Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. Posted October 1, 2026

Associate Clinical Trials Director

US CA San Diego, United States Full time
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Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. 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

Who We Are:

Neurocrine Biosciences is a leading biopharmaceutical company with a simple purpose: to relieve suffering for people with great needs. We are dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing life-changing treatments for patients with under-addressed neurological, psychiatric, endocrine and immunological disorders. The company's diverse portfolio includes FDA-approved treatments for tardive dyskinesia, chorea associated with Huntington's disease, classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hyperphagia in Prader-Willi syndrome, endometriosis* and uterine fibroids*, as well as a robust pipeline including multiple compounds in mid- to late-phase clinical development across our core therapeutic areas. For more than three decades, we have applied our unique insight into neuroscience and the interconnections between brain and body systems to treat complex conditions. We relentlessly pursue medicines to ease the burden of debilitating diseases and disorders, because you deserve brave science. For more information, visit  neurocrine.com , and follow the company on  LinkedIn ,  X , Facebook and YouTube . ( *in collaboration with AbbVie )

About the Role:

Responsible for the overall management of the Clinical Operations team and may contribute to the development of strategic plans and objectives of the Clinical Operations team by executing Neurocrine's clinical studies (all phases). Ensures clinical study activities are conducted in compliance with FDA regulations, European Union (EU) Directive, International Conference of Harmonization (ICH) guidelines, and are in adherence with corporate and departmental Standard Operations Procedures (SOPs) and Good Clinical Practice (GCP). A key focus will be on the oversight of CROs, external vendors and internal stakeholders to ensure studies are conducted according to timelines, budgets, and resources to achieve program objectives and corporate goals. The Associate Director will also support the career development of multiple direct reports within the clinical operations group. _

Your Contributions (include, but are not limited to):

Contribute to the design and implementation of clinical strategies for area of responsibility and participate in formulating strategic plans and objectives for broader organization using internal and external resources

Provides leadership to the Clinical Operations study team (Clinical Trial Managers, Specialists, Clinical Trial Associates, and other subordinate employees)

Supports the tactical implementation and execution of the clinical development process (all phases) primarily for selected programs

Accountable for smaller subfunctions

Ensures program activities are conducted in compliance with FDA regulations, EU Directive and ICH guidelines, and are in adherence with corporate and departmental Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Good Clinical Practice (GCP)

In collaboration with the Outsourcing function, works with the Clinical Trial Manager or Sr. Clinical Trial Manager to manage vendor scopes individual study budgets, and change orders

Maintains clinical trial timelines to achieve corporate goals

Supports the creation and establishment of critical metrics to benchmark activities needed to develop and revise performance and reach and maintain the highest possible standards of excellence

Identifies and introduces process improvements within the clinical organization

In collaboration with Outsourcing, manages relationships and expectations with CROs, external vendors, and other clinical contract service providers. Act as point of contact with external bodies

Manages inter-department relationships (e.g., Regulatory, QA, DM, Stats, etc) to ensure adequate support for clinical programs as well as provide input into cross-functional meetings and documentation

Interfaces with Clinical Development by providing operational input to clinical protocols, clinical development plans, and clinical study reports

Support the recruitment, training, management, and career development of subordinates within the clinical operations group

Manages operational activities of clinical programs with corporate partners

Performs additional tasks and duties as assigned

Requirements:

BS/BA degree AND 12+ years of clinical trial management experience, including CRO/vendor management (domestic and international), monitoring of budget scope, clinical site monitoring or related experience required. OR

Master’s AND 10+ years of similar experience noted above

Anticipates business and industry issues; recommends relevant process / technical / service improvements

Demonstrates broad expertise or unique knowledge

Considered an expert within the company and may have external presence in area of expertise

Applies in-depth expertise in discipline and broad knowledge of other closely related areas to improve efficiency of team

Ability to work as part of and lead multiple teams

Good leadership, mentoring skills and abilities typically leads lower levels and/or indirect teams

Excellent computer skills

Excellent communications, problem-solving, analytical thinking skills

Sees broader picture and longer-term impact on division/company

Ability to meet multiple deadlines across a variety of projects/programs, with a high degree of accuracy and efficiency

Excellent project management, strong project leadership skills

Proven ability to work through others to deliver results to the appropriate quality and timeline metrics, monitoring/managing performance and providing feedback; experience productively partnering cross functionally and with customers to advance work effectively and efficiently

Proven ability at analyzing data and information to derive conclusions and drive sound decision making

Works to improve tools and processes within functional area

Detailed knowledge of clinical drug development process including working knowledge of ICH, GCPs, FDA regulations and EU directive

Ability to effectively manage, mentor and train personnel and ability to motivate and influence personnel to achieve goals

Expertise directing global studies, particularly in endocrine related indications and/or rare diseases

Strategic vendor management skills, particularly CROs or similar complexity

Must posses strong presentation and communication skills for internal and external presentations

Strong computer skills, organizational skills, interpersonal and team participation skills are essential

#LI-KM1

Neurocrine Biosciences is an EEO/Disability/Vets employer.

We are committed to building a workplace of belonging, respect, and empowerment , and we recognize there are a variety of ways to meet our requirements. We are looking for the best candidate for the job and encourage you to apply even if your experience or qualifications don’t line up to exactly what we have outlined in the job description.

_

The annual base salary we reasonably expect to pay is $173,600.00-$237,000.00. Individual pay decisions depend on various factors, such as primary work location, complexity and responsibility of role, job duties/requirements, and relevant experience and skills. In addition, this position offers an annual bonus with a target of 30% of the earned base salary and eligibility to participate in our equity based long term incentive program. Benefits offered include a retirement savings plan (with company match), paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans.

Job details

Seniority
Director
Function
Clinical Development
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
US CA San Diego, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Clinical Development role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 253 comparable Director Clinical Development roles across 48 biopharma companies.

253Comparable roles tracked
238Currently active
48Companies hiring similar roles
15Countries represented

Salary context

138 of 253 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 $173,600/yr – $237,000/yr
Peer group range $0 – $392,100 (median $273,300)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 253 comparable roles

United States204
United Kingdom13
Spain7
India7
Switzerland5
Germany3

+ 9 more countries

Seniority mix

253 of 253 peers have a known seniority level

Director191
Senior Director38
Principal24

Therapeutic area mix

88 of 253 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology51
Neuroscience10
Immunology8
Cardiovascular / CVRM6
Ophthalmology4
Respiratory4
Dermatology & Aesthetics3
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1
Rare Disease1

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Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

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.