Senior Principal Scientist, Clinical Research

Job Description

The Senior Clinical Director (Senior Principal Scientist) has primary responsibility for the strategic planning and directing clinical research activities involving investigational compounds in Immunology. With a focus on late-stage development, the Senior Clinical Director will manage the entire cycle of clinical development, including determination of appropriate disease indications to pursue and subsequent study design, initiation, execution, monitoring, analysis, regulatory filing, and publication.

Specifically, The Senior Clinical Director May Be Responsible For:

• Evaluating pre-clinical and translational work for the purpose of generating the early clinical development plan and Investigational New Drug applications.
• Providing clinical development support of business development assessments of external opportunities to grow the Immunology Pipeline
• Developing clinical development strategies for investigational drugs and planning clinical trials (design, operational plans, settings) based on these clinical development strategies
• Monitoring and managing the conduct of ongoing or new clinical trials for investigational drugs
• Analyzing and summarizing the clinical findings from studies to support decisions regarding safety and efficacy as well as new drug applications, clinical study reports, or publication; and
• Participation in internal and joint internal/external research project teams relevant to the development of new compounds

The Senior Clinical Director may:

• Supervise the activities of Clinical Scientists in the execution of clinical studies.
• Work closely with a cross-functional group of experts in commercialization, regulatory affairs, statistics, and manufacturing to manage clinical development projects
• Assist the Executive Director, Associate Vice-President/Vice-President and Product Development Team Lead in ensuring that appropriate corporate personnel is informed of the progress of studies of our company and competitors' drugs and internal and external expert opinion on scientific questions relevant to their areas of responsibility.

The Senior Clinical Director is responsible for maintaining a strong scientific fund of knowledge by:

• Maintaining awareness of scientific developments within their area of expertise, in terms of new scientific findings, research methodologies
• Identification of scientifically and operationally strong investigators who can assist in the development of our company's investigational drugs in Immunology
• Establishing collaborative relationships with external experts in Rheumatology diseases, particularly those whose research focus and expertise can inform and assist the evaluation of the company's investigational drugs
• Attending appropriate scientific meetings to maintain their competency and to maintain awareness of research activities in their area of responsibility.

To accomplish these goals, the Senior Clinical Director may:

• Author detailed development documents, presentations, budgets, and position papers for internal and external audiences
• Facilitate collaborations with external researchers around the world
• Travel on company business about twenty (20) percent of the time to manage future or ongoing clinical research projects.

Education

• M.D., D.O., M.D./PhD, or D.O./PhD

Required education and experience 

• Minimum of 5 years of clinical and/or development experience (academia, clinical medicine, and/or corporate clinical development)
• Minimum of 3 years of industry experience in drug development or biomedical research experience in academia
• Demonstrated record of scientific scholarship and achievement
• Prior experience in design and execution of phase 2 or 3 clinical trials in rheumatologic diseases is preferred 
• Strong interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to work collaboratively in a cross-functional team environment

Required Skills:

Clinical Judgment, Clinical Medicine, Clinical Research Management, Clinical Trial Development, Data Analysis, Decision Making, Ethical Standards, Intellectual Curiosity, Interdisciplinary Problem Solving, Mentorship, Regulatory Compliance, Scientific Consulting, Scientific Publications, Strategic Planning, Vaccinology

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

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As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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The primary location for this posting is:

USA - Massachusetts - Boston (MA Parcel B Laboratory)

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

$282,200.00 - $444,200.00

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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.

Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

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. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Job Posting End Date:

10/20/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.