhD is overqualified for this role.
• At least 3 years of experience with organic (and/or medicinal) chemistry (synthesis of small organic molecules).
• Experience with standard analysis and purification techniques such as column chromatography, (HP)LC-MS, NMR.
• Experience with medicinal chemistry in the pharmaceutical industry is an advantage.
• You are fluent in English.
• Excellent written and communication skills.
• You enjoy working in a team where each member is supportive and open to helping each other.

Please note that we don't offer a relocation package for this role.

What do we offer you?

• A dynamic, innovative, international working environment, where you can be part of the development of new medicines that can make a difference to patients' lives
• The opportunity to work with state-of-the-art equipment and analytical techniques
• The opportunity to grow into modern Medicinal Chemistry across multiple modalities
• Competitive salary and secondary benefits including 8% holiday allowance, 27 holidays on a full-time basis. Additional: office closure between X-mas and New Year + Good Friday + day after Ascension Day.
• Collective pension with a fixed percentage personal contribution
• Bonus scheme
• Opportunity to participate in our share purchase plan with an additional contribution from AstraZeneca
• Vitality of our colleagues is important to us, which is why you can exercise at a discount or make use of our bicycle plan.
• Support for potential extra travelling costs during the transition period when working at the Oss site

About AstraZeneca Oncology R&D, Amsterdam

At AstraZeneca Amsterdam, we bring together two research groups, in haemato-oncology and next-generation cell therapy research. Together, they form our Oncology R&D hub in the Netherlands, working closely with colleagues in the US, Canada, Spain and the UK, to develop innovative treatments for patients with cancer.

Our hematology R&D group was born as Acerta Pharma, one of the Netherland's greatest biotech success stories. Its small-molecule BTK inhibitor has been approved by both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL). In Amsterdam approximately 100 colleagues continue the development of new therapies for haematological malignancies under the AstraZeneca brand name.

AstraZeneca's Cell Therapy R&D team focuses on developing next-generation T-cell receptor (TCR) therapies targeting neoantigens in solid tumors. With a team of around 75 scientists, we work on both fully individualized and shared neo-antigen approaches, with the aim of improving outcomes for patients with cancer.

Our oncology research and development hub is anchored by our new state-of-the-art laboratories in One Helix and the adjacent Plus Ultra Amsterdam building, both located on the Amsterdam University Medical Centre (Amsterdam UMC) campus. Our hub is firmly positioned at the heart of the Dutch research community network, creating new opportunities for our people, our science, and the patients we work to transform outcomes for.