Associate Director, Translational PK/PD

MSD

Associate Director modeling translational PK/PD for Merck’s global healthcare and drug discovery programs. Guiding biologics, protein therapeutics, and peptide development through mechanistic modeling and dose prediction.

Posted 8/14/2026full-timeSouth San Francisco • California, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $156,900 - $247,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.

Demonstrates expertise in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics modeling, integrating in vitro and in vivo data to support drug discovery and development. Proficient in designing experimental studies and automated workflows while collaborating effectively across interdisciplinary teams.

Highest-signal resume keywords

PKPD ModelingBiostatisticsData AnalysisMATLABTranslational Modeling Strategies

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

PharmacokineticsPharmacodynamicsData ModelingStatistical AnalysisExperimental DesignMathematical Problem SolvingTranslational PKPDBiologicsProteinsPeptides

Soft Skills

Collaborative Problem SolvingInterdisciplinary Collaboration

Tools & Technologies

MATLABOSP SuiteMonolixR

Industry Keywords

Drug DiscoveryTranslational StrategyModel-Informed DecisionsMechanistic ModelingBiologics Development

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Serve as an expert PK/PD modeler in cross-functional teams to make model-informed decisions about drug discovery, modality selection, and dose prediction across therapeutic areas
Integrate in vitro and in vivo data to build PKPD, PBPK, QSP, or other mechanistic modeling platforms supporting forward/reverse translation for established and novel therapeutic targets
Collaborate across PDMB and the broader Discovery/Translational organization to design experimental studies and modeling plans
Identify and optimize drug candidates and guide broader translational strategy across programs
Guide the design of automated workflows for modeling platforms to inform human PK/PD and dose projections
Provide scientific and modeling guidance to junior colleagues
Build effective partnerships across departments to guide model-informed drug discovery
Independently design and execute analyses with minimal supervision

Requirements

What you’ll need

Master's with 8+ years, PharmD with 6+ years, or Ph.D. with 4+ years in pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, mathematics, applied mathematics, systems biology, computational biology, chemical/biomedical engineering, statistics/biostatistics, or related discipline
Experience with increasing responsibility and independence in drug discovery/development within industry, academia, regulatory, or non-profit settings
Hands-on translational PKPD modeling experience using standard modeling software such as Matlab, OSP Suite, Monolix, or R
Experience supporting discovery/development of biologics, protein therapeutics, and/or peptides
Expert skills in experimental design, mathematical problem solving, critical data analysis/interpretation, and statistics
Demonstrated experience working in interdisciplinary teams and collaborative problem scoping/planning
Expertise developing novel translational modeling strategies or automated workflows relying on PBPK, QSP, or related mechanistic modeling
Required skills include biologics, biostatistics, data analysis, data modeling, data science, drug discovery process, interdisciplinary collaboration, MATLAB, peptides, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacotherapeutics, PKPD modeling, proteins, statistical analysis, and translational PKPD
Visa sponsorship available

Benefits

Comp & perks

Annual bonus eligibility
Long-term incentive eligibility, if applicable
Medical healthcare benefits for employee and family
Dental healthcare benefits for employee and family
Vision healthcare benefits for employee and family
Other insurance benefits for employee and family
Retirement benefits, including 401(k)
Paid holidays
Vacation days
Compassionate days
Sick days
Hybrid work arrangement
Visa sponsorship
Relocation: Domestic/International