Senior Medical Director, Clinical Science

Biomarin; England; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

BioMarin is seeking a Senior Medical Director to shape and execute late-stage development strategies for one or more assets. You will lead integrated clinical planning, design registrational studies, and guide governance decisions with input from Regulatory, Biometrics, Pharmacovigilance, Medical Affairs, and Commercial teams.

The role requires an MD/MD-PhD with 10+ years in biotech/pharma, strong leadership, and a track record with rare disease programs; you will interact with global health

Qualifications

• MD or MD/PhD (or international equivalent) required; board certification or specialty training preferred.
• Typically 10+ years of experience in biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, academic medicine, or related fields.
• Significant experience leading clinical programs across multiple phases, including registrational studies.
• Demonstrated experience interacting with global regulatory authorities and contributing to major submissions.

Responsibilities

• Own the clinical development strategy for one or more assets, developing Clinical Development Plans aligned with product strategy.
• Lead the clinical development team for assigned programs through registration and lifecycle management.
• Lead regulatory strategy in partnership with Regulatory Affairs and interact with global health authorities (FDA, EMA, PMDA).
• Lead authoring and review of major regulatory documents and submissions.
• Provide strategic scientific input into responses to regulatory questions and commitments; support inspection readiness and GCP compliance.
• Oversee safety data interpretation and run data review meetings with leadership.
• Provide mentorship to Clinical Scientists, Associate Medical Directors, and Medical Directors.

Skills

Clinical strategy

Regulatory leadership

Clinical development

Medical monitoring

Leadership & mentorship

Education

MD or MD/PhD

Job description

Who We Are
BioMarin is a leading rare disease biotechnology company focused on genetically defined conditions.
Guided by our purpose to develop medicines that make a profound impact on people’s lives, our global teams have delivered a portfolio of therapies since our founding in 1997. Our revolutionary treatments for conditions like achondroplasia (the most common form of dwarfism), PKU (phenylketonuria), CLN2, a form of Batten disease, and a number of forms of MPS (mucopolysaccharidosis) offer new possibilities for patients and families who previously had few, if any, available options. More recently, with the close of the Amicus acquisition, our portfolio has expanded to include therapies for Fabry disease and Pompe disease, expanding our ability to reach more people living with rare genetic conditions.
Our success comes from our unwavering commitment to excellence, our deep understanding of patient needs, our scientific expertise, and our world-class manufacturing capabilities. At the heart of BioMarin is a dedicated team of the brightest minds in the industry working together to deliver innovative therapies to patients and families around the world.
About Worldwide Research and Development
From research and discovery to post-market clinical development, our R&D engine involves all bench and clinical research and the associated groups that support those endeavors. Our teams work on developing first-in-class and best-in-class therapeutics that provide meaningful advances to patients who live with rare diseases.
Overview
BioMarin’s Clinical Science team is seeking an accomplished Senior Medical Director to serve as a senior clinical leader responsible for shaping and executing late-stage clinical development strategy for one or more assets.
This role encompasses end-to-end clinical leadership from pivotal study design through regulatory approval and lifecycle management, with accountability for scientific rigor, strategic clarity, and development decision-making as programs advance toward registration and beyond.
Leveraging deep expertise in rare disease drug development, the Senior Medical Director will lead integrated clinical development planning, direct the design and execution of registrational studies, and guide key investment and governance decisions based on emerging safety, efficacy, and benefit-risk data.
The role partners closely with colleagues in Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Operations, Biometrics, Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacovigilance, Medical Affairs, and Commercial to ensure BioMarin’s late-stage assets are positioned to deliver differentiated value to patients and meet global regulatory expectations.
In addition to asset-level leadership, the Senior Medical Director will contribute broader portfolio-level clinical perspective, support evaluation of internal programs and external business development opportunities, and provide mentorship and leadership within the Clinical Science organization.
This position is expected to interact regularly with senior governance bodies, global health authorities, and external scientific experts, and to represent BioMarin as a thought leader in the therapeutic area.
Key Responsibilities

