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Synthetic Chemist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

AT Process Technologies

Synthetic Chemist

Waltham, MA · On-site

$140K - $200K/yr

Summary We are seeking a synthetic chemist to lead small-scale chemistry characterization and development. This role is the front end of ATP's technical pipeline: you will design and run the ...

Corteva Agriscience

Synthetic Chemist

Indianapolis, IN · On-site

In the Regulatory Chemistry team, we support the synthesis of isotopically-labeled test materials and reference standards to support R&D research studies enabling the registration of new and existing ...

Corteva Agriscience

Synthetic Chemist

Indianapolis, IN · On-site

In the Regulatory Chemistry team, we support the synthesis of isotopically-labeled test materials and reference standards to support R&D research studies enabling the registration of new and existing ...

Corteva, Inc.

Synthetic Chemist

Indianapolis, IN · On-site

In the Regulatory Chemistry team, we support the synthesis of isotopically-labeled test materials and reference standards to support R&D research studies enabling the registration of new and existing ...

Leidos

Synthetic Chemist

Wharton, NJ · On-site

$59K - $106K/yr

The Defense Sector at Leidos currently has an opening for a Synthetic Chemist to work at our Picatinny Arsenal, NJ site Conduct synthesis, scaleup, and characterization of novel materials. Primary ...

Leidos

Synthetic Chemist

Wharton, NJ · On-site

$59K - $106K/yr

The Defense Sector at Leidos currently has an opening for a Synthetic Chemist to work at our Picatinny Arsenal, NJ site Conduct synthesis, scaleup, and characterization of novel materials. Primary ...

Bureau Veritas

Synthetic Chemist II

Pasadena, CA · On-site

$38 - $42/hr

Synthetic Chemist II Position Title: Analyst II Division: Consumer Products Services Entity: Consumer Products Services/ATL Location: Pasadena, CA Reports to: Manager FLSA: Non-exempt Hours Worked:

Bureau Veritas

$38 - $42/hr

Synthetic Chemist II Position Title: Analyst II Division: Consumer Products Services Entity: Consumer Products Services/ATL Location: Pasadena, CA Reports to: Manager FLSA: Non-exempt Hours Worked:

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Synthetic Chemist information

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$44K

$83.7K

$138.5K

How much do synthetic chemist jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 1, 2026, the average yearly pay for synthetic chemist in the United States is $83,712.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $61,500.00 and $105,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a synthetic chemist do?

A Synthetic Chemist designs and creates new chemical compounds through controlled chemical reactions in the laboratory. They often work to develop novel materials, pharmaceuticals, or other products by manipulating molecular structures. Their responsibilities include planning synthetic routes, conducting experiments, analyzing results, and ensuring safety protocols are followed. Synthetic Chemists play a crucial role in research and development across industries such as pharmaceuticals, materials science, and biotechnology.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a synthetic chemist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Synthetic Chemist, you need a strong background in organic and inorganic chemistry, typically with at least a bachelor's or master's degree in chemistry or a related field. Familiarity with laboratory instrumentation, chemical synthesis techniques, and analytical tools such as NMR, GC-MS, and HPLC is essential. Attention to detail, problem-solving ability, and effective communication are important soft skills for designing experiments and collaborating with teams. These skills and qualifications are crucial for safely developing new compounds, advancing research, and meeting project goals in laboratory settings.

What are some common challenges a synthetic chemist faces when scaling up reactions from laboratory to production levels?

One of the main challenges Synthetic Chemists encounter during scale-up is reproducing the efficiency and selectivity observed at the small scale while managing increased safety risks and cost considerations. Factors such as heat transfer, mixing, and reagent purity can behave differently in larger volumes, sometimes leading to unexpected side reactions or lower yields. Collaborating with process engineers and analytical chemists is essential to optimize protocols, ensure consistent quality, and troubleshoot any issues that arise during scale-up. Adaptability and strong problem-solving skills are crucial in overcoming these obstacles.

What is the difference between Synthetic Chemist vs Organic Chemist?

