Director, Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics

The Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics, Metabolism and Bioanalytics (PDMB) function of our Research & Development Division, is seeking a dynamic and collaborative individual to lead a team of scientists in the

(DMPK) group in West Point, Pennsylvania. The team supports discovery and development programs across modalities (small molecule, peptides, biologics and vaccines) and therapeutic areas, enabling strategic decisions from lead selection through filing and life-cycle management. As Director in the West Point DMPK group, your main responsibility is leading a motivated team of experienced Scientists representing the department in cross-functional teams as well as a group of bench scientists, charged with conducting mechanistic ADME studies. The position requires a focus on talent development as well as scientific creativity.

The DMPK director must be able to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, drive innovation, and have excellent scientific, interpersonal and communication skills in order to guide the team on the design, implementation and interpretation of in silico, in vitro and in vivo studies necessary to influence decisions in drug discovery and development.

The ideal candidate will have an in-depth understanding of ADME, as well as pharmacokinetic and PK/PD principles that impact the discovery and development of new chemical entities. Experience with small molecules drug discovery and development is expected and additional experience with various drug modalities across therapeutic areas is desired. The candidate should be familiar with PK, PK/PD and PBPK modeling as tools to drive decision making.

We are highly engaged in influencing the success of a large and exciting portfolio and continue to evolve the influence of new computational and laboratory techniques towards the selection of differentiated products. This role provides a unique opportunity to influence our evolving pipeline while enabling the growth of the next generation of leaders.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Providing strategic, scientific, and operational leadership for a group of scientists responsible for support, through experimentation and project representation of both, discovery and development teams.
• Actively working with staff to encourage and facilitate their career development.
• Collaborating with internal stakeholders to ensure the timely delivery of quality data and documentation.
• Collaborating with members of the DMPK organization and PDMB at large to support the advancement of scientific and strategic initiatives.
• Setting future strategy and facilitating/implementing new technologies in the organization.
• Providing scientific oversight of programs supported by staff in the group and thorough and timely review of internal and external documents prepared by team members.

Education Minimum Requirement:

PhD. in chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacology, Biomedical Engineering, Biochemistry, or related field with 8+ years of experience supporting drug discovery and development in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Applicants with MSci. degree with 12+ years relevant industry experience will be considered.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Experienced in providing DMPK support in drug discovery and development programs, including assessment of tractability, dose and PK predictions, drug metabolism, assessment of drug interaction risk and communicating analyses and recommendation to interdisciplinary teams and management.
• Experienced in integrating preclinical ADME, PK, and pharmacology data to enable translational PK/PD modeling and simulation to support dose selection, design of PK/PD and safety assessment studies, and dose justifications for preclinical and clinical studies
• Experience with authoring documents in support of regulatory filings, including IBs, INDs and CTDs as well as responses to regulatory questions.
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, communication, problem solving, and collaboration skills along with strength in delivering results on firm deadlines.
• Experience with management or supervision of staff.
• A strong aptitude for and previous experience in managing scientific teams and attracting, developing, and retaining talent.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills and an ability to excel in a team-based environment.
• Strong publication track record in ADME science and/or the Drug Discovery and Development field.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Experience with preclinical development support of small molecules and/or other therapeutic modalities.
• Experience with evaluation of third-party assets.
• Knowledge of cutting-edge in silico approaches to inform decision making related to the characterization of metabolism, drug interactions, exposure-response relationships and variability.
• Closely collaborate with cross functional partners to create innovative solutions, discover new approaches, create workflows and share successful methods for novel DMPK applications.

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As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another's thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as "remote".

The salary range for this role is
$169,700.00 - $267,200.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at .

You can apply for this role through (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status:
Regular

Relocation:
Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:
Yes

Travel Requirements:
10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid

Shift:
Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
n/a

Required Skills:
ADME, ADME Studies, Bioanalysis, Bioanalytical Assays, DMPK, Drug Development, Drug Metabolism, Innovation, Mentoring Staff, Modeling Simulations, Pharmaceutical Analysis, Pharmacokinetics, Results-Oriented, Small Molecules, Strategic Direction, Talent Development, Team Leadership

Preferred Skills:
PBPK Modeling

Job Posting End Date:
08/15/2025
*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID: R358866