Senior Principal Scientist, Pharmacokinetics

MSD; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 194,000 - 306,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Long-term incentive

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

MSD in South San Francisco seeks a Senior Principal Scientist to provide scientific leadership across DMPK for drug conjugates and related modalities, partnering with discovery biology, translational sciences, clinical development, bioanalytical, toxicology, chemistry, and program teams to enable data-driven decisions from early discovery through candidate nomination and FIH execution.

You will guide cross-functional teams on ADME, PK/PD, bioanalysis, and regulatory strategies, while developing

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in DMPK, ADME, PK, and translational science with impact on discovery/development programs.
• Deep expertise in ADME, PK/PD, bioanalysis, and translational interpretation for complex modalities.
• Proven ability to interpret in vitro/in vivo data to enable dose projection and regulatory strategy.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific leadership for DMPK strategy supporting drug conjugates and novel modalities.
• Represent DMPK on cross-functional teams, integrating ADME, PK/PD, bioanalytical, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical perspectives to guide decisions.
• Lead development of translational plans for lead optimization, human dose projection, and regulatory packages.
• Oversee LM ADME experimentation strategy and capabilities.
• Identify DMPK-related opportunities, liabilities, and resource needs across programs.
• Author and present nonclinical packages for regulatory submissions and internal decisions.
• Directly manage and develop investigators, fostering growth and prioritization.
• Monitor external scientific advances and integrate innovations into strategy.
• Collaborate with internal teams, partners, and CROs to deliver high-impact DMPK data.

Skills

DMPK

ADME

PK

PK/PD

Bioanalysis

Conjugates

Leadership

Mentoring

Regulatory strategy

Education

Master’s degree with 15+ years or PhD with 12+ years in pharmacokinetics or DMPK

Job description

The South San Francisco DMPK organization is seeking an accomplished and highly collaborative Senior Principal Scientist to provide scientific leadership across drug conjugate discovery and development programs, support strategic portfolio decisions, and advance DMPK capabilities for emerging modalities. This individual will partner closely with discovery biology, translational sciences, clinical development, bioanalytical, toxicology, chemistry, and program teams to enable data-driven decision making from early discovery through clinical candidate nomination and FIH execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide scientific leadership for DMPK strategy supporting drug conjugates and related novel modalities.
• Represent DMPK on cross-functional discovery and development teams, integrating ADME, PK, PK/PD, bioanalytical, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical pharmacology perspectives to guide program decisions.
• Lead the development and implementation of fit-for-purpose DMPK screening funnels and translational plans to support lead optimization, candidate selection, human dose projection, and regulatory packages.
• Provide scientific oversight for LM ADME experimentation strategy and capabilities.
• Contribute to portfolio management by identifying DMPK-related opportunities, liabilities, resource needs, and decision points across programs.
• Author, review, and present high-quality scientific documents, nonclinical packages as part of regulatory submissions, project updates, and decision-making materials for internal and external stakeholders.
• Directly manage and develop a group of investigators and scientific experts, setting clear scientific expectations, enabling effective prioritization and execution, and fostering continued growth of technical and leadership capabilities.
• Monitor external scientific advances in conjugates, ADME, translational PK/PD, bioanalysis, and emerging modalities, and integrate relevant innovations into internal strategy.
• Collaborate effectively with internal teams, external partners, and contract research organizations to ensure efficient delivery of high-impact DMPK data packages.

Education

• Master's (with 15+ years) or Ph.D. (with 12+ years) in pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism, pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacology, bioengineering, chemistry, biochemistry, biological sciences, or a related discipline with significant experience in DMPK, ADME, translational pharmacology, or biologics/conjugate drug development.

Required Experience and Skills

• Extensive experience in DMPK, ADME, pharmacokinetics, translational science, or related disciplines, with a strong record of scientific impact in discovery and/or development programs.
• Deep scientific expertise in ADME, PK, PK/PD, bioanalysis, and translational interpretation, with demonstrated ability to apply these disciplines to complex modalities such as drug conjugates, biologics, or other novel therapeutic platforms.
• Proven ability to design, interpret, and integrate in vitro and in vivo data to enable program progression, candidate selection, human PK projection, dose selection, and regulatory strategy.
• Demonstrated experience serving as a DMPK representative or scientific leader on cross-functional project teams and influencing program strategy through clear, data-driven recommendations.
• Strong understanding of nonclinical-to-clinical translation, IND-enabling requirements, and the role of DMPK data in regulatory submissions and clinical development planning.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex scientific concepts clearly to technical, cross-functional, and senior leadership audiences.
• Strong collaboration, mentoring, and talent development skills, with a commitment to building an inclusive, high-performing scientific culture.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Track record of scientific leadership, including shaping strategy, solving complex problems, leading matrixed teams, and driving decisions in a fast-paced portfolio environment.
• Experience with small molecule ADME drug discovery applicable to conjugate discovery and development.
• Familiarity with model-informed drug discovery and development approaches, including translational PK/PD, PBPK, population PK, exposure-response, or human dose projection.
• Demonstrated external scientific visibility through publications, conference presentations, consortia participation, or cross-industry engagement.

Required Skills

ADME, Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC), Biologics, DMPK, Drug Metabolism, In Vitro Assays, People Management, Pharmacodynamics, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacology, Portfolio Management, Scientific Leadership, Talent Development, Translational Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics (PKPD)

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:

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The salary range for this role is $194,100.00 - $305,600.00 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

Employee Status: Regular
Relocation: Domestic/International
VISA Sponsorship: Yes
Travel Requirements: 10%
Flexible Work Arrangements: Not Applicable
Shift: 1st - Day
Valid Driving License: No
Hazardous Material(s): N/A
Job Posting End Date: 09/30/2026