Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. Posted October 6, 2026

Associate Director, Analytical Development (Small Molecule)

US CA San Diego, United States Full time
Manufacturing & CMC Associate Director
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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 )

At Neurocrine, strong leadership drives both business results and team success. We look for leaders who think strategically, anticipate what’s ahead and set clear direction, while building and empowering high-performing teams. Successful leaders foster an environment where people are motivated to do their best work and deliver meaningful, measurable impact through sound decision-making and accountability.

 About the Role:

Provides scientific and people leadership for an area within Analytical Development (AD) and Technical Operations (Tech Ops), focused on small molecule pharmaceuticals. Leads a sub-team in analytical development and/or serve as a CMC / analytical lead for multiple projects to guide internal and external analytical activities including method development, qualification, validation, transfer, control strategies, stability studies, and CMC submissions supporting drug substance and drug product development from early development through commercialization. Translates departmental strategy into operational plans, provides technical guidance, and develops scientific staff to support successful program execution. _

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

·         Recommends scientific and operational direction for assigned area and translates departmental strategy into tactical plans and team objectives.

·         Leads analytical development activities across assigned programs/projects, including method development, qualification, validation, transfer, stability, and characterization.

·         Provides technical leadership and recommends solutions to complex analytical development challenges.

·         Oversees internal analytical activities and external CMO/CRO partnerships to support program timelines and deliverables.

·         Partners with colleagues on the design, development, validation, and transfer of analytical methods for drug products.

·         Contributes technical expertise to CMC regulatory dossiers and supports preparation and review of analytical sections for regulatory submissions.

·         Evaluates analytical data, technical reports, and regulatory documentation to ensure scientific quality and compliance.

·         Supports resource planning and prioritization for assigned activities in alignment with departmental objectives.

·         Coaches and develops scientific staff and promotes a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing team environment.

·         Other duties as assigned.

Common Knowledge & Skills

·         Emerging internal scientific thought leader with strong technical expertise in analytical development.

·         Applies in-depth scientific knowledge and critical thinking to resolve complex analytical development problems.

·         Ability to translate established strategy and priorities into operational and tactical plans.

·         Strong leadership, coaching, employee development, and influencing skills.

·         Excellent written, verbal, presentation, problem-solving, and analytical skills.

·         Ability to collaborate effectively across functions and within a matrix environment.

·         Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and external relationships.

·         Learning agility and willingness to evaluate innovative scientific approaches and technologies.

Job-Specific Knowledge & Qualifications

·         Strong knowledge of analytical method development, qualification, validation, transfer, and troubleshooting.

·         Strong knowledge of ICH and FDA guidance related to analytical methods, stability, CTD, and CMC regulatory submissions.

·         Experience evaluating analytical data, technical documents, and regulatory submissions.

·         Knowledge of cGMP requirements and CMC regulatory expectations supporting drug substance and drug product development.

·         Experience managing analytical activities with external CROs/CMOs.

·         Knowledge of physicochemical characterization of APIs, drug substances, drug products, and related compounds.

·         Understanding of formulation and process development and their relationship to analytical development.

·         Previous people leadership and/or demonstrated leadership of scientific teams, projects, or external partners required.

Requirements:

Bachelors degree in Chemistry, Pharmacy, or related scientific discipline AND 10+ years of applicable pharmaceutical industry experience OR

Master's degree in Chemistry, Pharmacy, or related scientific discipline AND 8+ years of applicable pharmaceutical industry experience OR

PhD in Chemistry, Pharmacy, or related scientific discipline AND 6+ years of applicable experience

Strong knowledge of analytical method development, qualification, validation, transfer, and troubleshooting

Strong knowledge of ICH and FDA guidance related to analytical methods, stability, CTD, and CMC regulatory submissions

Experience evaluating analytical data, technical documents, and regulatory submissions

Knowledge of cGMP requirements and CMC regulatory expectations supporting drug substance and drug product development

Experience managing analytical activities with external CROs/CMOs.

Knowledge of physicochemical characterization of APIs, drug substances, drug products, and related compounds

Understanding of formulation and process development and their relationship to analytical development

Previous people leadership and/or demonstrated leadership of scientific teams, projects, or external partners required

Emerging internal scientific thought leader with strong technical expertise in analytical development

Applies in-depth scientific knowledge and critical thinking to resolve complex analytical development problems

Ability to translate established strategy and priorities into operational and tactical plans

Strong leadership, coaching, employee development, and influencing skills

Excellent written, verbal, presentation, problem-solving, and analytical skills

Ability to collaborate effectively across functions and within a matrix environment

Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and external relationships

Learning agility and willingness to evaluate innovative scientific approaches and technologies

#LI-LS1

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 $161,100.00-$220,000.00. 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
Associate Director
Function
Manufacturing & CMC
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
US CA San Diego, United States
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Manufacturing & CMC role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 712 comparable Associate Director Manufacturing & CMC roles across 102 biopharma companies.

712Comparable roles tracked
670Currently active
102Companies hiring similar roles
41Countries represented

Salary context

202 of 712 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 $161,100/yr – $220,000/yr
Lowest disclosed · Senior Technician Calibration - Maintenance · Mylan Technologies, Inc. $37,000/yr – $80,000/yr
Highest disclosed · Regional Manager - Megasys · Merck KGaA $220,000/yr – $250,000/yr
Peer group range $58,500 – $235,000 (median $154,350)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 712 comparable roles

United States391
India79
Ireland31
Netherlands21
United Kingdom19
China17

+ 35 more countries

Seniority mix

712 of 712 peers have a known seniority level

Senior343
Manager280
Associate Director89

Therapeutic area mix

12 of 712 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Vaccines & Infectious Disease7
Rare Disease2
Oncology2
Dermatology & Aesthetics1

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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.