Senior Director, Quantitative Systems Pharmacology – Oncology (Hybrid or Remote)
Merck
August 19, 2026
Remote friendly (Cambridge, MA)
United States
Clinical Research and Development
Primary Responsibilities
- Lead and shape the QSP strategy across the oncology portfolio, aligned with program goals and organizational priorities.
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of quantitative scientists in a matrixed role.
- Collaborate with QP2 Oncology, preclinical DMPK/modeling, biologists, clinicians, and other functions to apply mechanistic/QSP modeling for dose selection, combination strategies, and clinical trial design.
- Ensure high-quality, regulatory-grade QSP deliverables for internal decisions, submissions, and scientific advice meetings.
- Contribute to regulatory strategy via QSP reports, briefing documents, and presentations.
- Foster scientific rigor and develop best practices for QSP modeling.
- Partner with Translational Modeling, Discovery, and Clinical Development leaders to define modeling strategies impacting program design and key decisions.
- Represent the company at conferences and external collaborations/working groups.
- Stay current on emerging QSP methodologies and promote innovation.
- Manage budget planning, QSP vendor identification, outsourcing, and contract requisitions.
Minimum Education Required
- Ph.D. with 10+ years of pharmaceutical drug development experience in systems pharmacology/systems biology/PKPD/mathematics/chemical or biomedical engineering or related field.
- OR Master’s or PharmD with 15+ years of experience with increasing responsibility and independence in similar pharma drug development roles.
Required Experience/Qualifications
- Extensive experience developing mechanistic PK-PD and QSP models for early/late-stage clinical decision-making.
- Demonstrated ability to lead interdisciplinary teams/taskforces or oversee others.
- Oncology therapeutic area/disease knowledge.
- Preferred: mechanistic modeling experience for ADCs and/or T-cell engagers with immune-axis.
- Experience with modeling/simulation packages or programming (e.g., MATLAB, R, SimBiology, Python).
- Experience working with external QSP vendors.
- Experience using QSP modeling in IND/NDA and other global regulatory submissions.
- Track record of increasing responsibility and impact driving decisions via model-based approaches.
- Strong written/verbal communication, interdisciplinary collaboration, and problem scoping/planning.
Application
- Apply via https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (current employees: Workday Jobs Hub).
- Lead and shape the QSP strategy across the oncology portfolio, aligned with program goals and organizational priorities.
- Lead, mentor, and develop a team of quantitative scientists in a matrixed role.
- Collaborate with QP2 Oncology, preclinical DMPK/modeling, biologists, clinicians, and other functions to apply mechanistic/QSP modeling for dose selection, combination strategies, and clinical trial design.
- Ensure high-quality, regulatory-grade QSP deliverables for internal decisions, submissions, and scientific advice meetings.
- Contribute to regulatory strategy via QSP reports, briefing documents, and presentations.
- Foster scientific rigor and develop best practices for QSP modeling.
- Partner with Translational Modeling, Discovery, and Clinical Development leaders to define modeling strategies impacting program design and key decisions.
- Represent the company at conferences and external collaborations/working groups.
- Stay current on emerging QSP methodologies and promote innovation.
- Manage budget planning, QSP vendor identification, outsourcing, and contract requisitions.
Minimum Education Required
- Ph.D. with 10+ years of pharmaceutical drug development experience in systems pharmacology/systems biology/PKPD/mathematics/chemical or biomedical engineering or related field.
- OR Master’s or PharmD with 15+ years of experience with increasing responsibility and independence in similar pharma drug development roles.
Required Experience/Qualifications
- Extensive experience developing mechanistic PK-PD and QSP models for early/late-stage clinical decision-making.
- Demonstrated ability to lead interdisciplinary teams/taskforces or oversee others.
- Oncology therapeutic area/disease knowledge.
- Preferred: mechanistic modeling experience for ADCs and/or T-cell engagers with immune-axis.
- Experience with modeling/simulation packages or programming (e.g., MATLAB, R, SimBiology, Python).
- Experience working with external QSP vendors.
- Experience using QSP modeling in IND/NDA and other global regulatory submissions.
- Track record of increasing responsibility and impact driving decisions via model-based approaches.
- Strong written/verbal communication, interdisciplinary collaboration, and problem scoping/planning.
Application
- Apply via https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (current employees: Workday Jobs Hub).