Associate Director, Quantitative Pharmacology & Pharmacometrics - Mechanistic Modeling, Immunology

HireLifeScience; Rahway (NJ); Hybrid; USD 157,000 - 247,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

Merck is seeking an Associate Director to independently design and execute mechanistic modeling programs that inform translational and drug development questions in immunology. You will lead cross-functional teams and external collaborations to develop aligned strategies, leveraging PK/PD, PBPK, QSP, and other mechanistic modeling approaches to guide dose selection and study design.

You will apply quantitative skills to integrate preclinical and clinical data, develop translational strategies,

Qualifications

• Ph.D. or equivalent with 4+ years in pharma drug development or related fields.
• Educational background in biopharmaceutics, pharmacometrics, mathematics, statistics or engineering.
• Hands-on PK/PKPD/QSP modeling using standard software such as Phoenix, R, Matlab, NONMEM, Monolix.
• Advanced skills in experimental design and data interpretation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; interdisciplinary collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute model analysis plans to inform translational research questions.
• Apply quantitative methods to integrate preclinical and clinical data (PK/PD, PBPK, QSP).
• Develop translational PK/PD strategies and conduct trial simulations to inform dose and design.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and external vendors to implement modeling workflows.
• Present scientific data clearly in group settings.

Skills

Data Analysis

Data Visualization

PKPD Modeling

Pharmacometrics

Drug Development

Immunology Research

Machine Learning

Model Development

Scientific Presentations

Data Modeling

Education

Ph.D. in a relevant field

PharmD or equivalent with experience

MS or equivalent with experience

Tools

Phoenix

R

Matlab

NONMEM

Monolix

Job description

Job Description

The Associate Director is an expert mechanistic modeler and a quantitative drug developer who independently designs and executes model analysis plans with minimal supervision informing translational and drug development research questions within immunology. - The ideal candidate is collaborative, possesses a learning mindset and effectively partners with functional departments and external vendors to develop aligned strategies and deliver solutions. - In addition, you share your skills and ideas with the department to advance our science. Excellent communication skills are required including the ability to clearly present scientific data in group settings.

As an Associate Director, you will participate in cross-functional teams of experienced scientists to discover and advance the clinical development of novel therapeutic agents for immunologic disorders. -You will apply your expertise to frame critical drug development questions to optimize drug development using model-based approaches and influence cross-functional teams to adopt such strategies. More specifically, you will apply your quantitative skills to integrate preclinical and clinical data developing and using PK/PD, PBPK, QSP, or other mechanistic models of drug disposition and drug action to define success criteria and make model-informed decisions. Moreover, you develop and implement translational PK/PD strategies, perform clinical trial simulations, conduct comparator modeling and other model-based analyses to inform dose selection and schedule, clinical trial design and go/no-go decisions.

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.
• An educational background in biopharmaceutics, pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacometrics, mathematics, statistics/ biostatistics, computational biology/chemistry, or chemical/biomedical engineering.
• Experience in performing hands-on (population) PK / PKPD / QSP modeling using standard pharmacometric software (e.g. Phoenix, R, Matlab, NONMEM, Monolix)
• Advanced skills in experimental design, mathematical problem solving, critical thinking about data analysis and interpretation
• Proficiency in written and verbal communication and interdisciplinary collaboration

Preferred

• An exemplary record of increasing responsibility, independence, and demonstrated impact in driving drug development decisions through application of model-based approaches
• Knowledge of immunology biology
• Experience with complex therapeutic biologics
• Expertise in developing novel modeling strategies or automated workflows that rely on PBPK, QSP or related mechanistic modeling
• Experience in integrating AI/ML methods in mechanistic modeling and/or modeling workflows
• Scientific understanding of ADME and biopharmaceutic properties of biologics, small molecules, or non-traditional therapeutics

Required Skills

Data Analysis, Data Modeling, Data Visualization, Drug Development, Immunology Research, Machine Learning (ML), Model Development, Pharmacology, Pharmacometrics, PKPD Modeling, Quantitative Models, Scientific Presentations

Preferred Skills

Data Analysis, Data Modeling, Data Visualization, Drug Development, Immunology Research, Machine Learning (ML), Model Development, Pharmacology, Pharmacometrics, PKPD Modeling, Quantitative Models, Scientific Presentations

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only

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Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

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:

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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.

The salary range for this role is $156,900.00 - $247,000.00

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

Benefits

• 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.

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

10/24/2026

*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.

Requisition ID

R419671