Senior Director, Oncology Pharmacology

Jazz Pharmaceuticals; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 232,000 - 348,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401k retirement savings plan

Flexible paid vacation

Job summary

A global biopharma company is seeking a leader for its oncology pharmacology team to manage projects from discovery through regulatory approval. The successful candidate will have demonstrated expertise in oncology drug development, strong project management skills, and the ability to mentor junior scientists. This role offers a competitive salary range of $232,000 to $348,000 alongside benefits such as medical, dental, and flexible vacation policies.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. with experience in leading early oncology programs.
• Strong foundation in preclinical oncology and various therapeutic modalities.
• Direct people management experience including mentoring and performance development.

Responsibilities

• Lead scientific team members on oncology assets from discovery to regulatory approval.
• Design and conduct experiments evaluating efficacy and mechanism of action.
• Mentor junior scientists and provide leadership.

Skills

Experience in oncology drug development

Interpersonal and negotiation skills

Project management skills

Analytical problem-solving skills

Education

Ph.D. in biology, biochemistry, immunology, pharmacology, or related discipline

Tools

GraphPad Prism

Job description

If you are a current Jazz employee please apply via the Internal Career site.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is a global biopharma company whose purpose is to innovate to transform the lives of patients and their families. We are dedicated to developing life-changing medicines for people with serious diseases - often with limited or no therapeutic options. We have a diverse portfolio of marketed medicines, including leading therapies for sleep disorders and epilepsy, and a growing portfolio of cancer treatments. Our patient-focused and science-driven approach powers pioneering research and development advancements across our robust pipeline of innovative therapeutics in oncology and neuroscience. Jazz is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland with research and development laboratories, manufacturing facilities and employees in multiple countries committed to serving patients worldwide. Please visit www.jazzpharmaceuticals.com for more information.

Brief Description

• This individual will be responsible for leading scientific team members assigned to oncology assets ranging from discovery through regulatory approval.
• This individual will both manage the oncology pharmacology team and serve a lead on one or more programs themselves.
• Primary responsibilities of the oncology pharmacology team include establishing efficacy in relevant disease models, demonstrating differentiation relative to relevant comparators, determining PK/PD/efficacy relationships, characterizing mechanisms of action, identifying predictive disease models, indications, and biomarkers, driving preclinical discovery, supporting research and development of Jazz products and drug candidates overall, and designing and executing studies that address clinically relevant priorities.
• Operational tasks include designing and executing experiments that are outsourced or performed by in-house bench researchers or academic collaborators, reviewing and contributing to clinical protocols, reviewing and authoring technical reports, coauthoring sections of regulatory documents ranging from IND to NDA/BLA submissions, and communicating relevant research at internal and external forums.
• The oncology pharmacology team cross-functional, including participation in matrix teams assigned to specific products that include but are not limited to Clinical Development, Bioanalytical, Toxicology, Clinical Pharmacology, Biomarkers Regulatory Affairs, and Project Management.
• Collaborate with and represent ORP on internal teams-to design, develop, implement, and oversee execution of strategies and experiments supporting nonclinical studies in hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

Essential Functions

• Design and execute experiments to elucidate efficacy, tolerability, mechanism of action, and biomarkers associated with complex combinations of multiple therapeutic modalities (small molecules, biologics, ADCs, bi-specifics, cell therapies, and other emerging platforms).
• Critically evaluate biochemical and cellular assays.
• Communicate effectively across JAZZ functional teams, highly matrixed, cross functional environments.
• Demonstrate strong interpersonal, negotiation, and influence skills.
• Independently develop experimental strategies, analyze data, and present results to nonclinical and governance-level teams.
• Collaborate with CROs to outsource studies, develop protocols, manage timelines and budgets, and partner with academic labs for Jazz sponsored research.
• Serve as a project team leader and/or as lead pharmacology representative across various oncology programs.
• Mentor junior scientists and providing scientific leadership and professional growth opportunities.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Industry experience evaluating therapeutic potential of drug candidates from hit to lead optimization through IND enabling studies, with deep expertise in oncology drug development.
• Broad background in preclinical oncology with strong familiarity with emerging therapeutic modalities, competitive landscapes, and strategic assessment of diverse drug mechanisms.
• Extensive experience in Immuno Oncology (I/O), including I/O relevant in vivo and in vitro models, immune cell biology, and integration of immunological endpoints into pharmacology programs.
• Demonstrated experience working across multiple drug modalities, including small molecules, biologics, ADCs, bi-specifics, T cell engagers, cell and gene therapies, and RNA based therapeutics.
• Strong foundational understanding of the interdependencies between Nonclinical Pharmacology, Toxicology, DMPK, and Clinical Pharmacology, including how these functions integrate to enable successful dose selection, therapeutic index characterization, risk assessment, and translational strategy.
• Deep understanding of cancer signaling pathways and their therapeutic exploitation.
• Proven experience leading multiple complex pharmacology programs at diverse CROs, including GLP and non-GLP environments.
• Expertise designing and executing studies evaluating efficacy, tolerability, mechanism of action, and biomarker strategies for small molecule and biologic agents.
• Ability to integrate preclinical and clinical datasets, innovate, and apply novel methodologies to advance therapeutic programs.
• Proficiency with analytical tools (e.g., GraphPad Prism) and biomarker data analysis.
• Direct people management experience, including mentorship, performance development, and leadership of scientific teams.
• Strong leadership qualities, self motivation, and demonstrated success networking across internal teams, academia, industry, and regulatory agencies.
• Excellent ability to assess program needs, oversee CRO activities, develop/review protocols, monitor execution, interpret results, and prepare high quality reports for regulatory submissions.
• Experience authoring nonclinical components of IND, NDA/BLA/MAA submissions, briefing packages, DSURs, IBs, and fast track designation documents, with proven ability to ensure alignment and scientific rigor.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple complex programs simultaneously.
• Demonstrated success leading in fast paced, highly matrixed environments, aligning diverse stakeholders and driving decision making.
• Strong analytical and creative problem-solving skills.
• Embody and model Jazz core values.

Required/Preferred Education and Licenses

• Ph.D. in biology, biochemistry, immunology, pharmacology, or a related discipline, with experience leading early oncology programs and developing nonclinical models for characterizing therapeutic efficacy and pharmacodynamics, including substantial oncology and immuno-oncology experience.

FOR US BASED CANDIDATES ONLY

Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices and we strive to provide employees with total compensation packages that are market competitive. For this role, the full and complete base pay range is: $232,000.00 - $348,000.00

Individual compensation paid within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, and other pertinent factors. The goal is to ensure fair and competitive compensation aligned with the candidate's expertise and contributions, within the established pay framework and our Total Compensation philosophy. Internal equity considerations will also influence individual base pay decisions. This range will be reviewed on a regular basis.

At Jazz, your base pay is only one part of your total compensation package. The successful candidate may also be eligible for a discretionary annual cash bonus or incentive compensation (depending on the role), in accordance with the terms of the Company's Global Cash Bonus Plan or Incentive Compensation Plan, as well as discretionary equity grants in accordance with Jazz's Long Term Equity Incentive Plan.

The successful candidate will also be eligible to participate in various benefits offerings, including, but not limited to, medical, dental and vision insurance, 401k retirement savings plan, and flexible paid vacation. For more information on our Benefits offerings please click here: https://careers.jazzpharma.com/benefits.html.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.