Ginkgo Bioworks

Senior Engineer I, Synthetic Chemistry

Boston, Massachusetts · Senior · Full-time

Sponsorship not specified$104k-$156kDetected 13 days ago

PythonSQLPharmacy PracticeExperimental DesignMass SpectrometryCommunication

About the role

This is a hands-on role for an early- to mid-career chemist who can execute high-quality synthetic chemistry at the bench while helping translate methods into higher-throughput, automation-enabled workflows.
You will contribute to compound production, workflow development, and platform scaling in close partnership with automation, ADME, and cross-functional small-molecule teams.

Design and execute multi-step synthetic routes to prepare target molecules, intermediates, and analog series in support of small-molecule discovery programs.
Maintain clear, accurate electronic laboratory records and experimental documentation suitable for internal knowledge sharing and downstream program use.
Collaborate closely with scientists and engineers across synthetic chemistry, automation, ADME, and data to scope work, communicate progress, and deliver compounds and reaction data on timeline.

Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, or a related field with up to 3 years of relevant industry experience, or M.S./B.S. with equivalent hands-on industry experience.
Strong hands-on experience in synthetic organic chemistry, including route execution, reaction optimization, purification, and structure confirmation.
Demonstrated experience with HTE, parallel synthesis, automated reagent handling, powder or liquid dispensing, or related miniaturized chemistry workflows.
Ability to work independently at the bench while managing multiple experiments and priorities with strong attention to detail.
The ideal candidate brings strong synthetic organic chemistry fundamentals, practical experience with HTE and parallel synthesis, and comfort working at the interface of chemistry, automation, data, and software.

Experience translating synthetic chemistry methods from manual execution to automated or semi-automated platforms.
Familiarity with integrated workcells, plate-based workflows, or automated chemistry platforms.
Experience supporting library production, analog expansion, or direct-to-biology workflows in a medicinal chemistry or discovery setting.
Familiarity with ELN, LIMS, or analysis-ready data workflows and comfort partnering with software, automation, or data teams.
Strong comfort adopting new technical tools quickly, including AI-enabled software used for experimental planning, literature synthesis, documentation, or data review.
What Success Looks Like
Target compounds and reaction data are delivered safely, reproducibly, and on timeline for multiple programs.
HTE and parallel synthesis workflows become more robust, documented, and transferable across the team.

The base salary range for this role is $103,900 - $155,500 Actual pay within this range will depend on a candidate's skills, expertise, and experience.

We are hiring a Senior Engineer I, Synthetic Chemistry to help build and run next-generation synthetic chemistry workflows for small-molecule discovery at Ginkgo.

This listing is sourced directly from Ginkgo Bioworks's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.