Director, Pharmacokinetics

MSD • Upper Gwynedd Township, PA

13d • $173,200 - $272,600 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics, Metabolism and Bioanalytics (PDMB) function of our Research & Development Division, is seeking a dynamic and collaborative individual to lead a team of scientists in the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) group in West Point, Pennsylvania. The team primarily supports discovery programs across modalities (small molecules and conjugates) and therapeutic areas, enabling strategic decisions from lead selection through FIH. As Director in the West Point DMPK group, your main responsibility is leading a motivated team of experienced Scientists representing the department in cross-functional teams as well as a group of bench scientists, charged with conducting mechanistic ADME studies. The position requires a focus on talent development as well as scientific creativity.
The DMPK director must be able to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, drive innovation, and have excellent scientific, interpersonal and communication skills in order to guide the team on the design, implementation and interpretation of in silico, in vitro and in vivo studies necessary to influence decisions in drug discovery and development.
The ideal candidate will have an in-depth understanding of ADME, as well as pharmacokinetic and PK/PD principles that impact the discovery and development of new chemical entities. Experience with small molecules drug discovery is expected and additional experience with various drug modalities across therapeutic areas is desired. The candidate should be familiar with PK, PK/PD and PBPK modeling as tools to drive decision making.
We are highly engaged in influencing the success of a large and exciting portfolio and continue to evolve the influence of new computational and laboratory techniques towards the selection of differentiated products. This role provides a unique opportunity to influence our evolving pipeline while enabling the growth of the next generation of leaders.

Requirements

• PhD. in chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacology, Biomedical Engineering, Biochemistry, or related field with 8+ years of experience supporting drug discovery in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
• Applicants with MSci. degree with 12+ years relevant industry experience will be considered.
• Experienced in providing DMPK support in drug discovery programs, including assessment of tractability, dose and PK predictions, drug metabolism, assessment of drug interaction risk and communicating analyses and recommendations to interdisciplinary teams and management.
• Experienced in integrating preclinical ADME, PK, and pharmacology data to enable translational PK/PD modeling and simulation to support dose selection, design of PK/PD and safety assessment studies, and dose justifications for preclinical and clinical studies
• Knowledge of cutting-edge in silico approaches to inform decision making related to the characterization of metabolism, drug interactions, exposure-response relationships and variability.
• Knowledge of modern instrumentation in support of DMPK workflows.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, communication, problem solving, and collaboration skills along with strength in delivering results on firm deadlines.
• At least 3 years’ experience with management or supervision of staff.
• A strong aptitude for and previous experience in managing scientific teams and attracting, developing, and retaining talent.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills and an ability to excel in a team-based environment.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with small molecules drug discovery is expected and additional experience with various drug modalities across therapeutic areas is desired.
• Familiar with PK, PK/PD and PBPK modeling as tools to drive decision making.
• Experience with authoring documents in support of regulatory filings, including IBs, INDs and CTDs as well as responses to regulatory questions.
• Experience with evaluation of third-party assets.
• Strong publication track record in ADME science and/or the Drug Discovery and Development field.

Responsibilities

• Providing strategic, scientific, and operational leadership for a group of scientists responsible for support, through experimentation and project representation on discovery teams.
• Actively working with staff to encourage and facilitate their career development.
• Collaborating with internal stakeholders to ensure the timely delivery of quality data and documentation.
• Collaborating with members of the DMPK organization and PDMB at large to support the advancement of scientific and strategic initiatives.
• Setting future strategy and facilitating/implementing new technologies in the organization
• Providing scientific oversight of programs supported by staff in the group and thorough and timely review of internal and external documents prepared by team members.

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

What This Job Offers

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