Vice President, Clinical Development – Cardiovascular

Ionis•Carlsbad, CA

About The Position

The Vice President, Clinical Development – Cardiovascular is responsible for defining and driving the clinical development strategy for Ionis’ cardiovascular portfolio and for contributing to enterprise-level development and portfolio decisions. This role operates with a high degree of independence and accountability, directly influencing corporate strategy, portfolio prioritization, and investment decisions. The VP partners closely with senior leadership across Development, Research, Regulatory Affairs, and Commercial to ensure that clinical programs are scientifically rigorous, operationally executable, and positioned to deliver meaningful value to patients and the company. The VP is accountable for advancing multiple clinical programs across stages of development, including phase 4 and post marketing studies, and for making complex, high-impact decisions in areas where data may be limited and risk is significant. Ionis has been discovering medical breakthroughs for over three decades, specializing in RNA-targeted medicines, and has multiple marketed medicines and a leading pipeline in neurology, cardiology, and other areas of high patient needs. The company also advances new approaches in gene editing. Ionis prides itself on cultivating a challenging, motivating, and rewarding environment that fosters innovation and scientific excellence, valuing diverse individuals, skill sets, and perspectives. They invest in onsite, hybrid, and remote work environments to build relationships and foster a thriving culture.

Requirements

M.D. with significant experience in clinical development within the biopharmaceutical industry.
Deep expertise in cardiovascular disease, with strong experience in lipid disorders and cardiometabolic disease (e.g., dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, triglyceride metabolism, Lp(a)).
Demonstrated success leading development of therapies targeting cardiovascular risk factors, including experience with lipid-modifying agents and/or outcomes-based clinical programs.
Experience designing and interpreting studies involving lipid biomarkers, surrogate endpoints, and cardiovascular outcomes (e.g., MACE).
Proven ability to translate mechanistic and translational science (including genetics and biomarker data) into clinical development strategy.
Demonstrated success leading clinical development programs across multiple stages, including late-stage development.
Proven ability to make high-quality decisions in complex, ambiguous situations with meaningful business impact.
Experience influencing portfolio strategy and contributing to investment or prioritization decisions.
Strong leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to drive outcomes across cross-functional teams.
Experience interacting with regulatory agencies and external experts.

Responsibilities

Maintain deep expertise in cardiovascular and cardiometabolic disease, including lipid disorders such as hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and lipoprotein(a)–mediated risk.
Apply current and emerging science in lipid biology and cardiovascular risk reduction to inform clinical development strategies and portfolio decisions.
Guide development of clinical programs targeting lipid-modifying therapies, including selection of appropriate patient populations, biomarkers, and endpoints.
Provide leadership on the design and interpretation of cardiovascular outcomes trials (CVOTs) and other studies evaluating impact on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).
Integrate translational insights (e.g., mechanism of action, biomarker response, genetic validation) into clinical development plans to strengthen probability of success.
Guide interpretation of complex clinical and biomarker data, including lipid parameters and cardiovascular risk markers, and translate findings into strategic program decisions.