Principal Scientist, Translational Clinical Biomarkers

Merck; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 173,000 - 273,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Long-term incentive program

Benefits package

Job summary

Merck & Co., Inc. in San Francisco seeks a Principal Scientist to provide strategic biomarker leadership across Neuroscience programs, guiding translational and clinical biomarker strategies from early through late development.

The role emphasizes integrating disease biology, mechanism, pharmacodynamics, and patient heterogeneity to inform decisions on target engagement, dose, and patient stratification, while mentoring scientists and representing biomarker strategy in cross‑functional teams.

Qualifications

• Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent with 10+ years in neuroscience, translational medicine, biomarker science, or related fields.
• Experience developing and executing translational or clinical biomarker strategies.
• Ability to lead cross-functional scientific work in a matrixed environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and ability to influence stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead integrated biomarker strategies across Neuroscience programs.
• Translate biology and mechanism into translational hypotheses.
• Define how biomarkers inform biology, dose, and patient stratification.
• Serve as biomarker representative on cross-functional teams.
• Lead interpretation of biomarker and clinical data to actionable recommendations.
• Mentor biomarker scientists and drive collaborations.
• Drive publications, presentations, and external partnerships.

Skills

Biomarker strategy development

Translational biomarker science

Cross-functional leadership

Data interpretation

Strategic thinking

Scientific communication

Biostatistics / bioinformatics

Education

Ph.D./M.D. or equivalent advanced scientific degree

Job description

Job Description

We are seeking an accomplished and highly motivated Principal Scientist to provide strategic and scientific biomarker leadership across programs within the Neuroscience portfolio. This role will lead the design, execution, analysis, and communication of translational and clinical biomarker strategies across programs spanning early through late clinical development.

The successful candidate will develop decision-centric biomarker strategies that integrate therapeutic mechanism, disease biology, pharmacodynamics, patient heterogeneity, dose and regimen selection, clinical endpoints, and opportunities for precision medicine. Biomarker plans will focus on generating high-value, interpretable evidence that informs program decisions and drive clinical development.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and lead integrated biomarker strategies across Neuroscience programs, in partnership with cross-functional development teams.
• Translate disease biology and therapeutic mechanism into clear translational hypotheses and fit‑for‑purpose biomarker approaches.
• Define how biomarkers can inform key development questions including proof of biology, target engagement, dose and regimen selection, patient stratification, response assessment, and go/no‑go decisions.
• Ensure biomarker strategies are focused and scalable, with clear linkage between the development question, proposed measurement, expected result, and potential action.
• Serve as the biomarker representative on cross‑functional program teams and provide strategic biomarker input to program‑level decision making.
• Partner closely with Discovery, Clinical Development, Quantitative Sciences, Regulatory, Data Science, Clinical Operations, and other functions to develop integrated translational strategies.
• Lead the interpretation of biomarker and clinical datasets and translate complex findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Identify opportunities to understand disease heterogeneity, therapeutic response, resistance or non‑response, and biological drivers of clinical outcomes.
• Develop biomarker strategies to address areas such as target engagement, pathway modulation, disease biology, pharmacodynamic response, and patient stratification, utilizing modalities such as fluid sampling, imaging, or digital, as appropriate.
• Evaluate emerging biomarker technologies and analytical approaches based on their ability to address meaningful development questions.
• Communicate biomarker strategies, results, risks, and recommendations clearly to cross‑functional teams and key stakeholders.
• Provide scientific guidance and mentorship to biomarker scientists and contribute to a collaborative, strategically focused biomarker organization.
• Drive publications, scientific presentations, external collaborations, and interactions with key external experts as appropriate.

Qualifications

Education

Ph.D., M.D., or equivalent advanced scientific degree with 10+ years of relevant experience in neuroscience, translational medicine, neurobiology, biomarker science, drug development, or a related discipline.

Required Experience And Skills

• Significant experience developing and executing translational or clinical biomarker strategies in drug development.
• Scientific expertise relevant to one or more areas within neuroscience, neurodegeneration, neurological disorders, psychiatry, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated ability to translate scientific hypotheses into biomarker strategies that inform clinical development decisions.
• Strong understanding of the relationship between mechanism of action, disease biology, pharmacology, biomarkers, clinical endpoints, and development strategy.
• Ability to lead cross‑functional scientific work in a matrixed environment and influence without direct authority.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, including the ability to synthesize complex datasets into clear, decision‑oriented conclusions.
• Ability to prioritize high‑value, decision‑enabling biomarker work and distinguish it from lower‑priority exploratory activities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to communicate scientific strategy to stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of biostatistics, bioinformatics, quantitative sciences, and multidimensional biomarker data analysis.
• Strategic mindset with a focus on scientific rigor, prioritization, scalability, and generation of actionable evidence.

Preferred Experience And Skills

• Experience supporting programs across multiple stages of clinical development.
• Experience with pharmacodynamic, predictive, prognostic, patient‑stratification, or precision‑medicine biomarker strategies.
• Experience in neuroscience drug development (e.g. neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s).
• Experience working across multiple programs or therapeutic areas.
• Experience mentoring or providing scientific direction to other scientists.

Required Skills

Biomarkers, Clinical Development, Clinical Research, Clinical Study Design, Data Translation, Ethical Compliance, Ethical Standards, Mechanism of Action, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neurological Disorders, Neuroscience, Patient Care, Personalized Medicine, Pharmacodynamics, Scientific Presentations, Scientific Writing, Strategic Thinking, Translational Medicine.

US And Puerto Rico Residents Only

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

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: EEOC Know Your Rights. EEOC GINA Supplement. 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. Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts.

Salary Range

The salary range for this role is $173,200.00 - $272,600.00. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

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

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include 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.

San Francisco Residents Only

We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

Los Angeles Residents Only

We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully

Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company 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.

Employee Status

Regular

Relocation

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship

No

Travel Requirements

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements

Hybrid

Shift

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License

No

Hazardous Material(s)

N/A

Job Posting End Date

10/26/2026

• 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.