Associate Director, Quantitative Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology

Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc.; Pierre (SD); Remote; USD 169,000 - 253,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) match

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time off

Job summary

Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc. is seeking a Senior Clinical Pharmacologist to provide input across early and late drug development, including PK/PD modeling, regulatory submissions, and cross-functional collaboration.

This remote, full-time role demands strong analytical skills and experience with population PK and pharmacometrics. The position involves leading pharmacology sections in regulatory documents, coordinating with bioanalytical and formulation teams, and managing project budgets

Qualifications

• PhD, PharmD, or MS in Clinical Pharmacology with at least 4 years of industry experience in drug development.
• Experience in population PK and PK/PD modeling and statistics is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead clinical pharmacology activities across study designs, protocols, execution, and data interpretation.
• Serve as clinical pharmacology lead on cross-functional teams and support model-based drug development.
• Conduct PK/PD analyses including NCA, exposure–response, and meta-analyses.
• Collaborate with pharmacometrics to integrate PK/PD data in regulatory filings.
• Prepare clinical pharmacology sections for regulatory documents and publications.
• Coordinate with bioanalytical, formulation, and development teams on PK-related studies.
• Oversee budgets, outsourcing, SOWs, and invoicing for clinical pharmacology work.

Skills

Clinical pharmacology

PK/PD analysis

Population PK

Pharmacometrics

Regulatory filings

Education

PhD in Clinical Pharmacology

Tools

Phoenix NLME

R

Job description

Remote

Full time

R12739

Job Summary

The role of this position is to provide clinical pharmacology input into all phases of both small and large molecule drug development across multiple therapeutic areas, such as CNS, Nephology, Infectious Disease, Immunology and so on. The responsibilities will include, but not limited to, 1) Supporting all clinical pharmacology activities related to pre-IND, IND, Phase1-3, PK, PK/PD and regulatory submissions. 2) Supporting study design, execution, and reporting of clinical studies. 3) Working closely with multi-functional project team, interacting with non-clinical and bioanalytical team members for design and execution of first-in-human, mass balance and drug interaction studies. 4) Authoring the clinical pharmacology section in submission documents and representing the department at different product development team meetings. 5) Participating in the planning of pharmacometrics strategies and providing input on modeling and simulation activities. 6) Interacting with early development and business development team members as well as external collaborators to assess/lead development and selection of pre-IND and early phase assets.

Job Description

• Supports clinical pharmacology activities related to clinical study design, protocol development, study execution, reporting and interpretation of data
• Serves as clinical pharmacology lead on cross-functional project teams and support model-based drug development strategies for ongoing projects.
• Conducts translational or clinical PK and PK/PD data plotting and analysis, such as noncompartmental analysis (NCA), correlation analysis, exposure-response analysis, meta-analysis.
• Works closely with pharmacometrics team and provides input related to analysis and reporting of PK, PK/PD and exposure-response.
• Authors clinical pharmacology sections in regulatory documents for regulatory filings including annual reports, investigator’s brochure, IND/NDA applications and pediatrics development plans; authors scientific manuscript or other publications
• Works with bioanalytical team members on activities related to assay development, sample management, pharmacogenomics and biomarker development.
• Works with formulation development groups and provide support for activities related to formulation development, dissolution testing, in vivo-in vitro correlations (IVIVC), in vivo PK study and biowaivers for pre- and post-approval formulations.
• Manages clinical pharmacology activities related to project budgets, outsourcing of PK and PK/PD analyses, contract requisition, SOW and approval of invoices.

Qualifications/ Required

Knowledge/ Experience and Skills:

Knowledge and Competencies:

• In-depth knowledge of clinical pharmacology, PK, PD, drug metabolism, biopharmaceutics, and bioanalytical chemistry.
• Hands-on experiences in PK and PK/PD analysis using software, such as Phoenix NLME, R, etc.
• Excellent working knowledge of phase I clinical operations, drug development, multi-region regulatory requirements and PK/PD analysis.
• Great working knowledge of formulation development, drug development and clinical development.
• Current awareness of the latest developments in clinical pharmacology, pharmacometrics and guidance documents.

Skills:

• Must be able to apply scientific knowledge (in the areas specified above) to drug development, anticipate and identify core problems, apply insightful analysis, and solve problems effectively.
• Strong hands-on experience related to clinical pharmacology.
• Strong organization skills.
• Strong communication (verbal and writing) skills.
• Flexibility to react rapidly to changing situations/environment.

Travel 15%

Educational Qualifications

• PhD, PharmD, MS in Clinical Pharmacology (or a related area such as Biomedicine, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacometrics, Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmaceutics) with a minimum of 4 years of industry experience in these areas.
• Experience in population PK and PK/PD modeling and statistical models a plus.

Competencies

Accountability for Results - Stay focused on key strategic objectives, be accountable for high standards of performance, and take an active role in leading change.

Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving - Make decisions considering the long-term impact to customers, patients, employees, and the business.

Patient & Customer Centricity - Maintain an ongoing focus on the needs of our customers and/or key stakeholders.

Impactful Communication - Communicate with logic, clarity, and respect. Influence at all levels to achieve the best results for Otsuka.

Respectful Collaboration - Seek and value others’ perspectives and strive for diverse partnerships to enhance work toward common goals.

Empowered Development - Play an active role in professional development as a business imperative.

Minimum $169,222.00 - Maximum $253,000.00, plus incentive opportunity: The range shown represents a typical pay range or starting pay for individuals who are hired in the role to perform in the United States. Other elements may be used to determine actual pay such as the candidate’s job experience, specific skills, and comparison to internal incumbents currently in role. Typically, actual pay will be positioned within the established range, rather than at its minimum or maximum. This information is provided to applicants in accordance with states and local laws.

Application Deadline

This will be posted for a minimum of 5 business days.

Company benefits:

Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, company provided basic life, accidental death & dismemberment, short-term and long-term disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, student loan assistance, a generous 401(k) match, flexible time off, paid holidays, and paid leave programs as well as other company provided benefits.

Disclaimer

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the people assigned to this position. It is not intended to include every job duty and responsibility specific to the position. Otsuka reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.

Otsuka is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will be given consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, national origin, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation, if you are unable or limited in your ability to apply to this job opening as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by contacting [e-mail] .

Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc., and Otsuka Precision Health, Inc. (“Otsuka”) does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs/resumes submitted by search firms to any Otsuka employee directly or through Otsuka’s application portal without a valid written search agreement in place for the position will be considered Otsuka’s sole property. No fee will be paid if a candidate is hired by Otsuka 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.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. is a global healthcare company with the corporate philosophy: "Otsuka-people creating new products for better health worldwide." In the U.S., Otsuka is comprised of two companies, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc., that share a deep commitment to the development and commercialization of innovative products in the spaces of neuroscience, nephrology, and digital medicine.

Driven by our purpose to defy limitation, so that others can too, we have an unwavering belief in doing more and transcending expectations. In going above and beyond- under any circumstances, for patients, families, providers, and for each other. It’s this deep-rooted dedication that drives us to uncover answers to complex, underserved medical needs, so that patients can push past the limitations of their disease and achieve more than they thought was possible each and every day.

OPDC and OAPI are indirect subsidiaries of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The Otsuka group of companies employed 34,400 people worldwide and had consolidated sales of approximately USD 14.2 billion in 2023.

We invite you to explore our open positions for an opportunity to join our 2,200 colleagues in the U.S. whose passion for our mission and pride in our company have earned us certification as a Great Place to Work by the Great Place to Work Institute.