Associate Director, Quantitative Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics, Cardiometabolic

MSD Malaysia; Rahway (NJ); On-site; USD 157,000 - 247,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck & Co., Inc. in Rahway, NJ, and West Point, PA, seeks an Associate Director to lead quantitative pharmacology and Pharmacometrics (QP2) efforts across cardiometabolic projects.

You will develop model-based strategies, perform PK/PD analyses, and support discovery, development, and regulatory submissions while collaborating with cross-functional teams of scientists and external partners.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or PharmD or MS with increasing responsibility in pharmaceutical drug development.
• Experience conducting population PK and PK/PD analyses with pharmacometrics tools.
• Strong communication and cross-disciplinary collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and apply model-based strategies, including translational PK/PD and mechanistic models.
• Represent QP2 on cardiometabolic discovery and development teams with quantitative input.
• Collaborate across disciplines on study design, data interpretation, and regulatory submissions.

Skills

Population PK/PKPD analyses

Pharmacometric software

R

Matlab

Phoenix

NONMEM

Monolix

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory knowledge

Education

Ph.D. or equivalent

PharmD or equivalent

MS with 8+ years experience

Tools

R

Matlab

Phoenix

NONMEM

Monolix

Job description

Job Description The Quantitative Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics (QP2) Department within our Company's Research Laboratories in Rahway, NJ, and West Point, PA is excited to welcome a curious, collaborative, and scientifically driven Associate Director to help support our growing cardiometabolic pipelines. In this role, you will represent QP2 on cross-functional teams of experienced scientists working together to discover and advance novel therapeutic agents for cardiometabolic and ophthalmologic diseases. You will contribute to the discovery and development of small molecules, biologics, and non-traditional therapeutics, including peptides, novel biological constructs, and other emerging modalities. The successful candidate will be a skilled quantitative drug developer with a strong, integrated understanding of the strategic elements of drug discovery and development, a collaborative mindset, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision. Within QP2, you will have a unique opportunity to grow your career as a quantitative drug developer while contributing to an end-to-end pipeline in one of the world’s most research-intensive biopharmaceutical companies. We offer a collaborative, mission-driven environment where your scientific expertise can help shape meaningful decisions and advance innovative therapies for patients.

Responsibilities:

Develop and apply model-based strategies, including translational PK/PD approaches, mechanistic models, population PK/PD analyses, and clinical trial simulations, to inform quantitative decision-making within and across development programs and departments. These efforts will help optimize drug discovery and development decisions, including dose selection, clinical trial design, and go/no-go recommendations. Represent QP2 on cardiometabolic discovery, early clinical development, and late clinical development teams, using quantitative approaches to support efficient, evidence-based advancement of programs across these growing portfolios. Partner collaboratively with functional area colleagues, external vendors, and strategic partners to build aligned, quantitative, and model-informed approaches that support drug discovery, development, and regulatory decision-making. Collaborate across disciplines on study design, protocol development, study execution, data interpretation, reporting, and communication of results. Maintain a strong understanding of global regulatory expectations and contribute to the development, presentation, and defense of regulatory documents and submissions. Work closely with pharmacometrics colleagues to provide scientific input on modeling strategies, analyses, interpretation, and reporting.

Required:

Ph.D. or equivalent degree with at least 4 years of relevant experience; PharmD or equivalent degree with at least 6 years of relevant experience; or MS or equivalent degree with at least 8 years of relevant experience. Relevant experience should reflect increasing responsibility and independence in pharmaceutical drug development, a regulatory agency, or academia. Educational background in biopharmaceutics, pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacometrics, chemical or biomedical engineering, or a related quantitative discipline. Experience conducting population PK and PK/PD analyses using standard pharmacometrics software, such as R, Matlab, Phoenix, NONMEM, Monolix, or similar tools. Strong written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to collaborate across disciplines, scope complex problems, and plan work effectively. Knowledge in modeling complex therapeutics, mechanistic modeling/ QSP.

Preferred:

Knowledge of cardiometabolic clinical drug development programs. Advanced skills in mathematical problem-solving, critical data analysis and interpretation, experimental design, and statistics. Scientific understanding of the biopharmaceutical and ADME properties of small molecules and/or biologics. A strong record of increasing responsibility, independence, and demonstrated impact in advancing drug development decisions through model-based approaches.

Required Skills:

• Business Intelligence (BI)
• Database Design
• Data Engineering
• Data Modeling
• Data Science
• Data Visualization
• Machine Learning (ML)
• Software Development
• Stakeholder Relationship Management
• Waterfall Model

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities.

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: EEOC Know Your Rights EEOC GINA Supplement

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively. Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

The salary range for this role is $156,900.00 - $247,000.00 This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this 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. The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

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: 1st - Day Valid Driving License: No Hazardous Material(s): N/A Job Posting End Date: 09/11/2026 *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.

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where we have codified our legacy for over a century. Our success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.