Associate Director, Toxicology

Cytokinetics • South San Francisco, CA

8d • $200,000 - $221,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Cytokinetics is a late-stage, specialty cardiovascular biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing first-in-class muscle activators and next-in-class muscle inhibitors as potential treatments for debilitating diseases in which cardiac muscle performance is compromised. As a leader in muscle biology and the mechanics of muscle performance, the company is developing small molecule drug candidates specifically engineered to impact myocardial muscle function and contractility. At Cytokinetics, each team member plays an integral part in advancing our mission to improve the lives of patients. We are seeking tenacious, compassionate, and collaborative individuals who are driven to make a positive impact. Job purpose As the Associate Director of Toxicology, you will play a critical role in advancing our innovative drug discovery and development programs by providing expert guidance and hands-on toxicology and safety pharmacology support. In this highly impactful position, you will have the opportunity to apply your deep toxicology knowledge and industry experience to design and manage non-clinical safety studies, provide strategic input to project teams, and ensure the highest standards of scientific and ethical conduct. You will be an integral member of cross-functional teams, collaborating closely with colleagues in Discovery Biology, Pharmacology, Medicinal Chemistry, DMPK, CMC and Clinical to drive our programs forward. Your strong analytical skills, decisiveness, and goal-oriented approach will be key to meeting timelines while upholding scientific excellence. In this role, you will also oversee contracts, budgets and CRO relationships for outsourced toxicology studies. Your regulatory expertise will be leveraged to provide high-quality, submission-ready documentation for regulatory filings.

Requirements

• PhD in Toxicology or related health discipline with 7+ years of industry-related experience in regulatory toxicology in the conduct of regulatory submissions; DABT certification a plus
• Extensive hands-on experience in all facets of toxicology study conduct with a proven track record of conducting preclinical drug safety assessments; an emphasis on developmental and reproductive toxicology is a plus
• Experience in outsourcing and external oversight of nonclinical toxicology studies conducted by qualified CROs
• Deep knowledge of global regulatory requirements for non-clinical safety packages across all phases of development; Experience in working with U.S. and European regulatory authorities
• Excellent communication skills to present complex scientific information to diverse audiences and author regulatory documents and scientific publications
• Ability to make risk assessments and represent toxicology perspectives on project teams and with external partners

Responsibilities

• Apply your extensive toxicology expertise to design, manage, analyze, interpret and report on safety pharmacology and toxicology studies, including general toxicology, genetic toxicology, developmental & reproductive toxicology (DART), as well as toxicokinetics.
• Draft, review and approve toxicology study protocols, reports, associated nonclinical summaries, regulatory submission sections and associated documentation, as well as abstracts/manuscripts for publication
• Provide strategic toxicological assessments and preclinical guidance to project teams and senior management to inform key program decisions and clinical/regulatory strategies
• Oversee contracts, budgets and CRO relationships for outsourced toxicology/safety pharmacology studies to ensure the highest standards of scientific and ethical conduct
• Maintain up-to-date toxicology plans for all IND and NDA enabling projects/programs including listings of studies, timelines, status, and costs; update and refine as necessary.
• Assess the risk of drug candidates on reproductive health, particularly in relation to exposure levels and durations
• Leverage your regulatory expertise to provide high-quality, submission-ready documentation for interactions with health authorities

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees