Job Description

The Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics, Metabolism and Bioanalytics (PDMB) group is seeking a dynamic, strategic thinking and collaborative Principal Scientist (director-level equivalent) to contribute to our company drug discovery and early clinical development efforts.  This position will be based at our research labs in Boston, MA.  The ideal candidate will lead drug metabolism and pharmacokinetic (DMPK) efforts across multiple modalities such as peptides and protein therapeutics as a project-team representative, regularly interacting with multi-disciplinary discovery teams and partners from other functions within our Research & Development Division.  Therapeutic area support will focus on our immunology and oncology portfolios, with the potential to contribute to cardiovascular/metabolic, neuroscience and infectious disease efforts as well.  The successful candidate will be expected to represent PDMB on cross-functional teams through strategic design of discovery testing funnels, generation and interpretation of PK and PK/PD data sets and through effective communication at both internal meetings and external conferences. 

In this exciting position, your primary roles will include:

• Project-team representative and subject matter expert on multiple modality DMPK activities within the oncology and immunology therapeutic areas

• Characterization and optimization of the in vitro and in vivo ADME and pharmacokinetic properties of peptide and protein therapeutics

• Design, implementation and analysis of in vitro and in vivo studies to understand the impact of drug disposition on disease biology, pharmacological response (PK/PD) and safety

• Contribute to global DMPK strategy through close collaboration with Discovery and Early Development project teams in Boston (MA),  South San Francisco (CA) and West Point (PA) focusing on building highly efficient strategies to identify and optimize drug candidates

Education Minimum Requirement

• Ph.D (with 6+ years relevant experience) or Master’s (minimum of 10 years relevant experience) degree in biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacology, pharmaceutical sciences, biomedical engineering or related field; Relevant experience to include a record of increasing responsibility and independence in a similar industrial/academic setting

Required Experience and Skills

• Demonstrated experience leading peptide and/or protein therapeutic (biologics) DMPK discovery efforts as an independent project-team representative within a highly collaborative environment

• Ability to design, optimize and interpret DMPK-related optimization strategies (discovery testing funnels) as part of a broader research operating plan

• Technical ability to analyze, interpret and provide context around data describing the ADME, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties including use of software such as Phoenix WinNonlin

• Experience contributing to development and execution of translational pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic/efficacy relationships and other useful quantitative pharmacology applications in a discovery setting

• Strong leadership, interpersonal, communication, problem solving and collaborative qualities to deliver high quality results in a fast-paced environment

 Preferred Experience and Skills

• Hands-on experience performing translational pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic/efficacy and physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) software modeling (e.g., Phoenix WinNonlin, Berkeley Madonna, MATLAB).

• Proven track record supporting immunology or oncology-based programs with experience spanning from early discovery through IND-enabling efforts

• Familiarity with structure-activity relationships aimed at improving pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties

• Experience working within a research-driven pharmaceutical company

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The salary range for this role is

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.  Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

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