Principal Scientist - Obesity & Cardiometabolic Therapeutics

Amgen SA; Thousand Oaks (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Amgen in Thousand Oaks seeks a Principal Scientist to lead discovery and preclinical development for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases. You will design translational pharmacology strategies and guide candidate selection across multiple programs, collaborating with biology, pharmacokinetics, and clinical development teams.

The role requires a PhD or equivalent with 5+ years in drug discovery, deep GPCR biology expertise, and strong leadership and collaboration skills.

Qualifications

• PhD in Pharmacology or related field with 5+ years in drug discovery.
• Experience leading cross-functional discovery programs.
• Strong publication and collaboration track record.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific leadership for obesity drug discovery programs from target identification through candidate selection.
• Develop translational pharmacology strategies to evaluate novel mechanisms and optimize candidates.
• Design, oversee, and interpret in vitro/in vivo pharmacology studies (PK/PD, efficacy, mechanism of action).
• Lead cross-functional scientific discussions and influence program direction with data-driven decisions.
• Mentor scientists and foster collaboration across biology, pharmacokinetics, toxicology, biomarker sciences, and clinical development.
• Present findings to project teams, senior leadership, and external audiences.
• Contribute to publications, presentations, and scientific strategy for obesity research portfolio.

Skills

GPCR biology

Pharmacology

Data integration

Scientific leadership

Mentoring

Education

PhD in Pharmacology

PharmD

MD with drug discovery experience

Master's degree

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Amgen in Thousand Oaks seeks a Principal Scientist to lead discovery and preclinical development for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases. You will design translational pharmacology strategies and guide candidate selection across multiple programs, collaborating with biology, pharmacokinetics, and clinical development teams.

The role requires a PhD or equivalent with 5+ years in drug discovery, deep GPCR biology expertise, and strong leadership and collaboration skills.