Senior Director, Cardiovascular and Cardiometabolic Translational Biology

GSK•Upper Providence, PA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Respiratory, Immunology, and Inflammation Research Unit (RIIRU) applies immune science to underlying organ dysfunction and disease, spanning early discovery through late-stage development. GSK is expanding cardiovascular and cardiometabolic capabilities within RIIRU, initially focusing on cardiovascular disease as a co-morbidity across respiratory, renal, hepatology, and neurodegeneration programs. The role will help sharpen strategy, deepen internal expertise, and build a portfolio that complements existing disease-area programs. As the senior Translational Biology expert in cardiovascular science, you will shape scientific direction by evaluating targets, developing a human-first strategy, identifying collaboration and business development opportunities, and guiding investment priorities. You will make scientific recommendations in a matrix environment, partnering with clinical, genetics, genomics, disease-area, and portfolio leaders. The remit spans cardiovascular, vascular, and cardiometabolic biology and offers senior influence without direct authority. This is a senior individual-contributor role. The role provides scientific and translational leadership for preclinical and clinical cardiovascular programs, including development of human-relevant mechanistic hypotheses, translational strategies, and biomarker approaches. It also involves guiding study design and interpretation, advancing target selection and programs, supporting clinical translation, identifying innovative methods and therapies, evaluating business development opportunities, establishing external partnerships, ensuring compliance and quality, and contributing to portfolio resource and external-spend planning. The position may initially be based at Stevenage, with the company planning to relocate its offices to Cambridge, UK. The relocation is currently proposed to take effect by early 2029. Travel is expected to be reasonable and purposeful, including scientific conferences and occasional international collaboration meetings.

Requirements

MD/PhD or PhD in a relevant scientific discipline, such as cardiovascular biology, cell or molecular biology, genetics, pharmacology, immunology, or a related field.
Extensive experience in preclinical biology and forward and reverse translation.
Extensive pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience, with a strong focus on cardiovascular disease, vascular biology, cardio-renal disease, pulmonary vascular disease, heart failure, fibrosis, inflammation, and/or cardiometabolic disease.
Deep understanding of target mechanisms and translational evidence needed to support early clinical development.
Demonstrated ability to operate as a senior individual contributor and scientific thought leader, influencing decisions in a matrix environment through data-driven recommendations, clear communication, and collaboration.
Experience leading external scientific collaborations and evaluating business development opportunities.
Track record of advancing targets and/or therapeutic assets through key discovery and early-development milestones, including translational packages that encompass mechanistic rationale, human relevance, biomarker strategy, and clinical hypotheses.
Strong knowledge of cardiovascular disease biology and understanding of how cardiovascular mechanisms intersect with respiratory, hepatic, renal, inflammatory, fibrotic, and metabolic diseases.

Nice To Haves

Experience partnering with Disease Area Acceleration Teams, Clinical Research Heads, and Early Development and Medicine Development Leaders to interpret complex datasets, connect preclinical findings to clinical outcomes, and advise on indication expansion, patient stratification, biomarker strategies, and business development opportunities.
Deep expertise in cardiovascular pathophysiology, vascular biology, cardio-renal-metabolic syndromes, pulmonary vascular disease, fibrosis, inflammation, and organ dysfunction biology.
Strong understanding of human genetics, multi-omics, and computational approaches to target identification and validation.
Strong business acumen and understanding of commercial considerations, patient segmentation, and market opportunities.
Excellent communication and presentation skills, with ability to influence senior stakeholders internally and externally.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
Knowledge of regulatory requirements and compliance standards relevant to translational medicine and pharmaceutical development.

Responsibilities

Provide scientific leadership to progress preclinical and clinical cardiovascular portfolios by defining clear, human-relevant mechanistic hypotheses.
Drive programs in cardiovascular disease biology, including vascular inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, fibrosis, remodeling, thrombosis, pulmonary vascular disease, heart failure-related mechanisms, and cardio-renal-metabolic pathways.
Develop translational strategies incorporating human genetics, multi-omics, and reverse translation to strengthen target confidence and clinical relevance.
Lead biomarker strategies, including target engagement, pharmacodynamic, disease activity, risk stratification, and patient-selection biomarkers.
Monitor scientific and competitive landscapes, identify opportunities and portfolio risks, and recommend evidence-based actions.
Align stakeholders on study design, data interpretation, decision quality, target selection, progression, and translational planning.
Clarify critical experiments, success criteria, and go/no-go recommendations; ensure rigor, reproducibility, and fit-for-purpose model selection; and mentor project teams through scientific problem solving.
Partner with disease-area biology, clinical and translational scientists, biostatistics, DMPK, pathology, safety, and platform teams to connect preclinical findings to clinical endpoints, patient populations, and study design.
Identify opportunities for novel therapies, next-generation translational approaches, human-relevant model systems, and advanced analytical methodologies.
Contribute to identification, evaluation, and scientific diligence of business development opportunities in cardiovascular, vascular, cardio-renal, and cardio-metabolic mechanisms.
Establish and maintain strategic collaborations with academic institutions, contract research organizations, and external experts; build a network of key opinion leaders across cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, and metabolic disease.
Advance cardiovascular assets while ensuring adherence to relevant policies, regulatory expectations, and quality standards.
Contribute to portfolio resourcing and external-spend planning by defining critical-path experiments and recommending efficient use of internal capabilities and external partners.
Travel for scientific conferences and occasional international collaboration meetings as appropriate.