AspectSynthetic ChemistOrganic Chemist
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Chemistry, often with lab experienceBachelor's or Master's in Chemistry, with specialization in organic compounds
Work EnvironmentLaboratories in pharmaceuticals, chemicals, or manufacturingResearch labs, pharmaceutical companies, academia
Industry UsageDevelops and synthesizes new compounds for various industriesStudies and develops organic molecules, often focusing on reaction mechanisms
Common Search/ComparisonYesYes

The main difference between a Synthetic Chemist and an Organic Chemist lies in their focus. Synthetic Chemists develop and produce a wide range of chemical compounds, including inorganic and complex molecules, often for industrial applications. Organic Chemists specialize specifically in organic molecules, studying their reactions and properties. Both roles require similar educational backgrounds and work environments, but their areas of expertise and project focus differ.

How much does a synthetic chemist make?

The average salary for a synthetic chemist typically ranges from $60,000 to $120,000 annually, depending on experience, education, location, and industry. Entry-level positions tend to start at the lower end, while experienced chemists with advanced skills or in specialized fields can earn higher salaries.
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Synthetic Chemist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Synthetic Chemist job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 8% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $83,712 per year, or $40.2 per hour.

Computational Synthetic Chemist

Ginkgo Bioworks Inc.

Boston, MA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 9 days ago

Job description

Our mission is to make biology easier to engineer. Ginkgo is constructing, editing, and redesigning the living world in order to answer the globe's growing challenges in health, energy, food, materials, and more. Our bioengineers make use of an in-house automated foundry for designing and building new organisms.
Senior Engineer I, Computational Synthetic Chemist
Boston, Massachusetts
About Ginkgo Datapoints
Ginkgo Datapoints, a business unit within Ginkgo Bioworks, is ushering in the coming era of AI-backed biotechnology breakthroughs. By leveraging Ginkgo's automation and digital infrastructure, Datapoints builds high-quality, large-scale datasets and technical capabilities that accelerate drug discovery and development.
The Small Molecules team is looking for a synthetic organic chemist to support computationally enabled synthetic chemistry. This role sits between the high-throughput and direct-to-biology core and the cheminformatics function, connecting route design, practical synthesis, reaction prediction, automated experimentation, and structured data capture.
Role Overview
We are hiring a Senior Engineer I, Synthetic Chemistry to design and execute multi-step syntheses of novel drug-like molecules, including singleton analogs and small focused sets that cannot be made in plate format.
You will own route selection, execution, purification, and characterization end to end. Computational route planning, retrosynthesis, condition prediction, and automated or high-throughput experimentation resources will be standard working tools-not occasional aids. You will consume model output, judge when it is useful, correct it when it is not, and feed outcomes back into the planning and prediction workflows.
The ideal candidate is an accomplished bench chemist who is also fluent in computer-aided synthesis planning (CASP), reaction-prediction tools, and reaction data. You will be the resident synthetic-chemistry judgment for this part of the design-make-test loop and will mentor junior chemists using the same tools. This is not a software or ML research position; it is a chemistry role for someone who wants to make computational workflows genuinely useful in practice.
Key Responsibilities
Multi-step synthesis and compound delivery
  • Design, select, and execute practical multi-step routes to novel drug-like singleton compounds and focused sets under real constraints on time, materials, building blocks, and available resources.
  • Apply a broad synthetic-organic chemistry toolkit and own purification and characterization through delivery of high-quality, well-characterized compounds on schedule.
Computationally enabled chemistry
  • Use computer-aided synthesis planning, retrosynthesis, and reaction-condition tools routinely; critically evaluate proposed routes and predictions and explain when they are implausible, impractical, or outside reliable coverage.
  • Use chemical structure and reaction representations and building-block catalogs to constrain plans to realistic starting materials, and design or interpret HTE and other reaction-optimization experiments.
  • Feed practical outcomes and corrected synthetic judgment back into planning, prediction, and cheminformatics workflows.
Data, automation, and collaboration
  • Record every campaign, including failures, in structured, machine-readable form covering conditions, stoichiometry, outcomes, analytical data, and negative results.
  • Design chemistry for automation and parallel execution where useful, while recognizing when a route genuinely requires manual bench work.
