Director, Safety Scientist

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 187,000 - 281,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity-based awards

Qualified retirement programs

Health, dental, and vision coverage

Paid time off

Job summary

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is seeking a Director, Safety Scientist to provide strategic oversight and scientific leadership for safety risk evaluation across the portfolio.

You will lead a team of safety scientists, drive proactive safety strategies, and ensure robust benefit-risk assessments throughout the product lifecycle. The role partners with GPS Medical Directors and cross-functional teams to align safety priorities, deliver high-quality outputs, and advance governance discussions.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a biologic/medical/clinical field (PharmD/MD/PhD) preferred.
• 7+ years in drug safety/pharmacovigilance within pharma/biotech.
• Subject matter expertise in global pharmacovigilance regulations.
• Experience with safety reports, risk management and regulatory filings.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of safety scientists and drive performance and scientific excellence.
• Ensure appropriate resourcing and talent quality across portfolio including recruitment and planning.
• Lead process improvements and cross-departmental consistency.

Skills

Pharmacovigilance

Drug safety

Regulatory knowledge

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analysis

Scientific writing

Education

Advanced degree in biologic/medical/clinical field (PharmD/MD/PhD)

Tools

Power BI

Spotfire

Job description

The Director, Safety Scientist Serves As a Key Leader Within Global Patient Safety, Providing Strategic Oversight And Scientific Leadership For The Evaluation And Management Of Safety Risks Across The Portfolio Through

• Leading the scientific evaluation and management of safety risks across assigned programs, with accountability for high-quality, evidence-based outputs
• Driving proactive, data-informed safety strategies in close partnership with GPS Medical Directors and cross-functional stakeholders
• Ensuring robust, timely, and aligned benefit-risk assessments throughout the product lifecycle
• Overseeing delivery of safety science activities, ensuring consistency, quality, and adherence to timelines
• Shaping safety strategy and recommendations that inform governance discussions and key decision-making forums
• Leading, coaching, and developing a team of Safety Scientists, fostering scientific rigor, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Promoting consistency in scientific approach and execution across programs and team members
• Collaborating effectively across clinical, regulatory, and other functions to ensure alignment of safety priorities and actions
• Strengthening the overall safety capability of the organization through leadership, innovation, and knowledge sharing

Responsibilities for this role include, but are not limited to:

• Lead and develop a team of safety scientists, drive performance, growth and scientific excellence
• Ensure appropriate resourcing and talent quality across assigned portfolio, including recruitment and team planning
• Lead initiatives for process improvement and cross-departmental process consistency
• Lead implementation of new processes, systems, and ways of working to enhance efficiency and scalability
• Provide oversight of vendors, including management, onboarding and training
• Represent GPS in clinical study teams and cross functional meetings
• Promote and enable cross-functional, proactive and solutions-orientated team actions and behaviors
• Lead workstreams and/or projects with high impact to the business
• Participate as a core member of GPS leadership team

Portfolio Management Expertise

• Set safety team goals aligned to TA and product strategy
• Collaborate with medical directors to lead project-specific safety strategy for assets within the assigned portfolio
• Responsible for the overall scientific and clinical safety content for the assigned portfolio
• Responsible for the implementation and the high-quality delivery of the Safety & Strategy Management Team (SSaMT) and Safety Surveillance Team for assigned portfolio
• Provides strategic safety knowledge and support to the safety scientists through initiation, execution, and completion of the clinical programs for the assigned portfolio
• Responsible for the quality of key safety deliverables (e.g., Risk Management Plans (RMPs) and Periodic Safety Reports (PSRs))
• Responsible for ensuring compliance and adherence to PV regulations for the assigned portfolio

Safety Expert

• Authoring or reviewing safety sections of clinical documents including but not limited to the clinical study protocol, informed consent form, Investigator's Brochure, statistical analysis plan, clinical study report, and data monitoring committee documents
• Coordinating, preparing, and completing high-quality aggregate safety reports (e.g., PSUR, PBRER, PADER) for submission to regulatory agencies globally
• Leading program and study level safety surveillance including the analysis and communication of safety data, authoring of internal safety review documents, presentation at cross-functional decision-making bodies and documentation/tracking of all signal analysis results
• Leading the authoring and project management of health authority queries
• Maintaining accountability for the authoring, review and finalization (i.e., endorsement, sign-off) of risk management plans and contributing to REMS documents
• Assisting GPS Medical Directors in the development of risk management strategy
• Supporting activities related to new drug applications and other regulatory filings including authoring, reviewing and providing input to eCTD modules (2.5 and 2.7.4), core product information (i.e., CCDS), and local labels
• Representing global patient safety at regulatory inspections (e.g., MHRA, FDA, EMA)

Messaging and External Impact

• Maintains a high degree of understanding and awareness of new and emerging clinical safety developments globally
• Maintains strong networks globally; works with international colleagues and with external alliance partners on safety initiatives and regulatory issues

You Will Have

• Advanced degree in a biologic/medical/clinical/nursing field preferred: Pharmacist/PharmD, Nurse Practitioner or PhD
• At least 7+ years’ experience in drug safety/pharmacovigilance within the pharmaceutical industry or biotech
• Subject matter expertise in global pharmacovigilance regulations, maintaining a strong, up-to-date working knowledge of evolving global requirements
• Experience with:
  • Preparing aggregate safety reports and conducting signal surveillance
  • clinical development including risk/benefit analysis and safety assessment
  • Risk management and minimization programs
• Proven skill set for strategic leadership in a cross functional matrix
• Strong analytical, problem solving, and scientific writing skills
• Demonstrated learning agility and ability to work independently
• Sound, independent judgement based on knowledge and expertise
• Advanced project leadership with strong organizational and prioritization skills
• Strong personal time-management and project-management skills
• Ability to interact effectively with people of multiple disciplines and cultures both within and outside the company on a global basis
• Understanding of downstream regulatory, patient, business, and reputational impact of PV actions

We Would Prefer You Have

• Expertise with clinical and safety databases
• Experience in MedDRA coding and search strategies
• Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Spotfire)
• Experience with various roles in drug safety (e.g., case processing, operations)
• Mastery of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $187K to $281K. Our positions offer eligibility for various incentives - an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

Date Posted

14-Aug-2026

Closing Date

31-Aug-2026

Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. In furtherance of that mission, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.