Vice President, Cardiovascular Discovery

Role Summary

The Internal Medicine Research Unit (IMRU), is focused on developing novel therapies to address key unmet needs in cardiovascular disease. Reporting to the Chief Scientific Officer, Internal Medicine, and as a key member of the Internal Medicine Research Unit leadership team, the Vice President, Cardiovascular Discovery will be responsible for formulating and implementing a cardiometabolic therapeutic strategy as well as leading a team of researchers to create a portfolio of discovery projects from ideation to clinical candidate nomination.

This highly visible leader will develop a data-driven research strategy for addressing unmet cardiovascular disease needs, which includes identification and validation of targets for drug discovery and identification of disease/target related biomarkers. Substantial knowledge and experience in cardiovascular biology and disease pathophysiology and evidence of substantive research accomplishments are critical for success in this role. Additionally, the individual will be experienced applying human genetics and next generation sequencing technologies to the discovery/validation of novel targets and pathways relevant to cardiovascular disease. They will also be responsible for developing translational biology approaches to support innovative clinical development strategies. The individual will identify, build and facilitate collaborations with partners in the external scientific community, as well as within the Pfizer network. They will have daily interactions with and supervision of a team of 20-25 creative and innovative scientists in a supportive environment to conduct rigorous scientific and drug discovery research. Strong self-motivation, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to lead and work as part of a team are essential qualities of the role.

Responsibilities

• Apply scientific and clinical expertise to build and implement a strategy for the identification and validation of new drug candidates in the area of cardiovascular disease
• As a member of the RU leadership team, contribute to strategic planning and effective operation of the unit
• Maintain a ‘cutting edge’ awareness of scientific and technical developments, human genetics, preclinical to clinical translation and apply these where possible to advance the portfolio programs
• Design and conduct studies to increase confidence in human biology for new approaches and targets; provide strong scientific leadership and experimental guidance from target generation-to-clinical candidate programs.to a team of scientists with diverse in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo biological expertise
• Partner effectively with multi-functional teams encompassing research (including Integrated Biology team and Chemistry) and development (including early and late clinical development group)
• Effectively manage and prioritize portfolio of cardiovascular projects ensuring that resources are invested in areas with the highest opportunity for return on investment
• Actively contribute to the external collaborative scientific strategy, e.g., identify and build collaborations and liaise with external scientists
• Effectively communicate IM’s cardiovascular research to executive leadership as well as external investors and analysts
• Serve as a cardiovascular SME in evaluating relevant business development opportunities and develop recommendations to senior leadership on opportunities to pursue or decline
• Serve as a cardiovascular SME on the Cardiovascular Safety Council
• Create an environment that values innovation, leadership, employee development, scientific excellence, urgency and accountability
• Present research findings to the scientific community through consistent publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentation of the results at scientific meetings
• Ensure that all research/discovery work is conducted with highest quality and in accordance with relevant regulatory, QC, and compliance guidelines
• Provide supervision and career development opportunities for team of 20-25 colleagues
• Advise leadership on issues of relative value and prioritization of ongoing programs
• Actively explore opportunities for novel investments through partnerships with the outside biotech community and new scientific initiative internally

Qualifications

• Required: MD or PhD with a minimum of 15-20 yrs of research experience leading a research laboratory in academic or industry settings, with a sophisticated understanding of modern cardiovascular disease pathophysiology and underlying biology
• Required: Proven track record of advancing preclinical cardiovascular discovery programs into clinical development
• Required: Demonstrable record of applying the highest scientific rigor and ethical standards to biomedical research
• Required: Ability to discover, validate and implement novel translation biomarker strategies to support data-driven decisions in clinical development
• Required: Demonstrated excellence in designing, executing and interpreting studies of cardiovascular disease biomarkers in nonclinical studies that enable their validation for clinical application
• Required: Ability to think strategically and creatively while contributing to multiple projects; thrive in a highly collaborative, multi-disciplinary team setting; strong written/verbal communication skills and ability to collaborate with scientists in other disciplines
• Required: Evidence for prior success in colleague mentoring and career development
• Preferred: Demonstrated ability to lead cardiovascular programs through all stages of discovery and clinical development
• Preferred: Demonstrated record of scientific achievement, e.g., high-quality and impactful publications in leading scientific/medical journals