• Clinical Strategy and Leadership: Own the clinical development strategy for one or more assets (asset-level rather than study-level accountability), developing Clinical Development Plans (CDPs) aligned with overall product strategy and corporate objectives.
• Serve as clinical development team leader (CDTL) for assigned programs through registration and lifecycle management.
• Drive clinical strategy discussions with senior management and participate in Program Review Committee and Development Governance, making recommendations at key decision points that incorporate safety, efficacy, and benefit-risk considerations.
• Identify opportunities to accelerate timelines, optimize study designs, and mitigate program risks, ensuring alignment with the evolving scientific, medical, regulatory, and commercial landscape.
• Regulatory Leadership: Lead the development of regulatory strategy in partnership with Regulatory Affairs and represent Clinical Science in interactions with global health authorities (e.g., FDA, EMA, PMDA).
• Lead preparation for and participation in key regulatory milestone meetings, including End-of-Phase 2, Breakthrough Therapy, Accelerated Approval pathway discussions, and BLA/NDA/MAA preparation.
• Lead authoring and review of major regulatory documents, including CDPs, Investigator Brochures, Briefing Books, Pediatric Investigation Plans, IND Annual Reports, Clinical Study Reports, Integrated Summaries, and marketing application submissions.
• Provide strategic scientific input into responses to regulatory questions and commitments, and support inspection readiness and GCP compliance.
• Clinical Development Execution: Lead the scientific rationale for protocols, endpoints, and statistical approaches, partnering with Biometrics on analysis plans that support regulatory objectives.
• Provide strategic oversight of clinical study execution and guide study teams in resolving complex scientific, operational, and medical challenges.
• Serve as Medical Monitor on selected studies, as appropriate.
• Lead interactions with Data Monitoring Committees, Safety Review Committees, and external expert panels.
• Data Interpretation and Safety: Lead review and interpretation of efficacy, safety, biomarker, and exploratory data to inform critical program decisions, and run data review meetings with scientific recommendations to development teams and senior leadership.
• Oversee safety signal evaluation and partner closely with Pharmacovigilance on risk assessment and benefit-risk evaluation.
• Present clinical findings and strategic recommendations to executive leadership and governance committees.
• Scientific Leadership and External Engagement: Maintain deep expertise in disease biology, treatment landscape, and emerging science, serving as the clinical and scientific leader for the assigned therapeutic area.
• Build and sustain relationships with global thought leaders, investigators, professional societies, and patient advocacy organizations.
• Drive publication strategy, scientific communications, advisory boards, and congress activities in support of development programs.
• Portfolio, Talent, and Organizational Development: Provide dematrixed mentorship to Clinical Scientists, Associate Medical Directors, and Medical Directors.
• Contribute to capability planning, recruitment, training, and retention strategies for Clinical Science.
• Contribute to departmental process improvement and the evolution of SOPs, decision frameworks, and best practices.
• Foster a culture of scientific excellence, accountability, collaboration, and patient focus.
• Business Development Support: Serve as a clinical expert supporting new project identification, including internal pipeline opportunities and external business development assessments.

Qualifications

• MD or MD/PhD (or international equivalent) required; board certification or specialty training preferred.
• Typically 10+ years of experience in biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, academic medicine, or related fields.
• Significant experience leading clinical programs across multiple phases, including registrational studies.
• Demonstrated experience interacting with global regulatory authorities and contributing to major submissions.
• Experience in rare genetic, metabolic, or orphan disease development strongly preferred; experience with gene therapy or enzyme replacement therapy is a plus.
• Prior experience as Medical Monitor and leading cross-functional development teams.
• Strong scientific writing, executive communication, and stakeholder influence skills.

Note: This description is not intended to be all-inclusive, or a limitation of the duties of the position. It is intended to describe the general nature of the job that may include other duties as assumed or assigned.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled. An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.