  • Collaborate with chemists, computational scientists, and software engineers to define useful tools, make go/no-go heuristics explicit, and mentor junior chemists.
Minimum Qualifications
  • Ph.D. in synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, or a closely related field, plus 3 years of relevant industry or postdoctoral experience; or an M.S. with 6 years, or a B.S. with 9 years, of relevant experience.
  • Demonstrated ability to design and execute multi-step syntheses, including routes of approximately five or more steps through characterized final compounds, and to deliver compounds on schedule.
  • Independent route-design judgment under real constraints on materials, time, building blocks, and execution resources, supported by a broad synthetic-organic reaction toolkit and strong purification and characterization skills.
  • Routine hands-on use of computer-aided synthesis planning or retrosynthesis tools, with the judgment to recognize when a proposed route or prediction should not be trusted.
  • Fluency with chemical structure and reaction data, including molecular and reaction representations, compound registration, stereochemistry, salts, tautomers, and building-block catalogs.
  • Experience with reaction screening, HTE, design of experiments, or related optimization workflows, plus disciplined structured capture of conditions, outcomes, analytical results, and failures.
Working Style
  • You understand that computational models capture the current state of knowledge: they will never be perfect, but they can support learning and better decisions. You know the difference between useful guidance and an output that is not reliable enough to use.
  • You balance skepticism with practical progress. You make thoughtful go/no-go calls, state the limits of your judgment, and route unresolved questions to the right person or experiment rather than resolving them by assertion.
  • You are intellectually curious and impatient with the status quo, with a passion for establishing and advancing state-of-the-art chemistry workflows in practical production settings.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Python scripting with tools such as RDKit, pandas, or Jupyter for manipulating compound sets, parsing analytical output, or prototyping analyses.
  • Experience running chemistry on robotic platforms, liquid handlers, flow systems, or other automated resources.
  • Industrial HTE or nanoscale reaction-screening experience.
  • Prior work in a CRO, fee-for-service, or similarly schedule-driven environment.
  • Experience with ELN/LIMS configuration or reaction-data model definition.
  • Experience scaling a validated route from milligram to multi-gram quantities.
  • Experience with inline or process monitoring such as ReactIR, benchtop NMR, or online LC-MS.
  • Experience mentoring or supervising junior chemists.
  • Publications or patents describing multi-step routes to biologically active compounds.
Why Join Ginkgo Datapoints?
  • Help build the world's most computationally enabled synthesis capability, combining expert chemistry with route planning, reaction prediction, automation, and learning.
  • Help connect route design, reaction prediction, synthesis, testing, and learning across Ginkgo's automated platforms.
  • Develop workflows to capture, structure, and learn from the reaction data generated by autonomous laboratory systems.
  • Join a technically ambitious, cross-functional team building the computational foundations for AI-enabled drug discovery.
  • Receive competitive compensation, generous equity in a public company, and a robust benefits package.

The base salary range for this role is $115,000-$165,000. Actual pay within this range will depend on a candidate's skills, expertise, and experience. We also offer company stock awards, a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental & vision coverage, health spending accounts, voluntary benefits, leave of absence policies, 401(k) program with employer contribution, 8 paid holidays in addition to a full-week winter shutdown and unlimited Paid Time Off policy.
Ginkgo has implemented a return to office policy effective October 1, 2025 with required in office days 5x per week. This policy applies to all employees who live within 50 miles of Ginkgo's offices in Boston, MA, Emeryville, CA and West Sacramento, CA.
It is the policy of Ginkgo Bioworks to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees, employment applicants, and EOE disability/vet.
Privacy Notice
I understand that I am applying for employment with Ginkgo Bioworks and am being asked to provide information in connection with my application. I further understand that Ginkgo gathers this information through a third-party service provider and that Ginkgo may also use other service providers to assist in the application process. Ginkgo may share my information with such third-party service providers in connection with my application and for the start of employment. Ginkgo will treat my information in accordance with Ginkgo's Privacy Policy. By submitting this job application, I am acknowledging that I have reviewed and agree to Ginkgo's Privacy Policy as well as the privacy policies of the third-party service providers used by Ginkgo's associated with the application process.

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