Associate Principal Scientist, Immunology Biomarker Lead, Translational Medicine

MSD • Cambridge, MA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Translational Clinical Biomarkers shapes the strategic use of clinical biomarkers to support decision-making across the development lifecycle for all therapeutic areas at our Company’s Research Laboratories. We are seeking a highly motivated Associate Principal Scientist to serve as an Immunology Biomarker Lead who will partner across functions to develop and execute biomarker strategies that connect drug mechanism, patient biology, and clinical endpoints across immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases. The role requires a scientist who brings scientific expertise, decision-focused thinking, and strong collaboration to support biomarker hypotheses, plans, and readouts tied to development decisions in a fast-moving matrixed environment.

Requirements

• PhD or MD/PhD with 5+ years, MS with 8+ years, or BS with 12+ years of experience in the biotech or pharmaceutical industry, preferably in translational or biomarker sciences.
• Experience contributing to biomarker strategies for clinical development programs, including biomarker selection, sample planning, data interpretation, and decision-focused communication.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence in matrixed environments, including working across clinical, translational, biomarker, data science, and operational stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of immune-mediated and inflammatory disease biology and clinical development, with experience in at least one of the following areas: gastrointestinal/mucosal inflammation, rheumatology, or dermatology.
• Experience applying biomarkers to assess drug activity, mechanism of action, pharmacodynamic response, or patient response.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex or ambiguous information into clear options and recommendations.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with fluid- and/or tissue-based biomarker readouts and their relationship to clinical endpoints.
• Working knowledge of biomarker platforms and multi-modal data types, including immunoassays, flow or immune profiling, NGS, transcriptomics, proteomics, or digital pathology.
• Experience partnering with bioinformatics, biostatistics, clinical, translational, and operational teams to support biomarker analysis and interpretation.
• Familiarity with precision medicine concepts, patient stratification, or diagnostic considerations in clinical biomarker planning.
• Experience contributing to external scientific engagement, including publications, presentations, KOL interactions, or consortia participation.

Responsibilities

• Support development and alignment of biomarker strategies for early- and late-stage clinical programs, emphasizing clear hypotheses, fit-for-purpose readouts, and decision-linked plans.
• Lead biomarker sub-teams within cross-functional development program teams and represent the biomarker perspective in selected governance or program interactions.
• Build alignment across stakeholders with diverse technical backgrounds and priorities to converge on pragmatic biomarker choices, tradeoffs, and recommendations.
• Partner with subject matter experts to translate disease biology and drug mechanism into clinical-stage biomarker plans that address key program questions.
• Support selection of fit-for-purpose biomarker technologies and methodologies such as immune profiling, omics, tissue-based readouts, and digital pathology, grounded in disease biology and therapeutic mechanism of action.
• Contribute to biomarker analysis planning, data interpretation, and communication to ensure conclusions are scientifically rigorous, clinically meaningful, and clearly linked to program decisions.
• Integrate fluid- and tissue-based biomarker data, in partnership with subject matter experts, to connect biomarker readouts with clinical endpoints and support decision-making.
• Contribute to precision medicine and patient stratification considerations where biomarker data may inform responder biology, enrichment hypotheses, or future diagnostic optionality.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
• retirement benefits, including 401(k)
• paid holidays
• vacation
• compassionate and sick days
• annual bonus
• long-term incentive

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree