Target Validation Sr Director

Amgen; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 265,405 - 312,459; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive employee benefits package

Retirement and Savings Plan

Discretionary annual bonus program

Stock-based long-term incentives

Flexible work models

Job summary

Amgen is seeking a Senior Director of Global Research – Target Discovery in South San Francisco. The role involves leading a team of about 25 scientists, driving innovative research in the field of target validation for therapeutic areas including oncology and inflammation. Ideal candidates will have a doctoral degree and extensive experience in scientific leadership within biotech or pharmaceutical environments. Competitive salary range is $265,405 - $312,459 with comprehensive benefits including bonuses and flexible work models.

Qualifications

• PhD with 7+ years in biotech, pharma, or relevant research.
• Master’s with 10+ years or Bachelor’s with 12+ years of leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead a multidisciplinary team of ~25 scientists.
• Drive AI/ML integration for efficient experimentation.
• Collaborate with therapeutic area stakeholders.

Skills

Leadership in scientific environments

Integration of experimental science and AI/ML

Expertise in biochemistry and molecular biology

Team building and mentorship

Strong communication skills

Education

Doctorate degree in relevant discipline

Master’s degree in relevant discipline

Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline

Job description

Join Amgen’s Mission of Serving Patients. At Amgen, if you feel like you’re part of something bigger, it’s because you are. Our shared mission—to serve patients living with serious illnesses—drives all that we do. Since 1980, we’ve helped pioneer the world of biotech in our fight against the world’s toughest diseases. With our focus on four therapeutic areas—Oncology, Inflammation, General Medicine, and Rare Disease—we reach millions of patients each year. As a member of the Amgen team, you’ll help make a lasting impact on the lives of patients as we research, manufacture, and deliver innovative medicines to help people live longer, fuller, happier lives.

Target Validation Sr Director

What You Will Do

Let’s do this. Let’s change the world. In this vital role as Senior Director, Global Research – Target Discovery you will have the opportunity to shape and lead Amgen’s Target Validation Unit within Research Biology.

This research-based Senior Director role will be responsible for building, leading and developing a multidisciplinary team that implements the most cutting‑edge experimental and computational science and technologies to address and solve complex biological problems related to target discovery for multiple therapeutic areas.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary organization of ~25 scientists within Research Biology
• Integrate diverse experimental disciplines and workflows to ensure coordinated execution and efficient delivery of novel molecular insights
• Establish platform priorities, resource allocation, and capacity planning in alignment with Research Biology and Therapeutic Area priorities
• Define clear roles, responsibilities, and seamless handoffs across teams and partnering organizations
• Drive adoption of automated experimental workflows, and integration of AI/ML to enable efficient experimentation across programs
• Serve as a senior scientific partner to Target Discovery and Therapeutic Areas
• Set clear expectations and enable scientists with diverse skill sets to collaborate effectively and contribute to early research pipeline
• Serve as a core member of Target Discovery Advisory Forum, and play a key role in target discovery, validation and prioritization. Engage, influence, and align therapeutic area stakeholders.
• Guide team members in synthesizing and communicating complex scientific and data‑driven insights to key stakeholders and advisory forum.
• Contribute to fostering a highly collaborative, creative, dynamic and cutting‑edge research environment

What We Expect Of You

We are all different, yet we all use our unique contributions to serve patients. The candidate we seek is an experienced scientific leader with the following qualifications.

Basic Qualifications

• Doctorate degree (PhD) in biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, computational biology, immunology, oncology, metabolism or a relevant discipline and 7 years of scientific leadership experience in biotech, pharma or equivalent research environments
• Master’s degree in biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, computational biology, immunology, oncology, metabolism or a relevant discipline and 10 years of scientific leadership experience in biotech, pharma or equivalent research environments
• Bachelor’s degree in biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, computational biology, immunology, oncology, metabolism or a relevant discipline and 12 years of scientific leadership experience in biotech, pharma or equivalent research environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading mechanistic discovery research programs and –omics platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate experimental science with enterprise data, analytics, or AI/ML capabilities.
• Appreciation for and experience with application of genetics, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, structural and AI/ML approaches to biological research.
• Proven track record of scientific impact in molecular, biochemical and cell biological characterization, evidenced by publications in top‑tier journals, patents, and program advancement.
• Recognized scientific excellence, passion for discovery research and productivity.
• Experience managing budgets and capital investments.
• Demonstrated success in identifying, attracting, and retaining scientific talent.
• Proven mentorship and team development experience.
• Strength in team building.
• Clear and compelling communicator.

What You Can Expect Of Us

As we work to develop treatments that take care of others, we also work to care for your professional and personal growth and well‑being. From our competitive benefits to our collaborative culture, we’ll support your journey every step of the way.

The annual base salary range for this opportunity in the U.S. is $265,405 - $312,459.

Benefits

In addition to the base salary, Amgen offers a Total Rewards Plan, based on eligibility, comprising health and welfare plans for staff and eligible dependents, financial plans with opportunities to save towards retirement or other goals, work/life balance, and career development opportunities that may include:

• A comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts
• A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales‑based incentive plan
• Stock‑based long‑term incentives
• Award‑winning time‑off plans
• Flexible work models where possible. Refer to the Work Location Type in the job posting to see if this applies.

Apply now and make a lasting impact with the Amgen team.

Amgen is an Equal Opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by applicable law. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.