Exelixis Inc Posted September 17, 2026

DMPK Director

Alameda, United States Full time
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Exelixis 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

SUMMARY/JOB PURPOSE

The DMPK Director has strong scientific, technical and leadership skills to develop and implement DMPK and modeling and simulation strategies to advance drug candidates from discovery to development stage and build comprehensive DMPK packages to enable successful drug registration. The director is responsible for providing strategic and technical subject matter expertise as well as scientific accountability for the DMPK support of several programs in Exelixis' portfolio.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES Lead the IND- and NDA-enabling ADME work; characterize the ADME properties of molecules and collaborate to establish in vitro to in vivo correlations; ensure that all DMPK studies and analyses are consistent with regulatory guidance

Analyze and interpret preclinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data to inform drug development decisions

Closely partner with Discovery to evolve translational ADME strategies and collaborate on roll-out and execution to ensure deep integration of knowledge from Discovery to Development

Work collaboratively with other functional partners including Translational Medicine, CMC, Toxicology, Clinical Development and Regulatory to deliver on project and corporate objectives

Prepare high quality regulatory documents including IND, CTA, and NDA filings; prepare DMPK components of nonclinical and clinical study protocols, nonclinical and clinical study reports, and investigator brochures

Support functional area reviews for due diligence evaluations

Conduct scientific presentations to senior management, project teams and internal/external collaborators

Stay up-to-date with advancements in DMPK research and identify and integrate emerging science to advance the portfolio

Maintain external scientific visibility through publications

Contribute to a science-driven, goal-oriented culture that values innovation, teamwork, agility, transparency, accountability and empowerment

Performs other duties as assigned

Complies with all policies and standards

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES No supervisory responsibilities

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS & ABILITIES

Education PhD degree in Drug Metabolism, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmaceutical Sciences or other relevant field and a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in DMPK in the pharmaceutical industry; or,

Equivalent combination of education and experience

Experience Minimum 8 years experience in DMPK

Expert knowledge of in vitro and in vivo ADME studies

Experience managing external DMPK work at CROs

Extensive experience in identifying clinical candidates through balancing ADME, pharmacology and toxicology properties and progressing molecules into clinical trials

Solid experience in utilization of physiologically-based and empirical modeling and simulation techniques to characterize drug-drug interactions and biopharmaceutics liabilities

Experience with submission of IND/NDA/BLA and global marketing applicatiions

Experience with antibody drug conjugates is a plus

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Required: Extensive scientific and technical knowledge around drug metabolism and drug transporters, including enzymology and enzyme kinetics and in virto to in vivo extrapolation

Demonstration of independent thought/creativity in science and drug discovery

Experience in applying emerging science and technologies to strengthen and improve research capabilities

In-depth knowledge of current practices and issues in DMPK (including regulatory requirements), PKPD and translational sciences

Excellent collaborative verbal and written communication skills

Able to work well with multi-disciplinary teams

Works on problems of diverse scope where analysis and review of data requires evaluation of identifiable factors. Works on ADME complex issues where analysis of situations or data requires an in-depth evaluation of variable factors

Exercises independent judgment in selecting methods, techniques and evaluation criteria for obtaining results

Thrives in a fast-paced business environment

Function is a highly matrixed team environment

Find creative solutions to unique and complex problems

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The base pay range for this position is $166,500 - $236,500 annually. The base pay range may take into account the candidate’s geographic region, which will adjust the pay depending on the specific work location. The base pay offered will take into account the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, experience and internal equity, among other factors.

In addition to the base salary, as part of our Total Rewards program, Exelixis offers comprehensive employee benefits package, including a 401k plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts. Employees are also eligible for a discretionary annual bonus program, or if field sales staff, a sales-based incentive plan. Exelixis also offers employees the opportunity to purchase company stock, and receive long-term incentives, 15 accrued vacation days in their first year, 17 paid holidays including a company-wide winter shutdown in December, and up to 10 sick days throughout the calendar year.

If you have a disability and need an accommodation in relation to the recruiting process, please email us at: ApplicantAccommodations@exelixis.com .

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Our office is a modern space that fosters collaboration and creativity. Teams work closely together, sharing ideas and solutions in a supportive atmosphere. We provide all necessary equipment, including dual monitors and ergonomic chairs, to ensure a comfortable workspace.

DISCLAIMER: 

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification.  It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to the job.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

Job details

Seniority
Director
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Alameda, 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 137 comparable Director Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 35 biopharma companies.

137Comparable roles tracked
129Currently active
35Companies hiring similar roles
11Countries represented

Salary context

64 of 137 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 $166,500/yr – $236,500/yr
Peer group range $112,300 – $322,000 (median $217,875)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 137 comparable roles

United States114
China5
United Kingdom4
India3
Switzerland2
China's Mainland2

+ 5 more countries

Seniority mix

137 of 137 peers have a known seniority level

Principal79
Director42
Senior Director16

Therapeutic area mix

24 of 137 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology11
Neuroscience4
Immunology3
Cardiovascular / CVRM2
Respiratory2
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1
Gastroenterology1

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The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

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Notify me about similar jobs

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.

60%
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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.