Director, Pharmacokinetics

Job Description

The Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics, Metabolism and Bioanalytics (PDMB) function of our Research & Development Division, is seeking a dynamic and collaborative individual to lead a team of scientists in the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) group in West Point, Pennsylvania.  The team primarily supports discovery programs across modalities (small molecules and conjugates) and therapeutic areas, enabling strategic decisions from lead selection through FIH.  As Director in the West Point DMPK group, your main responsibility is leading a motivated team of experienced Scientists representing the department in cross-functional teams as well as a group of bench scientists, charged with conducting mechanistic ADME studies. The position requires a focus on talent development as well as scientific creativity.

The DMPK director must be able to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, drive innovation, and have excellent scientific, interpersonal and communication skills in order to guide the team on the design, implementation and interpretation of in silico, in vitro and in vivo studies necessary to influence decisions in drug discovery and development.

The ideal candidate will have an in-depth understanding of ADME, as well as pharmacokinetic and PK/PD principles that impact the discovery and development of new chemical entities. Experience with small molecules drug discovery is expected and additional experience with various drug modalities across therapeutic areas is desired. The candidate should be familiar with PK, PK/PD and PBPK modeling as tools to drive decision making.

 

We are highly engaged in influencing the success of a large and exciting portfolio and continue to evolve the influence of new computational and laboratory techniques towards the selection of differentiated products.  This role provides a unique opportunity to influence our evolving pipeline while enabling the growth of the next generation of leaders.

 

Education Minimum Requirement: 

• PhD. in chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacology, Biomedical Engineering, Biochemistry, or related field with 8+ years of experience supporting drug discovery in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
• Applicants with MSci. degree with 12+ years relevant industry experience will be considered.

Required Experience and Skills: 

• Experienced in providing DMPK support in drug discovery programs, including assessment of tractability, dose and PK predictions, drug metabolism, assessment of drug interaction risk and communicating analyses and recommendations to interdisciplinary teams and management.
• Experienced in integrating preclinical ADME, PK, and pharmacology data to enable translational PK/PD modeling and simulation to support dose selection, design of PK/PD and safety assessment studies, and dose justifications for preclinical and clinical studies
• Knowledge of cutting-edge in silico approaches to inform decision making related to the characterization of metabolism, drug interactions, exposure-response relationships and variability. 
• Knowledge of modern instrumentation in support of DMPK workflows.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, communication, problem solving, and collaboration skills along with strength in delivering results on firm deadlines.
• At least 3 years’ experience with management or supervision of staff.
• A strong aptitude for and previous experience in managing scientific teams and attracting, developing, and retaining talent.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills and an ability to excel in a team-based environment.

 

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Experience with authoring documents in support of regulatory filings, including IBs, INDs and CTDs as well as responses to regulatory questions.
• Experience with evaluation of third-party assets.
• Strong publication track record in ADME science and/or the Drug Discovery and Development field.

 

Primary Responsibilities:

• Providing strategic, scientific, and operational leadership for a group of scientists responsible for support, through experimentation and project representation on discovery teams. 
• Actively working with staff to encourage and facilitate their career development. 
• Collaborating with internal stakeholders to ensure the timely delivery of quality data and documentation.
• Collaborating with members of the DMPK organization and PDMB at large to support the advancement of scientific and strategic initiatives.
• Setting future strategy and facilitating/implementing new technologies in the organization
• Providing scientific oversight of programs supported by staff in the group and thorough and timely review of internal and external documents prepared by team members.

Required Skills:

ADME, ADME, Bioanalysis, Bioanalytical Assays, Clinical Pharmacology, Cross-Cultural Awareness, Dosing, Drug Development, Drug Discovery Research, Drug Metabolism, Drug Research, Immunoassays, Innovation, Investigational New Drug, In Vitro Research, In Vivo Studies, Mentoring Staff, Modeling Simulations, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Pharmaceutical Industry, Pharmaceutical Research, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacodynamics, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacology {+ 8 more}

Preferred Skills:

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US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

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The primary location for this posting is:

USA - Pennsylvania - West Point

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

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

$173,200.00 - $272,600.00

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:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

Yes

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

10/31/2026

*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.