Molecular Designer (F/H/D), Lyon

Bayer is an international group whose core businesses lie in the healthcare and agriculture sectors. At the intersection of chemistry and biology, Bayer helps to improve quality of life by offering products and services in human and plant health.

Mission

• Molecular Design & Digital Innovation
• Design, propose, and optimize new small molecules with fungicidal, insecticidal, or herbicidal potential.
• Perform hit triage, clustering, and prioritization from diverse hit‑finding approaches (e.g. HTS, fragment screening, DEL, virtual or structure‑based screening).
• Apply structure‑based, target‑based, and data‑driven design approaches to guide early discovery projects.
• Integrate digital tools such as cheminformatics, molecular modeling, and machine learning to support hit identification and multi‑parameter optimization.
• Translate SAR, biological, and physicochemical data into clear design hypotheses and recommendations.
• Contribute to compound pool rejuvenation and targeted library design initiatives.
• Organic Synthesis & Laboratory Coordination
• Design and execute efficient, safe, and robust synthetic routes for new and diverse molecules.
• Coordinate internal and/or external chemistry resources to deliver key project compounds.
• Ensure high‑quality experimental documentation and contribute to intellectual property generation.
• Maintain high standards of laboratory safety, regulatory compliance, and risk assessment.
• Collaboration, Site & Hub Contribution
• Work closely with biology, screening, computational chemistry, and regulatory colleagues in multidisciplinary project teams.
• Collaborate with colleagues across the research center and global R&D hubs.
• Contribute to chemistry digitalization, knowledge sharing, mentoring, and continuous improvement initiatives at site and hub level.
• Support site and hub activities that strengthen scientific collaboration, operational excellence, and safety culture.

Profile

• PhD in Organic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, or a related scientific field.
• Strong expertise in organic synthesis and modern analytical techniques (e.g. NMR, LC‑MS, HPLC).
• Solid understanding of molecular design, SAR, and early discovery workflows.
• Experience with, or strong interest in, digital and data‑driven approaches applied to chemistry.
• Team‑oriented, scientifically curious, and comfortable working in multidisciplinary environments.
• Fluent in English and French; German is an advantage.