Merck
Senior Director, Pharmacokinetics
USA - California - South San Francisco (Grand Ave) · Director · Contract
Sponsorship not specified$194k-$306kDetected 71 days ago
Process ImprovementPerformance ManagementHRISPharmacologyLeadershipCommunicationCollaborationMentoringPublic Speaking
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odds of building a lasting career here
60Sponsors, lottery-bound
Cap-exempt (no lottery)0
Sponsors this role85
Entry-level history0
PERM / green-card track0
Lottery odds (Level IV)94
Fits your clock70
Sponsors, but it's cap-subject — you still face the weighted lottery (~61% per draw at Level IV). Good if you win; have a cap-exempt backup on your list.
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About the role
- The Senior Director may also represent PDMB in discovery and/or development programs.
- The successful candidate will serve as a senior scientific and operational leader for bioanalytical activities across a portfolio of biologics, small molecules, conjugates, and novel modality programs.
Responsibilities
- Drive operational excellence through workflow optimization, resource and capacity planning, automation, digital tools, data systems, and continuous improvement of bioanalytical processes.
- Promote harmonization and knowledge sharing across bioanalytical teams, sites, and external partners to improve consistency, flexibility, and responsiveness to changing portfolio needs.
- Manage a team of DMPK team representatives, bioanalytical leaders/scientists, setting clear scientific expectations and enabling effective prioritization, execution, and career development.
- Ensure PDMB deliverables support molecular design, lead optimization, candidate selection, nonclinical-to-clinical translation, first-in-human enablement, regulatory submissions, and clinical development planning.
- Build and maintain effective partnerships with discovery, development, translational, clinical, regulatory, and external collaborators to enable integrated pipeline support.
- Review, author, and present scientific documents, regulatory sections, technical reports, portfolio updates, and decision-making materials for internal and external stakeholders.
- The role will require close partnership with partner organizations to ensure integrated and data-driven support of the pipeline.
Requirements
- Required Experience and
- Education:
- Master's (with 15+ years) or Ph.D. (with 12+ years) in pharmacokinetics, pharmaceutical sciences, bioanalytical chemistry, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, biology, pharmacology, immunology, bioengineering, or a related scientific discipline with significant experience in bioanalytical sciences, DMPK, drug discovery and development.
- Required Experience and Skills:
- Demonstrated scientific and operational leadership in bioanalysis, including assay strategy, method development, validation or qualification, sample analysis, data interpretation, and reporting.
- Track record demonstrating strong understanding of bioanalytical approaches relevant to biologics, conjugates, peptide, small molecule, and novel therapeutic modalities.
- Proven experience participating in cross-functional discovery and development program teams. Proven ability to integrate bioanalytical, ADME, PK, PK/PD, translational, toxicology, clinical pharmacology, and regulatory considerations to support program decisions.
- Demonstrated ability to manage a portfolio of programs by early strategy formation, prioritizing resources, aligning deliverables with milestones, identifying risks, and ensuring high-quality scientific execution. Demonstrated ability to develop DMPK representatives, bioanalytical leaders/scientists by strengthening scientific judgment, project-team leadership, communication, and decision-making impact.
- Proven people leadership experience, including management, mentoring, talent development, performance management, and building high-performing scientific teams. Demonstrated ability to lead through change, shape organizational capabilities, and develop future scientific and people leaders.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex scientific and operational topics clearly to technical, cross-functional, and senior leadership audiences.
- Strong collaboration and influencing skills, with demonstrated ability to build effective partnerships across functions, sites, and external organizations.
Nice to have
- Preferred Experience and Skills:
- Preferred Skills:
Skills
- Commitment to quality, safety, compliance, scientific rigor, operational excellence, and inclusive leadership.
- Experience serving as scientific representative, or functional leader accountable for cross-function and/or cross-site collaboration.
- Working knowledge of cell-based assays, biophysical or biochemical characterization.
- Preferred Experience and
- #EligibleforERP
- Current Employees apply HERE
- Current Contingent Workers apply HERE
- US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:
- Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities.
- For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:
- EEOC Know Your Rights
- EEOC GINA Supplement
Compensation
- The salary range for this role is
Equal opportunity
- Employment laws, visit:
- We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another's thinking and approach problems collectively.
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- The salary range for this role is
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- VISA Sponsorship:
This listing is sourced directly from Merck's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.