Senior Principal Scientist, Pathologist

About the role

Translational Safety Pathologists provide scientific leadership across drug development, from early research through clinical development and marketed products. This Senior Principal (SE8) role is for an experienced toxicologic pathologist who can immediately lead independent pathology and safety for multiple fast-moving programs, including those involving novel modalities and nontraditional regulatory strategies. The role combines hands-on pathologic evaluation with broad drug-development leadership, with a high degree of autonomy and influence over cross-functional teams and senior decision makers.

Key responsibilities

• Serve as lead/project pathologist for multiple complex programs, providing independent pathology strategy from discovery through regulatory milestones and later-stage development.
• Provide expert veterinary, clinical, technical and scientific input, including necropsy, clinical pathology and histopathology interpretation, peer review and integrated assessment of study findings.
• Partner with toxicologists, study operations, translational scientists, pharmacologists, clinicians and regulatory colleagues to design GLP and non-GLP safety programs.
• Synthesize complex datasets, use the external literature and build evidence-based positions supporting risk assessment, dose selection and study design.
• Anticipate safety issues and design or lead investigative and mechanistic studies.
• Contribute to or lead safety biomarkers, diagnostics, digital/computational pathology and new approach methodologies (NAMs).
• Refine study design to reduce or replace animal use where scientifically appropriate.
• Author or review regulatory documents and presentations, and represent the company with health authorities.
• Mentor pathologists and scientists, and lead cross-functional initiatives and working groups.
• Publish and present externally and advance the company's scientific standing.

Required profile

• DVM/VMD or equivalent veterinary degree, with board certification by the ACVP, ECVP or an equivalent recognized board, and 5+ years of direct drug-development experience in pharma or biotech.
• Ability to independently support and influence drug-development programs as a toxicologic pathologist.
• Track record of cross-functional leadership and risk-based decision making under ambiguity, incomplete data and tight timelines.
• Strong knowledge of toxicologic pathology, nonclinical safety assessment and regulatory toxicology.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to work on-site in South San Francisco at least 3 days per week; relocation benefits are not available.

Preferred qualifications

• PhD or equivalent advanced research training in pathology or a related biomedical discipline.
• Experience with novel therapeutic modalities, NAMs, organotypic or in vitro models, or computational/digital pathology.
• Commitment to the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, refinement) in nonclinical development.
• Experience across therapeutic areas, health-authority interactions, and scientific thought leadership through publications or presentations.

The expected salary range for California is $198,900-$369,300, with actual pay depending on experience and qualifications; a discretionary annual bonus may be available.