Senior Director, Head of DMPK/ADME

Zealand Pharma•Boston, MA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Zealand Pharma is expanding its DMPK capabilities and is seeking a Senior Director, DMPK to lead the scientific and operational delivery of nonclinical DMPK activities across the company’s pipeline. This role will provide strategic leadership to ensure fit‑for‑purpose DMPK approaches and high‑quality data packages that enable confident, data‑driven project decisions. A key focus during the first year will be to build and scale DMPK capabilities at our Boston site, with particular emphasis on supporting antibodies and antibody–peptide conjugates, while ensuring strong scientific and operational integration with the Copenhagen organization. The role will also drive the adoption of automation and AI‑enabled ways of working to enhance efficiency, quality, and scalability. The Senior Director, DMPK reports to the VP of Pharmacokinetics, Immunogenicity and Bioanalytical Sciences and partners closely with cross‑functional R&D stakeholders across discovery and development. The position may be based at Zealand Pharma’s headquarters in Copenhagen or at the research hub in Boston.

Requirements

PhD in pharmaceutical sciences or similar with extensive relevant industry experience.
Extensive experience addressing DMPK challenges for multiple modalities
Proven people-leadership experience, including building, mentoring and developing high-performing scientific teams across sites and/or in matrix environments
Experience contributing to regulatory‑facing DMPK content (e.g., IND/CTA support, responses to agency questions)
Demonstrated ability to set DMPK strategy aligned with project and portfolio priorities, balancing scientific rigor with speed and resource constraints
Experience ensuring quality, compliance and scientific rigor in nonclinical assay validation oversight, sample analysis oversight, and vendor/CRO interactions

Nice To Haves

Experience with oligonucleotides and small molecules is an advantage
Experience driving lab automation and AI‑enabled workflows is an advantage

Responsibilities

Provide strategic leadership and oversight for DMPK / ADME strategy and execution across the portfolio
Build, mentor, and scale DMPK capabilities, talent, and ways of working at the Boston site, ensuring strong alignment and integration with Copenhagen standards and interfaces
Oversee bioanalytical method development, including robust nonclinical assay validation and oversight of sample analysis (internal and external)
Lead in vitro ADME activities, including stability and drug–drug interaction (DDI) assessments, ensuring fit‑for‑purpose study design, interpretation, and documentation
Oversee in vivo pharmacokinetics and metabolite identification, integrating findings into a coherent ADME understanding and risk‑based decision framework
Deliver high‑quality nonclinical PK summaries and integrated DMPK data packages to support project decision‑making, governance processes, and external‑facing documentation as required
Drive continuous improvement through the implementation of automation, digital, and AI enabled approaches within DMPK workflows
Provide scientific leadership in cross functional project teams, partnering closely with Discovery, Translational, Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Regulatory colleagues
Ensure effective oversight of external partners and CROs, including scientific quality, timelines, and budget accountability
Contribute to regulatory strategy and interactions by ensuring DMPK content is scientifically sound and inspection ready