Neurocrine Biosciences Inc. Posted July 22, 2026

Sr. 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 Sr. Leader, leads and executes the scientifically sound and regulatory authority-acceptable toxicology strategies that support safety assessments for a Research and Development portfolio spanning early drug discovery through clinical development and market authorization. Recommends longer term strategies to ensure effective achievement of strategic and operational objectives. Oversees the safety pharmacology and toxicology studies including protocol design, advises and directs the execution, data interpretation, and review of reports for new therapeutic entities of various modalities (small molecules, large molecules, peptide conjugates, oligonucleotides, and gene therapies). Ensures that toxicology studies and programs are conducted in accordance with the appropriate guidelines and regulatory test standards (FDA, ICH, WHO, GLP, and ISO). Represents Toxicology and work closely with Research and Development functions to integrate toxicology strategies into the research/development plan, provide scientific insight into the safety profile, and de-risk potential safety liabilities. Supports Sr. Leadership with in-life resource planning, maintaining current testing procedures, program development, performance monitoring, budget planning and resource management. _

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

Develops, implements and directs the scientifically sound and regulatory authority-acceptable toxicology strategies that support safety assessments for a R&D portfolio spanning early drug discovery through clinical development and market authorization

Supports planning and execution of Safety Pharmacology and Toxicology studies/data for all programs

Oversees and directs assignments within the regulatory Toxicology function to ensure timely completion of priority activities

Evaluates, interprets and summarizes safety pharmacology and toxicology results and proactively provides strategic direction to project teams and senior management on the potential impact of results on Program and Clinical/Regulatory strategy

Advises and directs the preparation of Safety Pharmacology and Toxicology sections of regulatory documents (INDs, CTAs, BLAs/NDAs/MAAs, briefing books, Investigator’s Brochures, etc.)

Represents Toxicology and work closely with R&D functions to integrate toxicology strategies into the research/development plan, provide scientific insight into the safety profile, and de-risk potential safety liabilities

Provides strategic oversight and direction for the preparation of data summaries and contributes to the presentation of results to peers, colleagues and Neurocrine Management

Oversees and drives the preparation of SOPs as needed to guide functional activities and ensures adherence to SOPs

Oversees the adherence of regulatory toxicologists to all Toxicology SOPs

Maintains current knowledge of regulatory guidance, industry standards and recommendations

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

Other tasks as assigned

Requirements:

PhD in Toxicology, Pathology or closely related discipline and 10+ years of pharmaceutical/biotech experience, including managing clinical Contract Research Organizations

D.V.M. and 8+ years of similar experience noted above

Expert knowledge in development of various modalities, especially Biotherapeutics (bispecific or trispecific antibodies, BBB shuttles, peptide conjugates), oligonucleotides, and gene therapies desired

Demonstrated experience in the preparation of INDs, CTAs, BLAs/NDAs/MAAs, briefing books, Investigator’s Brochures

Expert in regulatory strategies for various modalities in US, Canada, and Europe

Demonstrate strategy development and implementation within areas of responsibility

Expert knowledge of global Good Laboratory Practices and Health Authority requirements for nonclinical safety data that support clinical trials and market authorization of investigational medicinal products

Extensive experience in managing clinical Contract Research Organizations (CRO's)

Exhibits ability to become company-wide advisor and emerging industry expert.

Possesses expert knowledge of own function and broad knowledge of multiple functions and impact on business

Proven leadership skills and ability, including influencing across many levels of the organization

Maintains broad knowledge of scientific principles and theories and possesses intellectual mastery of multiple scientific areas

#LI-DM1

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 $226,600.00-$309,000.00. 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 $226,600/yr – $309,000/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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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
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60%similar
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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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Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Director, Pathobiology
Gilead Sciences, Inc. · Foster City, United States · Director
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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.