Senior Director of Clinical Science - Lung
Merck
August 19, 2026
Remote friendly (New Jersey, United States)
United States
Clinical Research and Development
Key Responsibilities
- Provide strategic Clinical Science leadership across the lung disease area, spanning multiple studies, programs, and assets.
- Contribute to disease area strategy using lung cancer expertise (disease biology, treatment landscape, clinically meaningful endpoints) to guide study planning, data interpretation, and issue resolution.
- Standardize Clinical Science approaches (medical data review practices, interpretation principles, deliverables) while allowing program-specific needs.
- Provide senior scientific guidance across assigned studies and programs; interpret clinical data across cohorts and assets.
- Contribute scientific perspective to protocol development/amendments, study design, endpoint selection, eligibility criteria, and biomarker strategy.
- Support portfolio and governance contributions (content for governance/program reviews; present cross-study insights and scientific assessments).
- Provide people leadership/management for Directors, Principal Scientists, and Clinical Scientists as appropriate; coach, mentor, and build talent.
- Partner cross-functionally (Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Biostatistics/Data Management, Drug Safety/Pharmacovigilance, Translational Medicine, Medical Affairs) to align scientific approaches and decisions.
- Ensure Clinical Science activities comply with applicable regulatory requirements, company policies, and procedures; support inspection readiness.
Qualifications
- PhD or PharmD plus 7+ years lung oncology drug development experience; OR Master’s in life sciences plus 12+ years.
- Significant experience in Clinical Development/Clinical Science/oncology development in pharma/biotech.
Required Skills/Experience
- Demonstrated Clinical Science leadership across multiple studies/programs/assets.
- Deep lung cancer expertise; strong understanding of clinical trial design, development strategy, clinical data review, and oncology data interpretation.
- Experience with disease area strategy, portfolio discussions/cross-program planning.
- Experience with regulatory submissions, safety reviews, or health authority interactions.
- Effective matrix cross-functional collaboration.
- Ability to integrate information across studies/programs; excellent communication/influence/presentation.
- Demonstrated people leadership (management, coaching, development).
- Travel: 0–25%.
- Provide strategic Clinical Science leadership across the lung disease area, spanning multiple studies, programs, and assets.
- Contribute to disease area strategy using lung cancer expertise (disease biology, treatment landscape, clinically meaningful endpoints) to guide study planning, data interpretation, and issue resolution.
- Standardize Clinical Science approaches (medical data review practices, interpretation principles, deliverables) while allowing program-specific needs.
- Provide senior scientific guidance across assigned studies and programs; interpret clinical data across cohorts and assets.
- Contribute scientific perspective to protocol development/amendments, study design, endpoint selection, eligibility criteria, and biomarker strategy.
- Support portfolio and governance contributions (content for governance/program reviews; present cross-study insights and scientific assessments).
- Provide people leadership/management for Directors, Principal Scientists, and Clinical Scientists as appropriate; coach, mentor, and build talent.
- Partner cross-functionally (Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Biostatistics/Data Management, Drug Safety/Pharmacovigilance, Translational Medicine, Medical Affairs) to align scientific approaches and decisions.
- Ensure Clinical Science activities comply with applicable regulatory requirements, company policies, and procedures; support inspection readiness.
Qualifications
- PhD or PharmD plus 7+ years lung oncology drug development experience; OR Master’s in life sciences plus 12+ years.
- Significant experience in Clinical Development/Clinical Science/oncology development in pharma/biotech.
Required Skills/Experience
- Demonstrated Clinical Science leadership across multiple studies/programs/assets.
- Deep lung cancer expertise; strong understanding of clinical trial design, development strategy, clinical data review, and oncology data interpretation.
- Experience with disease area strategy, portfolio discussions/cross-program planning.
- Experience with regulatory submissions, safety reviews, or health authority interactions.
- Effective matrix cross-functional collaboration.
- Ability to integrate information across studies/programs; excellent communication/influence/presentation.
- Demonstrated people leadership (management, coaching, development).
- Travel: 0–25%.