BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. Posted September 29, 2026

Senior Scientist II, Toxicologist

San Rafael, United States Fulltime-Regular
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BioMarin Pharmaceutical 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

<p>Who We Are <br /><br />BioMarin is a leading rare disease biotechnology company focused on genetically defined conditions.<br /><br />Guided by our purpose to develop medicines that make a profound impact on people’s lives, our global teams have delivered a portfolio of therapies since our founding in 1997. Our revolutionary treatments for conditions like achondroplasia (the most common form of dwarfism), PKU (phenylketonuria), CLN2, a form of Batten disease, and a number of forms of MPS (mucopolysaccharidosis) offer new possibilities for patients and families who previously had few, if any, available options. More recently, with the close of the Amicus acquisition, our portfolio has expanded to include therapies for Fabry disease and Pompe disease, expanding our ability to reach more people living with rare genetic conditions.<br /><br />Our success comes from our unwavering commitment to excellence, our deep understanding of patient needs, our scientific expertise, and our world-class manufacturing capabilities. At the heart of BioMarin is a dedicated team of the brightest minds in the industry working together to deliver innovative therapies to patients and families around the world. <br /><br />About Worldwide Research and Development <br /><br />From research and discovery to post-market clinical development, our R&D engine involves all bench and clinical research and the associated groups that support those endeavors. Our teams work on developing first-in-class and best-in-class therapeutics that provide meaningful advances to patients who live with rare diseases.</p><p style="margin: 0.0pt 0.0pt 6.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">The Pharmacology and Toxicology Department at BioMarin is seeking a Senior Scientist 2 to provide nonclinical pharmacology and toxicology expertise for the development of BioMarin’s small molecule and biologic drug candidates.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> This individual will provide scientific leadership and play a pivotal role providing nonclinical expertise in support of all phases of the drug development process from late-stage research through market application and commercialization.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0pt 0.0pt 6.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">A successful candidate will contribute to the strategic development of BioMarin’s therapeutics by creating a best-evidence synthesis of existing knowledge and by designing, implementing, interpreting, investigating and reporting data that elucidates the pharmacologic/toxicologic profile of drug candidates.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> This individual will work collaboratively with internal and external cross-functional </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">subteams</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">, collaborators and consultants to contribute to integrated development pathways including regulatory submissions throughout the drug development cycle.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> Comprehensive analysis and interpretations of these studies are reported and defended to regulatory agencies in meetings and documents such as briefing documents, IND/CTA, annual updates, investigator brochures, special protocol assessments and market applications.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0pt 0.0pt 6.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">The successful candidate will have a pharmacology/toxicology background as well as a strong understanding of Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs) and will provide broad-based support to align nonclinical efforts with the company’s opportunistic philosophy of drug development.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> The candidate will interact with scientists across the company in order to provide a balanced assessment as to the risk/benefit profile associated with a drug candidate’s advancement. The individual will be responsible for the planning, implementation and organization of nonclinical studies along with the use of drug exposure to bridge across species, presentation of data (written and verbal) to cross-functional core teams and </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">subteams</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">, external collaborators, and the scientific community.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> This individual will actively participate in representing Pharmacological Sciences on cross-functional project teams and/or lead project </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">subteams</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0pt 0.0pt 6.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">RESPONSIBILITIES:</span></p><ul style="margin: 0.0pt;padding-left: 0.0pt;"><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Contribute to and implement an overall drug development strategy to support nonclinical and clinical pharmacology development during all stages of drug development</span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Design, implement, report and interpret nonclinical study data of small molecule, biologic or other novel drug candidate constructs</span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Prepare study synopses, protocols, study reports and regulatory documents to support nonclinical development of BioMarin’s drug candidates</span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Interact/collaborate with various BioMarin functions, CROs, university or analytical laboratories, business partners, as necessary to ensure appropriate/timely progression of BioMarin projects</span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Effectively communicate nonclinical findings and their relevance to senior management, project teams, collaborators, and regulatory agencies (i.e. FDA, EMEA, MHRA, ROW)</span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Participate in multi-disciplinary drug development teams and may lead sub-teams</span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Excellent written and verbal communication skills</span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Ability to build/foster productive cross-functional collaborations both within and external to BioMarin.</span></li></ul><p style="margin: 0.0pt 0.0pt 6.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">EDUCATION:</span></p><ul style="margin: 0.0pt;padding-left: 0.0pt;"><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Required:</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> Doctorate (Ph.D.) or equivalent experience in toxicology, pharmacology or a related, relevant discipline.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Board Certification in Toxicology is highly preferred.</span></li></ul><p style="margin: 0.0pt 0.0pt 6.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0pt 0.0pt 6.75pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">EXPERIENCE:</span></p><ul style="margin: 0.0pt;padding-left: 0.0pt;"><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Nonclinical pharmacology/toxicology background and 5+ </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">years industry experience</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> in the pharmaceutical, CRO, and/or biotechnology field for a Scientist level.</span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Strong understanding of drug development and regulatory process, as well as a strong understanding of Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs)</span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Experience supporting the development of small molecules, biologics and/or other therapies, including determining non-clinical program strategy and design.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Experience with the preparation of regulatory submissions (IND/CTDs, NDA/BLA, etc.) and communicating/interacting with health authorities desirable</span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Experience in the design, conduct, and interpretation of GLP and non-GLP nonclinical toxicology studies</span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Strong critical, scientific, and strategic thinking skills; Strong problem solving and decision making abilities</span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Strong communication (verbal and written) skills</span></li><li style="font-family: serif;font-size: 10.0pt;line-height: 13.5pt;margin: 5.0pt 0.0pt 5.0pt 9.25pt;padding-left: 9.5pt;text-indent: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;font-size: 12.0pt;">Experience and ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional teams</span></li></ul><p>Workstyle:</p><ul><li>While we are open to this role being conducted virtual there is a strong preference for candidates who are open to relocating to the Bay Area via our program.</li></ul><p><br />Note: This description is not intended to be all-inclusive, or a limitation of the duties of the position. It is intended to describe the general nature of the job that may include other duties as assumed or assigned. <br /><br />Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled <br /><br />An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.<br /><br />Ireland Safety Responsibility<br />Support the organisation’s commitment to environmental protection, injury prevention, and continual improvement of EHS management systems. Actively contribute to a safe and environmentally responsible workplace by identifying hazards, reporting incidents and participating in EHS initiatives and training.</p>

