Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. Posted August 31, 2026

Scientific Director, Toxicology

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:

As a Scientific Leader, serve as the lead for Nonclinical Safety of multiple drug candidates of NBI's pipeline. Represent Nonclinical development as a Toxicology Program Lead (TPL) on discovery and development teams and regularly interfaces with internal and external colleagues to ensure timely and accurate dissemination of Safety Pharmacology and Toxicology findings. Act as the principal evaluator for Due Diligence programs and provide strategic directions for path forward. Review regulatory submission documents of development programs (INDs, CTAs, NDA/MAA, Type C or Type D briefing books, Investigator Brochures, etc.). Lead activities for educational courses, including Best Practices for IND/NDA/BLA submission. As a TPL, develop overall Safety Pharmacology and Toxicology development strategies for successful development of drug candidates. Oversee the execution of Safety Pharmacology and Toxicology studies, advise and direct the study designs, analyze and interpret the data, and review reports for discovery and development programs. Support Sr. Leadership with streamlining Toxicology group performance, regulatory strategic directions for program development, and resource management. Demonstrate excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to translate complex scientific findings into actionable insights for cross-functional teams. _

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

Serve as the TPL for Nonclinical Safety, shaping the regulatory strategy and execution of nonclinical safety assessments for NBI's pipeline

Act as the principal evaluator for Due Diligence programs and provide strategic directions for path forward

Review regulatory submission documents of development programs (INDs, CTAs, NDA/MAA, Type C or Type D briefing books, Investigator Brochures, etc.).

Lead activities for educational courses, including Best Practices for IND/NDA/BLA submission

As a TPL, provide comprehensive support for nonclinical studies, including but not limited to guiding study designs and execution, interpretation of all Safety Pharmacology and Toxicology data/findings, and review the study reports for regulatory submissions

Manage and provide scientific leadership to the internal staff and work closely with Discovery, Preclinical and Clinical Pharmacology (PCCP), Clinical Development, and Regulatory to integrate nonclinical safety findings into overall program strategy and goals

Represent Preclinical Development on discovery and development-stage program teams

Support Sr. Leadership with streamlining Toxicology group performance, regulatory strategic directions for program development, and resource management

Maintain current knowledge of regulatory guidance, industry standards and recommendations

Oversee and drive the preparation of SOPs as needed to guide functional activities and ensure adherence to all Toxicology SOPs

Participates in selecting, developing and evaluating personnel to ensure efficient operation within the toxicology group

Other tasks as assigned

Requirements:

DVM and/or PhD with specialty training and experience in toxicology and 10+ years of industry experience in toxicology within biotech or pharmaceutical settings

Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology (DABT) is preferred but not required

Expert knowledge in nonclinical safety assessment in drug development of various modalities including but not limited to small molecules, biologics, peptides, and conjugates

Strong experience of designing, overseeing, and interpreting GLP and non-GLP toxicology studies

Demonstrate ability to lead and manage internal team members, consultants, and CRO partnerships

Deep understanding of regulatory requirements for nonclinical safety assessments, including experience with FDA, EMA, and other global health authorities

Experience in responding to regulatory questions including discussion documents for various Health Authorities in support of discovery and development programs

Expertise with the design and management of safety pharmacology and toxicology studies (GLP and non-GLP) supporting nonclinical and clinical development programs

Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to translate complex scientific findings into actionable insights for cross-functional teams

Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced, biotech environment

#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 $194,600.00-$265,000.00. 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 35% 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
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
US CA San Diego, 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 131 comparable Director Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 33 biopharma companies.

131Comparable roles tracked
123Currently active
33Companies hiring similar roles
9Countries represented

Salary context

62 of 131 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 $194,600/yr – $265,000/yr
Peer group range $129,125 – $322,000 (median $213,875)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 131 comparable roles

United States111
United Kingdom4
Germany4
China4
India2
Switzerland2

+ 3 more countries

Seniority mix

131 of 131 peers have a known seniority level

Principal78
Director34
Senior Director19

Therapeutic area mix

25 of 131 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology13
Neuroscience3
Cardiovascular / CVRM3
Immunology2
Respiratory2
Gastroenterology1
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

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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.