Senior Director, Drug Development Services (Cardiometabolic)

ICON plc • Cambridge, MA

7d • $195,808 - $244,760 • Remote

About The Position

ICON is seeking a strategic Cardiometabolic expert for a highly visible, client-facing role on its Drug Development & Consulting team. The position serves as a trusted scientific advisor to senior industry stakeholders, including CEOs, CMOs, and Therapeutic Area Heads, providing tailored, asset-centric solutions and shaping Cardiometabolic drug development strategies across the full lifecycle.

This consultative and advisory role partners with external clients and internal teams, often serving as the first technical point of contact. It contributes to pre-sales activities, proposal strategy, and long-term partnership development, with a focus on liver diseases including MASLD/MASH, alcohol-associated liver disease, cirrhosis, viral hepatitis, and chronic and rare conditions such as PBC, PSC, and PFIC. The role also supports clinical programs across Phases I–IV and represents ICON at relevant scientific forums.

The position involves 20–40% domestic and international travel. Compensation is based on relevant experience, skills, education and training, geographic location, and other job-related factors. The listed salary range is $195,808–$244,760.

Requirements

• Deep, recognized expertise in Cardiometabolic and liver disease drug development.
• Strong understanding of Cardiometabolic clinical trial design, biomarkers, endpoints such as fibrosis staging and histologic and non-invasive markers, and evolving therapeutic landscapes.
• Proven ability to work in a strategic, client-facing, consultative environment within pharmaceutical or clinical research settings.
• Experience engaging and influencing senior scientific and clinical stakeholders across industry and academia.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including the ability to translate complex Cardiometabolic data into clear, actionable development insights.
• Collaborative global mindset and strong cross-functional leadership capability.
• MD required.
• Ability to travel 20–40% domestically and internationally.
• Legal right to work in the country where the role is based.

Nice To Haves

• Specialization or substantial clinical or research experience in Cardiometabolic diseases.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic Cardiometabolic drug development design and deliver tailored, asset-focused solutions across liver diseases, including MASLD/MASH, alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), cirrhosis, viral hepatitis, PBC, PSC, PFIC, and other chronic and rare liver conditions.
• Own end-to-end protocol development, including design, scientific review, and evaluation for Cardiometabolic clinical trials across Phases I–IV.
• Partner with senior client stakeholders, including CMOs, Therapeutic Area Heads, and Clinical Development leaders, to advise on development strategy and data interpretation.
• Lead scientific and strategic contributions to proposal development, study strategy, and bid defense activities within Cardiometabolic.
• Build and maintain relationships with Cardiometabolic key opinion leaders, advisory boards, and relevant regulatory authorities.
• Contribute to Cardiometabolic-focused service offerings and support innovation and growth in liver disease drug development capabilities.
• Provide training, mentorship, and thought leadership in Cardiometabolic to internal teams and external partners.
• Participate in portfolio reviews, governance discussions, and scientific oversight of Cardiometabolic programs.
• Provide high-level scientific input to operational teams, including for investigator meetings and Cardiometabolic-specific study discussions.
• Represent the organization at Cardiometabolic congresses and scientific forums.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary and performance-related incentives.
• Health and wellbeing programmes, including medical, dental, and vision coverage where applicable.
• Retirement and pension plans.
• Life assurance and disability coverage.
• Employee assistance programmes and wellbeing resources.
• Learning and development opportunities through structured training and career pathways.

What This Job Offers

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