Job details

Seniority
Senior
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
San Rafael, United States
Employment type
Fulltime-Regular

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 389 comparable Senior Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 57 biopharma companies.

389Comparable roles tracked
368Currently active
57Companies hiring similar roles
21Countries represented

Salary context

176 of 389 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 Not listed on this posting
Lowest disclosed · Senior Primate Behavior Specialist · Labcorp $70,000/yr – $80,000/yr
Highest disclosed · Toxicology Senior Research Fellow · Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (US) $232,000/yr – $348,000/yr
Peer group range $75,000 – $290,000 (median $159,125)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 389 comparable roles

United States291
China15
India15
United Kingdom11
Germany10
Switzerland9

+ 15 more countries

Seniority mix

389 of 389 peers have a known seniority level

Senior209
Principal152
Associate Director28

Therapeutic area mix

38 of 389 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology16
Immunology9
Neuroscience8
Cardiovascular / CVRM4
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1

Similar opportunities

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.

60%similar
Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Groton, United States Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
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60%similar
AbbVie North Chicago, IL Senior
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60%similar
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60%similar
Gilead Sciences, Inc. Foster City, United States Senior
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60%similar
Amgen Inc. Thousand Oaks, United States Senior
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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.

60%
Senior Scientist Mass Spectrometrist
Pharmacia & Upjohn Company · Groton, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
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Gilead Sciences, Inc. · Foster City, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
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Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) · Tarrytown, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Senior Toxicologist
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc (USA) · Cambridge, United States · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
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.