Impress employers and recruiters.
Choose from hundreds of resume examples.

Target Resume Now

Tailor your resume to this Senior Principal Scientist, Pharmacokinetics role.

Rezi rewrites your resume against MSD's job description. Free.

Resume score gauge reading 58 out of 100

Don't guess if your resume is good enough.

See how it scores against the Senior Principal Scientist, Pharmacokinetics posting at MSD — free, in seconds.

About the Role

The South San Francisco DMPK organization is seeking an accomplished and highly collaborative Senior Principal Scientist to provide scientific leadership across drug conjugate discovery and development programs, support strategic portfolio decisions, and advance DMPK capabilities for emerging modalities. This individual will partner closely with discovery biology, translational sciences, clinical development, bioanalytical, toxicology, chemistry, and program teams to enable data-driven decision making from early discovery through clinical candidate nomination and FIH execution.

Responsibilities

Provide scientific leadership for DMPK strategy supporting drug conjugates and related novel modalities.
Represent DMPK on cross-functional discovery and development teams, integrating ADME, PK, PK/PD, bioanalytical, pharmacology, toxicology, and clinical pharmacology perspectives to guide program decisions.
Lead the development and implementation of fit-for-purpose DMPK screening funnels and translational plans to support lead optimization, candidate selection, human dose projection, and regulatory packages.
Provide scientific oversight for LM ADME experimentation strategy and capabilities.
Contribute to portfolio management by identifying DMPK-related opportunities, liabilities, resource needs, and decision points across programs.
Author, review, and present high-quality scientific documents, nonclinical packages as part of regulatory submissions, project updates, and decision-making materials for internal and external stakeholders.
Directly manage and develop a group of investigators and scientific experts, setting clear scientific expectations, enabling effective prioritization and execution, and fostering continued growth of technical and leadership capabilities.
Monitor external scientific advances in conjugates, ADME, translational PK/PD, bioanalysis, and emerging modalities, and integrate relevant innovations into internal strategy.
Collaborate effectively with internal teams, external partners, and contract research organizations to ensure efficient delivery of high-impact DMPK data packages.

Requirements

Master's (with 15+ years) or Ph.D. (with 12+ years) in pharmacokinetics, drug metabolism, pharmaceutical sciences, pharmacology, bioengineering, chemistry, biochemistry, biological sciences, or a related discipline with significant experience in DMPK, ADME, translational pharmacology, or biologics/conjugate drug development.
Extensive experience in DMPK, ADME, pharmacokinetics, translational science, or related disciplines, with a strong record of scientific impact in discovery and/or development programs.
Deep scientific expertise in ADME, PK, PK/PD, bioanalysis, and translational interpretation, with demonstrated ability to apply these disciplines to complex modalities such as drug conjugates, biologics, or other novel therapeutic platforms.
Proven ability to design, interpret, and integrate in vitro and in vivo data to enable program progression, candidate selection, human PK projection, dose selection, and regulatory strategy.
Demonstrated experience serving as a DMPK representative or scientific leader on cross-functional project teams and influencing program strategy through clear, data-driven recommendations.
Strong understanding of nonclinical-to-clinical translation, IND-enabling requirements, and the role of DMPK data in regulatory submissions and clinical development planning.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex scientific concepts clearly to technical, cross-functional, and senior leadership audiences.
Strong collaboration, mentoring, and talent development skills, with a commitment to building an inclusive, high-performing scientific culture.
Track record of scientific leadership, including shaping strategy, solving complex problems, leading matrixed teams, and driving decisions in a fast-paced portfolio environment.
Experience with small molecule ADME drug discovery applicable to conjugate discovery and development.
Familiarity with model-informed drug discovery and development approaches, including translational PK/PD, PBPK, population PK, exposure-response, or human dose projection.
Demonstrated external scientific visibility through publications, conference presentations, consortia participation, or cross-industry engagement.
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

Skills

ADME
Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC)
Biologics
DMPK
Drug Metabolism
In Vitro Assays
People Management
Pharmacodynamics
Pharmacokinetics
Pharmacology
Portfolio Management
Scientific Leadership
Talent Development
Translational Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics (PKPD)

Location

South San Francisco

Work Type

Regular
Domestic/International Relocation
VISA Sponsorship
10% Travel

Experience Level

Senior Principal Scientist
15+ years (Master's)
12+ years (Ph.D.)

Education Level

Master's Degree
Ph.D.

Salary/Compensations

$194,100.00 - $305,600.00

Benefits

Eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive
Comprehensive package of benefits
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

About the Company

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 place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.
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.

Equal Opportunity

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