Associate Director – Quantitative Pharmacology & Pharmacometrics (Cardiometabolic)

About the role

The Quantitative Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics (QP2) department at Merck’s research labs is seeking an Associate Director to lead model‑based drug development for cardiometabolic pipelines. This senior scientist will work on cross‑functional teams to advance small molecules, biologics and emerging therapeutic modalities.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and apply model‑based strategies, including translational PK/PD, mechanistic models, population PK/PD analyses and clinical trial simulations to guide dose selection and trial design.
• Represent QP2 on cardiometabolic discovery, early and late clinical development teams, providing quantitative support for go/no‑go decisions.
• Partner with functional colleagues, external vendors and strategic partners to build aligned, model‑informed approaches for drug discovery, development and regulatory decision‑making.
• Collaborate across disciplines on study design, protocol development, execution, data interpretation and communication of results.
• Maintain a strong understanding of global regulatory expectations and contribute to the preparation and defense of regulatory submissions.

Required profile

• Ph.D. (or PharmD or MS) with 4‑8 years of relevant experience in pharmaceutical drug development, regulatory agencies or academia.
• Educational background in biopharmaceutics, pharmacometrics, chemical or biomedical engineering, or a related quantitative discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex quantitative concepts across multidisciplinary teams.
• Knowledge of cardiometabolic clinical drug development programs is preferred.

Required skills

• Population PK and PK/PD analysis using R, Matlab, Phoenix, NONMEM, Monolix or similar tools.
• Mechanistic and translational PK/PD modeling, clinical trial simulations, and data visualization.
• Data modeling, machine learning, and statistical analysis applied to drug development.

What we offer

• Salary range $156,900 – $247,000 per year, with eligibility for annual bonus and long‑term incentives.
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401(k) retirement, paid holidays, vacation and sick days.