Senior Director, Clinical Pharmacology

Keros Therapeutics, Inc.; Lexington (MA); On-site; USD 221,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Keros Therapeutics, Inc. is seeking a Senior Director, Clinical Pharmacology to provide strategic leadership for PK, PD, and MIDD across our R&D portfolio.

The role leads modeling and simulation activities from pre-IND through early clinical phases and global trials, coordinating cross-functional teams and regulatory interactions. You will oversee NCA, population PK/PK-PD, exposure–response analyses, and trial simulations; manage external CROs and pharmacometrics vendors; mentor junior

Qualifications

• An advanced degree (Ph.D., Pharm.D., or M.D.) in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacology, Pharmacometrics, or a highly quantitative scientific discipline
• Minimum of 8 to 10+ years of direct pharmaceutical or biotech industry experience specializing in clinical pharmacology, pharmacometrics, and drug development with a clear track record of increasing leadership responsibility

Responsibilities

• Define and lead global clinical pharmacology and quantitative M&S strategies for small molecules and biologics from pre-IND through Phase 2/3 and global submissions
• Serve as the clinical pharmacology SME on cross-functional program teams and influence pipeline and strategy through quantitative frameworks
• Independently perform and oversee NCA, population PK, PK/PD, exposure–response analyses and trial simulations to answer development questions
• Direct the design, execution, analysis, and reporting of clinical pharmacology protocols (e.g., ADME, DDI, BA/BE, special populations)
• Author, review, and defend regulatory components and represent Keros in FDA/EMA interactions
• Cultivate cross-functional partnerships across DMPK, Toxicology, Biology, Translational Medicine, Biometrics, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Operations, and CMC
• Select, onboard, and manage CROs and pharmacometrics vendors to ensure timely, budget-conscious deliverables
• Lead ongoing optimization of internal clinical pharmacology and M&S platforms with new tools and SOPs
• Supervise and develop junior scientists and quantitative modelers

Skills

Clinical pharmacology strategy

M&S leadership

NCA analyses

Population PK/PK-PD

Regulatory submissions

Cross-functional collaboration

Vendor management

MIDD

DMPK collaboration

Education

Ph.D./Pharm.D./M.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences or related

Tools

Phoenix WinNonlin

SAS

Python

Julia

MATLAB

Job description

At Keros, our mission is to deliver significant clinical benefit to a wide range of patients with disorders that are linked to dysfunctional signaling of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-ß) family of proteins. With a focus on developing differentiated product candidates that are designed to alter TGF-β signaling, we aim to target the pathways critical for the growth, repair and maintenance of blood cells and a number of tissues, including bone, skeletal muscle, adipose and heart tissue. We believe our product candidates have the potential to unlock the full therapeutic benefits of modulating the TGF-β superfamily and provide disease-modifying benefit to patients.

Job Summary

The Senior Director, Clinical Pharmacology will provide strategic leadership and operational accountability for clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), and model-informed drug development (MIDD) strategies across our R&D portfolio. This individual will lead modeling and simulation (M&S) activities from pre-IND through early clinical phases, late-stage global registrational trials and health authority approvals (NDA/BLA/MAA).

Primary Responsibilities

• Define, champion, and execute the global clinical pharmacology and quantitative M&S strategies for small molecules and biologics from pre-IND/first-in-human through Phase 2/3 and global marketing submissions
• Serve as the clinical pharmacology Subject Matter Expert (SME) on cross-functional program teams; proactively influence pipeline and clinical development strategy through quantitative logic and modeling frameworks
• Independently perform and oversee fitness-for-purpose quantitative analyses including non-compartmental analysis (NCA), population PK, PK/PD, exposure-response (E-R), and clinical trial simulations to answer critical development questions
• Direct the design, execution, analysis, interpretation, and reporting of dedicated clinical pharmacology protocols (e.g., human ADME, drug-drug interactions [DDIs], food effect, BA/BE, and special populations such as renal or hepatic impairment)
• Author, review, and defend clinical pharmacology components of regulatory dossiers including INDs, IBs, CTAs, NDAs, BLAs, MAAs, briefing documents, and response panels; represent Keros in face-to-face health authority (FDA, EMA) interactions
• Cultivate deep cross-functional partnerships with internal stakeholders across DMPK, Toxicology, Biology, Translational Medicine, Biometrics, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Operations, and CMC
• Select onboard, and manage external Contract Research Organizations (CROs) and strategic pharmacometrics vendors to ensure high-quality, time-sensitive deliverables within budgetary targets
• Lead the continuous optimization of Keros' internal clinical pharmacology and M&S platforms by identifying, evaluating, and adopting state-of-the-art computational tools, analytical methodologies, and departmental SOPs
• Supervise, mentor, and actively develop junior scientists and quantitative modelers through both direct reporting lines and matrixed project structures

Qualifications

• Proven expertise in developing and implementing clinical pharmacology/M&S strategies for large molecules/biologics, with deep familiarity in managing PK/PD complexities unique to biologics (e.g., immunogenicity, antibody-drug conjugates, ligand traps, and TMDD)
• Deep hands-on proficiency with standard industrial M&S software platforms (e.g., Phoenix WinNonlin) is required. Secondary familiarity with SAS, Python, Julia, or MATLAB is highly valued
• Solid history of authoring regulatory submission documents (NDAs, BLAs, MAAs) accompanied by direct experience defending dosing strategies and data packages to global health authorities
• In-depth knowledge of regulatory requirements related to clinical pharmacology, M&S, and drug development
• Outstanding written and verbal communication competencies, with a demonstrated knack for articulating complex quantitative data to non-modeling colleagues and executive leadership teams
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and collaboratively on cross-functional teams
• Strong project management skills and ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Experience in managing external vendors is required
• Prior background or deep scientific familiarity with neuromuscular or neurodegenerative disease areas is strongly preferred

Education and Experience

• An advanced degree (Ph.D., Pharm.D., or M.D.) in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacology, Pharmacometrics, or a highly quantitative scientific discipline
• Minimum of 8 to 10+ years of direct pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry experience specializing in clinical pharmacology, pharmacometrics, and drug development with a clear track record of increasing leadership responsibility

This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, and other relevant factors.

Potential base pay range

$221,000 – $250,000 USD

Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Mission Statement

Keros is an inclusive company. We believe that diversity drives innovation. We continue to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports, and celebrates the diverse voices of our employees. As such, Keros takes a holistic approach in mentoring, coaching, and developing all of our Keros team members.

Keros Therapeutics is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex including sexual orientation and gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.