Merck KGaA Posted June 28, 2026

Scientific Director, Translational Quantitative Pharmacology (TQP)

Billerica, Massachusetts, United States FULL_TIME
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research Director

Merck KGaA is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Work Your Magic with us!  Start your next chapter and join EMD Serono.

Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

United As One for Patients, our purpose in Healthcare is to help create, improve and prolong lives. We develop medicines, intelligent devices and innovative technologies in therapeutic areas such as Oncology, Neurology and Fertility. Our teams work together across 6 continents with passion and relentless curiosity in order to help patients at every stage of life. Joining our Healthcare team is becoming part of a diverse, inclusive and flexible working culture, presenting great opportunities for personal development and career advancement across the globe.

Your Role:

The role of Scientific Director, Translational Quantitative Pharmacology, in Quantitative Pharmacology within the broader Clinical Measurement Sciences organization, is a scientific and cross-functional role, responsible for developing and executing Model Informed Drug Development (MIDD) plans and strategies from the early translational to the late-stage clinical development in cross functional drug discovery and development project teams in close collaboration with colleagues in Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacometrics, Biostatistics, Data Sciences, Patient-Focused Real-World Evidence, Clinical Biomarkers and Diagnostics, Research, Clinical Development and other colleagues within the R&D organization.

In this role, the incumbent will participate in activities to strengthen quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) platform and fit for project capabilities by contributing to the strategic use of QSP and translational PKPD methodologies across disease areas, in alignment with the clinical development plan. There will be close engagement with all key stakeholders to ensure timely and high-quality pharmacometrics deliverables for the program.

The incumbent will be responsible for translational modeling and simulation activities executed internally or in collaboration with external CROs and will provide close scientific and technical supervision. The incumbent will also be expected to independently manage multiple projects simultaneously and participate in discussions and presentations.

This position reports to the Global Head of Translational Quantitative Pharmacology.

Location: Hybrid (3x/week in office) role based in Billerica, MA

 

Key Accountabilities:

• To be an independent contributor in the field of translational quantitative pharmacology and QSP and  to help advance the fundamental science of the field, to help guide, educate, mentor and contribute to the success of the discipline within the company.

• To be able to independently develop quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) models that will inform compound progression decisions from lead optimization to clinical proof of concept and beyond for the immunology and oncology pipelines for all modalities of interest.

• Responsible for performing human PK predictions and quantitative DDI predictions, the design and analysis of pre-clinical PK/PD experiments and data to support preclinical development, and translational PK/PD analyses to support FIH dose estimates for all modalities of interest.

• To develop quantitative systems toxicological (QST) models or use commercially available software tools to understand and quantify toxicological signals such as cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, dermal, and heme to determine the therapeutic index and help guide project decisions

• To be able to interact with various project team members in a clear and timely manner, understanding the functions of other team members and being able to explain and educate model-based analyses and results to team members from various backgrounds

• Work in a dynamic team with frequent interactions, both within the team and with associated functions, and will be responsible for the development and implementation of innovative modeling and simulation platforms/strategy that ensure that the right drug is administered to the right patient at the right dosage.

• The candidate will contribute to the preparation and presentation of both internal and external documentation (e.g. Investigator’s Brochure, IND, CTD) and program strategy.

Who You Are:

Minimum Qualifications:

PhD in Pharmaceutical sciences, Biomedical/Chemical Engineering, Quantitative Biology, Systems Biology, or Applied Mathematics

5+ years of experience with hands-on systems modeling and application of MIDD principles in a drug-development setting.

Position requires both domestic and international travel up to 20% of time

 

Preferred Qualifications:

Excellent knowledge of the theory and principles of Quantitative Systems Pharmacology plus hands-on competence in mathematical modeling of pharmacologic effects with mechanism-based models using relevant software or programming languages (e.g., MATLAB/SimBiology, Monolix,R).

Advanced experience in applying translational PK/PD M&S including QSP approaches in research and early clinical development to inform confidence in target/ mechanism, dose/ regimen, and combinations.

Solid knowledge of basic principles of biology and pharmacology at the organismal, cellular and molecular level, preferably in one or more of the following areas: oncology, immuno-oncology, immunology, and molecular biology

Ability to rapidly assimilate knowledge of complex biology of drug action for novel mechanisms and transform such understanding into multi-scale mathematical models, with requisite mathematical and computational proficiency

Experience in applying PBPK modeling and simulation using relevant software or ability to build PBPK models from the ground up (e.g., MATLAB, Simcyp, GastroPlus)

Ability to mentor, educate and explain modeling concepts and approaches to colleagues within QP/CMS and the larger organization as well

Flexibility and keen pursuit of innovation throughout all phases of the drug discovery and development process

A desire to develop and grow by way of taking responsibility and engaging in additional tasks and operations.

Ability to work independently and deliver results in a timely manner

Publications in conference proceedings and peer-reviewed journals is desirable

Pay Range for this position: $160,100 - 260,700

The offer range represents the anticipated low and high end of the base pay compensation for this position. The actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level of experience, education, skills, and other job-related factors. Position may be eligible for sales or performance-based bonuses. Benefits offered by the Company include health insurance, paid time off (PTO), retirement contributions, and other perquisites. For more information click  here .

What we offer: We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!

Apply now and become a part of a team that is dedicated to Sparking Discovery and Elevating Humanity!

Job details

Seniority
Director
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Billerica, Massachusetts, United States
Employment type
FULL_TIME

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 98 comparable Director Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 25 biopharma companies.

98Comparable roles tracked
95Currently active
25Companies hiring similar roles
9Countries represented

Salary context

43 of 98 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $160,100/yr – $260,700/yr
Peer group range $129,125 – $322,650 (median $224,445)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 98 comparable roles

United States85
China3
United Kingdom3
India2
Spain1
Switzerland1

+ 3 more countries

Seniority mix

98 of 98 peers have a known seniority level

Principal57
Director28
Senior Director13

Therapeutic area mix

21 of 98 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology11
Cardiovascular / CVRM4
Immunology3
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1
Neuroscience1
Respiratory1

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How we calculate "similar"

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Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

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Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.