Principal Scientist - Cardiometabolic Disorders - Obesity

BioSpace; Thousand Oaks (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement plan

Medical/Dental/Vision insurance

Life and disability insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Discretionary annual bonus

Stock-based incentives

Paid time off

Job summary

Amgen seeks a Principal Scientist for Cardiometabolic Diseases/Obesity to lead discovery and preclinical development of next-generation therapeutics. You will drive translational pharmacology to advance candidates, integrating human biology, in vitro, and in vivo data to guide decisions.

You will collaborate with biology, PK/PD, toxicology, and clinical teams, mentor staff, publish findings, and present strategy to leadership as part of a high‑impact program.

Qualifications

• Doctorate degree (PhD) or MD/PharmD with relevant post‑doc experience.
• Alternative: Masters with 5+ years in drug discovery research.
• Or Bachelors with 7 years of related drug discovery experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific leadership for obesity and related conditions drug discovery.
• Design translational pharmacology strategies from target validation to candidate selection.
• Lead cross‑functional discussions and influence program direction with data.

Skills

GPCR biology

pharmacology

data interpretation

cross-functional leadership

publication record

Education

PhD

MD

PharmD

Masters + 5 yrs exp

Bachelors + 7 yrs exp

Job description

Join Amgens Mission of Serving Patients

At Amgen, if you feel like youre part of something bigger, its because you are. Our shared missionto serve patients living with serious illnessesdrives all that we do.

Since 1980, weve helped pioneer the world of biotech in our fight against the worlds toughest diseases. With our focus on four therapeutic areas Oncology, Inflammation, General Medicine, and Rare Disease we reach millions of patients each year. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline of medicines to treat cancer, heart disease, inflammatory conditions, rare diseases, and obesity and obesity-related conditions. As a member of the Amgen team, youll help make a lasting impact on the lives of patients as we research, manufacture, and deliver innovative medicines to help people live longer, fuller happier lives.

Our award-winning culture is collaborative, innovative, and science based. If you have a passion for challenges and the opportunities that lay within them, youll thrive as part of the Amgen team. Join us and transform the lives of patients while transforming your career.

Principal Scientist Cardiometabolic Diseases/Obesity and Related Conditions.

What you will do

Lets do this. Lets change the world. In this vital role you will provide scientific leadership for the discovery and preclinical development of next-generation therapeutics for obesity and related conditions. You will lead the design and execution of translational pharmacology strategies to advance innovative therapeutic candidates from target validation through candidate selection.

As a Principal Scientist, you will drive scientific excellence across multiple discovery programs by integrating human biology, in vitro pharmacology, and in vivo efficacy studies to establish a robust pharmacological understanding and enable data-driven decision making. You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams spanning biology, protein engineering, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, biomarker sciences, computational biology, and clinical development.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide scientific leadership for obesity and related conditions drug discovery programs from target identification and validation through candidate selection.
• Develop and implement translational pharmacology strategies to evaluate novel therapeutic mechanisms and optimize candidate molecules.
• Design, oversee, and interpret in vitro and in vivo pharmacology studies, including efficacy, mechanism-of-action, PK/PD, and biomarker investigations.
• Lead cross-functional scientific discussions and influence program direction through rigorous data interpretation and critical thinking.
• Identify and implement innovative pharmacology approaches and emerging technologies to advance GPCR-targeted drug discovery.
• Mentor and develop scientists while fostering scientific excellence, innovation, and collaboration.
• Present scientific findings and recommendations to project teams, senior leadership, and external scientific audiences.
• Contribute to publications, presentations, and scientific strategy that strengthen Amgen's obesity research portfolio.

What we expect of you

We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. The Principal Scientist we seek is an accomplished scientific leader with these qualifications.

Basic Qualifications

• Doctorate degree PhD
• OR
• PharmD
• OR
• MD [and relevant post-doc where applicable] and 2 years of experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or related drug discovery research
• OR
• Masters degree and 5 years of experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or related drug discovery research
• OR
• Bachelors degree and 7 years of experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or related drug discovery research

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in Pharmacology, Physiology, Endocrinology, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, or a related scientific discipline with 5+ years of experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology drug discovery.
• Extensive expertise in GPCR biology, pharmacology, and signaling, with a deep understanding of receptor pharmacology, signal transduction, and mechanism-of-action studies.
• Demonstrated experience developing, optimizing, and applying GPCR-based in vitro pharmacology assays, including functional signaling assays, ligand-binding assays, receptor internalization, -arrestin, cAMP, calcium mobilization, and pathway-selective (biased signaling) analyses.
• Strong expertise in pharmacological characterization of peptide, antibody, multispecific, or other biologic therapeutics.
• Experience designing and interpreting in vivo pharmacology studies to support target validation, mechanism-of-action, and candidate selection.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate in vitro pharmacology, in vivo efficacy, PK/PD, biomarker, and human biology data to guide scientific decisions and advance discovery programs.
• Proven scientific leadership with the ability to independently develop innovative scientific strategies, solve complex biological problems, and influence multidisciplinary project teams.
• Experience mentoring scientists and leading cross-functional collaborations in a fast-paced drug discovery environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a strong track record of publications, presentations, and scientific contributions.
• Demonstrated creativity, scientific curiosity, and a passion for discovering transformative therapies for patients with obesity and related metabolic diseases.

What you can expect of us

As we work to develop treatments that take care of others, we also work to care for your professional and personal growth and well-being. From our competitive benefits to our collaborative culture, well support your journey every step of the way.

The expected annual salary range for this role in the U.S. (excluding Puerto Rico) is posted. Actual salary will vary based on several factors including but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.

In Addition To The Base Salary, Amgen Offers a Total Rewards Plan, Based On Eligibility, Comprising Of Health And Welfare Plans For Staff And Eligible Dependents, Financial Plans With Opportunities To Save Towards Retirement Or Other Goals, Work/life Balance, And Career Development Opportunities That May Include

• A comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts
• A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales-based incentive plan
• Stock-based long-term incentives
• Award-winning time-off plans
• Flexible work models where possible. Refer to the Work Location Type in the job posting to see if this applies.

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Application deadline

Amgen does not have an application deadline for this position; we will continue accepting applications until we receive a sufficient number or select a candidate for the position.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship for this role is not guaranteed.

As an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people around the world, Amgen fosters an inclusive environment of diverse, ethical, committed and highly accomplished people who respect each other and live the Amgen values to continue advancing science to serve patients. Together, we compete in the fight against serious disease.

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.