Senior Principal Scientist, Clinical Research, Neuroscience Full-time NEW

Senior Clinical Director (Senior Principal Scientist)

The Senior Clinical Director (Senior Principal Scientist) has primary responsibility for planning and directing clinical research activities involving new or marketed medicines in the Neuroscience therapeutic area. Our company's Neuroscience medicines span all phases of clinical development (pre-clinical to post-licensure). The Senior Clinical Director may manage the entire cycle of clinical development for their assigned studies including study design, initiation, execution, monitoring, analysis, regulatory reporting, and publication.

Specifically, the Senior Clinical Director may be responsible for:

• Evaluating pre-clinical and translational work for the purpose of generating early clinical development plans and Investigational New Drug applications
• Developing clinical development strategies for investigational or marketed Neuroscience drugs
• Planning clinical trials (designing, collaborating on operational plans, etc.) based on the clinical development strategy
• Medical oversight and overall conduct of ongoing or new clinical trials for investigational or marketed drugs
• Analyzing and summarizing the clinical findings from studies to support decisions regarding safety and efficacy as new drug applications, clinical study reports, or publication
• Participating in internal and joint internal/external research project teams relevant to the development of new compounds, and the further study of marketed compounds
• Supporting business development assessments of external opportunities

The Senior Director may:

• Actively engage with other functional areas in support of study execution
• Work closely with a cross-functional group of experts in commercialization, regulatory affairs, statistics, and manufacturing to manage clinical development projects
• Assist the Executive Director and/or Associate Vice President in ensuring that appropriate personnel are informed of the progress of studies of our company and competitors' drugs
• Provide expert opinion, internally and externally, on relevant scientific questions within their responsibility.

The Senior Director is responsible for maintaining a strong scientific fund of knowledge by:

• Maintaining awareness of scientific developments within his/her area of expertise, in terms of new scientific findings, research methodologies
• Identifying scientifically and operationally strong investigators who can assist in the development of our company's investigational and marketed drugs
• Establishing communications with prominent clinical investigators in his/her particular field of interest, particularly those who will be willing and able to assist in the evaluation of our company's drugs
• Attending appropriate scientific meetings to maintain his or her competency and to maintain awareness of research activities in his/her area of responsibility.

To accomplish these goals, the Senior Director may:

• Author detailed development documents, presentations, budgets, and position papers for internal and external audiences
• Facilitate collaborations with external researchers around the world
• Travel on company business about twenty (20) percent of the time to manage future or ongoing clinical research projects.

Education:

• M.D or M.D./Ph.D.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Must have experience in industry or as senior faculty in academia
• Minimum of 3 years clinical medicine experience
• Minimum of 3 years of industry experience in drug development or biomedical research experience in academia
• Demonstrated success in overseeing clinical studies and protocols
• Demonstrated record of scientific scholarship and achievement
• Proven track record in clinical medicine and background in biomedical research
• Strong interpersonal skills, as the ability to function in a team environment
• Outstanding verbal and written communication and presentation skills

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Board Certified or Eligible in Neuroscience or related discipline
• Prior specific experience in clinical research and prior publication

Required Skills:

Clinical Development, Clinical Documentation, Clinical Medicine, Clinical Neurophysiology, Clinical Protocol Design, Clinical Research Management, Clinical Study Design, Clinical Trial Development, Clinical Trial Protocols, Clinical Trials, Communication, Decision Making, Drug Development, Ethical Standards, Hiring, Intellectual Curiosity, Neuroscience, Scientific Publications, Scientific Research, Strategic Planning, Vaccinology, Written Communication

Preferred Skills:

The salary range for this role is $282,200.00 – $444,200.00. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

Regular

Hybrid

04/16/2026