Director of Safety Pharmacology
Everett, Washington | On site | Base salary $130,000–$200,000
RPM ReSearch is partnering with a preclinical drug development organization to identify a Director of Safety Pharmacology for its Everett, Washington site. This role combines scientific leadership with responsibility for the people, studies and sponsor relationships that make a safety pharmacology group effective.
You may be leading a function today, or you may be a senior Study Director or Associate Director ready to take on broader responsibility. Our client is interested in the scope of work you have led, the judgment you bring to difficult studies and your ability to develop other scientists. The compensation range reflects that flexibility in experience, education and leadership scope.
The opportunity
You will guide Study Directors and help shape how safety pharmacology work is designed, conducted, interpreted and communicated. The group needs a leader who can set scientific direction, make sound operating decisions and stay connected to study execution. This is a sponsor-facing CRO role, with opportunities to work across scientific specialties and sites.
The organization has a broader preclinical and clinical footprint. Its scientists work across toxicology, safety pharmacology, bioanalysis and other drug development capabilities. That breadth creates a useful setting for someone who likes to solve questions with colleagues outside a single department, particularly as safety pharmacology endpoints are increasingly incorporated into general toxicology programs.
What you will do
- Lead and develop Study Directors through scientific review, coaching, workload decisions and clear expectations.
- Provide scientific direction for cardiovascular, central nervous system and respiratory safety pharmacology work, including appropriate integration of endpoints into toxicology studies.
- Maintain the quality and regulatory rigor of GLP and development-enabling studies, from design and execution through interpretation and reporting.
- Work directly with sponsors to discuss study strategy, unexpected findings, timelines and the implications of results for development programs.
- Partner with toxicology and other scientific groups to solve complex questions and improve how studies move through the organization.
- Stay close enough to the work to lead or provide direct scientific input on studies when the situation calls for it.
What will help you succeed
- Substantial experience in nonclinical safety pharmacology within a CRO or a closely related drug development environment.
- Ownership of regulated, development-enabling studies and the ability to interpret results in the context of sponsor decisions.
- Evidence that you have led, mentored or raised the performance of other scientists or Study Directors.
- Comfort speaking with clients about scientific and operational issues, including results that are not straightforward.
- A collaborative approach to the overlap between safety pharmacology and general toxicology.
- A PhD or veterinary degree may be valuable, but the client is considering a range of educational backgrounds. Scientific credibility, relevant study experience and demonstrated leadership matter more than a title or degree alone. Experience at a large preclinical CRO can be especially relevant, but it is not the only path.
Location and compensation
This position is based on site in Everett, Washington. The base salary range is $130,000–$200,000, with the offer aligned to the candidate’s experience and scope of responsibility.
Start a conversation
If you enjoy developing scientists while remaining close to the science and the sponsors it serves, we would welcome a conversation. Contact Brad McMillan at RPM ReSearch to discuss the role and what you would want in your next chapter.