Associate Director, Program Safety Lead - Job ID: 1908b

Ascendis Pharma A/S; Palo Alto, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with company match

Medical, dental, and vision plans

AD&D insurance

Disability benefits

Pet Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Professional Development

HSA

Job summary

Ascendis Pharma A/S is seeking a Program Safety Lead in a hybrid role, preferably Palo Alto, CA, with a focus on endocrinology products. You will shape safety strategy, lead PV activities, and ensure global regulatory compliance while collaborating with cross-functional teams across development and commercialization.

You will drive safety processes, contribute to regulatory submissions, and mentor safety professionals in a fast-paced, global organization.

Qualifications

• PharmD degree required and English proficiency at a professional level.
• 6–8 years of industry pharmacovigilance experience in a fast-paced biopharma.
• Endocrinology experience and leadership within a matrix organization preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define safety strategy for development and marketed products with cross-functional teams.
• Act as safety lead for assigned products and oversee patient safety activities.
• Ensure compliance with global pharmacovigilance regulations and risk management.
• Develop safety surveillance and risk management plans for programs.
• Oversee safety signal detection, evaluation, and escalation.
• Contribute to safety sections of regulatory documents and submissions.
• Collaborate on pharmacovigilance agreements, audits, and inspections.
• Monitor evolving safety regulations and update policies/SOPs.
• Serve as patient safety advisor across Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, and PV teams.

Skills

Leadership experience

Pharmacovigilance

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Clinical medicine

Education

PharmD degree

Job description

Are you passionate about patient safety and ready to help lead a fast-paced, global pharmacovigilance organization? Ascendis Pharma is seeking an experienced Program Safety Lead to champion safety excellence, drive compliance, and shape strategy across our growing portfolio.

We are a dynamic, global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Denmark with hubs in Palo Alto, CA and Princeton, NJ. Come join us at Ascendis Pharma, where our core values --- Patients, Science & Passion, drive us to deliver best-in-class therapies that address critical unmet needs.

The role

The role of Program Safety Lead is an associate director level position here at Ascendis and this Lead will report to the Head of Global Medical Safety Science. You will play a pivotal role as the Program Safety Lead and pharmacovigilance expert for the Ascendis’ endocrinology pipeline. As a key member of the Global Patient Safety Organization and cross-functional product teams, you will shape the strategy, set priorities and lead pharmacovigilance activities for assigned products. The Program Safety Lead stewards the product safety profile and drives critical safety-related decisions to support the Ascendis portfolio.

As a member of our global team, you will work with highly skilled and passionate colleagues to advance our exciting product pipeline.

You will:

• Define safety strategy for assigned development and marketed products in collaboration with cross-functional teams
• Serve as the safety lead for assigned products, providing strategic recommendations and oversight of patient safety activities
• Ensure compliance with global pharmacovigilance regulations, including signal detection, evaluation, and risk management
• Develop and maintain safety surveillance and risk management plans for drug development programs
• Oversee identification and evaluation of safety signals and ensure timely escalation and resolution
• Provide medical and safety input for expedited and aggregate safety reports (e.g., SUSARs, PSURs, DSURs, IND Annual Reports)
• Contribute to safety sections of labeling, investigator brochures, protocols, informed consent forms, and regulatory submissions
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders on pharmacovigilance agreements, audits, and regulatory inspections
• Monitor industry best practices and evolving global safety regulations; recommend updates to policies and SOPs
• Act as a patient safety advisor across Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, Commercial, and PV teams

The estimated salary range for this position is $200-215k DOE. Actual salary determination is dependent on a variety of factors some of which include: experience, qualifications, and geographic location. This position may be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus or an incentive compensation plan (eligibility varies based on role and position level), discretionary stock-based long-term incentives, paid time off, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Your professional qualifications

You have a PharmD degree– and are proficient in English at a professional level, both written and spoken.

Furthermore, you have:

• 6-8 years, of industry pharmacovigilance experience in a fast-paced biopharmaceutical company.
• Leadership experience within the safety profile of products assigned within a matrix organization
• Endocrinology Therapeutic Area experience
• Demonstrated skills in clinical medicine with at least 1 year of clinical practice experience is preferred

As a person, you have/are:

• A passion for advancing innovative therapies that address unmet medical needs for patients struggling with Rare Endocrine Diseases
• Comfortable balancing strategic thinking with hands‑on execution and mentoring
• Demonstrated ability to navigate uncertainty and adapt quickly to changing priorities
• Proven track record delivering results in dynamic, fast-paced settings where clarity evolves over time

Travel:

Ability to travel up to 20% of the time domestically and internationally

Office location:

This is a hybrid role operating preferably out of Palo Alto, CA; however, we welcome candidates to apply residing near our Princeton, NJ office.

• 401(k) plan with company match
• Medical, dental, and vision plans
• Company-offered Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance
• Company-provided short and long-term disability benefits
• Unique offerings of Pet Insurance and Legal Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Discounts
• Professional Development
• Health Saving Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Various incentive compensation plans
• Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance
• Mental Health resources
• Paid leave benefits for new parents