Position Summary:

The Senior Director, DMPK, reporting to the Vice President, DMPK, will apply their strong scientific training in DMPK and hands-on experience addressing ADME liabilities across drug discovery and development programs. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated history of leading high-performing DMPK teams within the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry and contributing to the development of strategic plans, objectives, and practices for the broader DMPK function. In this role, the individual will work closely with chemists, biologists, and toxicologists to develop strategies that advance discovery programs into the clinic. The role also includes close collaboration with Clinical Pharmacology and CMC teams, providing scientific leadership to address drug metabolism and clinical drug-drug interaction issues arising during both early and late-stage development. Overall, this individual will partner across functions to support all stages of preclinical pharmacokinetic assessment, from compound screening through IND- and NDA-enabling activities and regulatory submissions. This role is based out of the headquarters in San Diego.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:

These may include but are not limited to:

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics function within Discovery.
• Lead the development and execution of DMPK strategies for candidate evaluation, including the continued expansion and optimization of training, methodologies, and equipment.
• Serve as the DMPK representative on multifunctional discovery and early development program teams.
• Partner with Discovery colleagues to define optimal lead candidate characteristics, establish appropriate testing strategies, and design, conduct, and report preclinical studies that efficiently characterize potential drug candidates.
• Foster effective cross-functional collaboration, particularly with in vitro and in vivo Pharmacology and Toxicology, and provide guidance on lead optimization, PK/PD understanding, and human dose projections.
• Oversee and contribute to the preparation of preclinical pharmacokinetic sections of regulatory documents, including INDs, NDAs, briefing books, and Investigator Brochures.
• Foster a team culture that promotes continuous improvement, accountability, professional growth, and inclusion.
• Recommend, initiate, and lead innovative technologies and approaches that enhance scientific impact and operational efficiency while ensuring the application of cutting-edge science to project-related challenges.
• Build strong partnerships across Crinetics, serve as a subject matter expert, and educate cross-functional teams on the application of DMPK principles to drug development.
• Identify the need for clinical drug interaction studies based on a strong understanding of metabolic and transporter-mediated drug interactions.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and support responses to regulatory queries related to DMPK.
• Partner with Discovery leadership to recruit scientists and build teams that supports the DMPK strategy and advances the discovery and development portfolio.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• This role is based at our headquarters in San Diego.

Education and Experience:

Required:

• PhD in relevant discipline with 13+ years of relevant experience in pharmaceutical or life sciences industry. Applicants with BS or MS degrees may apply, but must demonstrate a minimum of 15+ years of significant and relevant experience.
• Minimum supervisory experience of 10+ years.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills are required.
• Prior experience working at a small to mid-sized company with wide ranging related responsibilities is desired.
• Excellent problem-solving ability.
• Demonstration of cross-functional understanding related to drug  discovery and development.
• Good judge of risks and a keen ability to analyze options and manage outcomes.
• Leadership and management skills and demonstrated qualities in this area.
• Excellent negotiation skills and a tactful approach that leads to high value on outcomes achieved.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

Physical Activities: On a continuous basis, sit at desk for a long period of time; intermittently answer telephone and write or use a keyboard to communicate through written means. Some walking and lifting up to 25 lbs. may be required. The noise level in the work environment is typically low to moderate. The physical demands described above are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions and responsibilities of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and responsibilities.

Laboratory Activities (if applicable): Biology and chemical laboratory environment experience needed. Environmental health and safety requirements also apply.

Travel:

You may be required to travel for up to 5% of your time.

Salary Range

In addition to your base pay, our total rewards program consists of a discretionary annual target bonus, stock options, ESPP, and 401k match. We also provide top-notch health insurance plans for employees (and their families) to include medical, dental, vision and basic life insurance, 20 days of PTO, 10 paid holidays, and a winter company shutdown.