Clinical Development Scientist

We are currently seeking a dedicated and strategically minded Clinical Scientist Senior Director to join our Clinical Development team at Absci. In this pivotal role, you will help translate Absci’s AI-powered drug design into successful drug development programs. This position is ideal for a Senior Director who brings substantive experience in both clinical development and medical affairs. Absci is bringing potentially revolutionary medicines to fulfill unmet patient needs with a dedicated group of experienced team members who embrace working in multiple functions. 

In this important position role, your accountability spans a range of clinical science deliverables for the development program(s) at large as well as individual clinical trials.  Given Absci’s paradigm-creating approach to drug development, contributing to medical affairs strategy and  execution are important components of the position. 

You will leverage your deep background in clinical trial design/execution, medical data oversight, and scientific communication and KOL engagement to ensure our development programs generate high-quality, decision-ready data while building the scientific foundation needed to support our pipeline as it advances toward commercialization. The successful candidate will readily incorporate AI tools  and technology into daily practice to efficiently achieve mission objectives.

Responsibilities:

• Able to function independently with respect to key deliverables with close internal and external stakeholder collaboration.
• Develop expertise in assigned therapeutic areas to serve as a clinical and scientific subject-matter expert for assigned therapeutic area and indication, providing hands-on oversight of protocol execution and clinical data quality to enable decision ready outcomes.
• Engage clinical investigators and study sites to ensure timely and  quality study execution.
• Participating in Investigator meeting planning and execution and assist with site initiation as needed.
• Be a leading voice in ideation of study designs, protocols, charters, publication plans, publication concepts and associated deliverables to fulfill Absci’s clinical development and medical affairs objectives .
• Support investigators, site staff, CROs/ CRAs on study protocol and related questions.
• Work closely with medical monitors on proactive data review, systematically identifying trends, safety signals, and data quality issues in collaboration with clinical operations under an established data monitoring plan.
• Collaborate with a cross-functional team to drive protocol development and governance approval, authoring and reviewing study design, endpoints, eligibility criteria, and related documents; ensure integrity of protocols throughout the trial lifecycle.
• Partner cross-functionally to translate clinical strategy into study concept documents, protocols, and related regulatory facing materials, ensuring alignment with Absci’s development objectives and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) standards.
• Proven ability to build and maintain strong relationships and contribute to interactions with external key opinion leaders to optimize clinical programs (e.g. advisory boards, individual engagements, steering committees, etc.). Experience in (or clear ability) with investigator engagement to optimize clinical trial conduct. Includes presenting at investigator meetings.
• Maintain excellent management and leadership skills, often without direct authority, including informing and motivating internal/external stakeholders, setting and monitoring goals and action plans.
• Build, track and manage relationships with specific external stakeholders, including key opinion leaders, disease advocacy groups, patient support groups, and educational foundations.
• Build and maintain company awareness of scientific, clinical and competitive landscape, periodically conducting informative reviews for internal stakeholders including senior leadership by reviewing and synthesizing data  to support program strategy.
• Contribute to medical affairs activities, including support for scientific communication platforms, external expert engagement, KOL strategy, scientific conference strategy, publication planning and strategy of near market or marketed assets and bridging clinical development and medical affairs to ensure continuity across the product lifecycle.
• Contribute to regulatory submissions and health authority interactions.
• Present scientific findings internally and externally, including at leadership forums and scientific conferences; serve as a contributing author on peer-reviewed publications and data presentations.
• Provide guidance on the identification and management of CROs, collaborators, and consultants to support key clinical and medical affairs deliverables.

Qualifications:

• A PhD or PharmD is required. 
• 10+ years of pharmaceutical or biotechnology clinical drug development experience, with a demonstrated track record in late-phase (Phase 2/3) trial execution, scientific data review, and data quality oversight.
• Proven ability to bridge clinical development and medical affairs functions, including experience with developing and managing KOLs and publication strategy for clinical development programs,  scientific communications, and medical support for marketed or near-market products.
• Experience contributing to regulatory submissions, health authority interactions, and/or authoring clinical regulatory documents in compliance with ICH, FDA, and EMA guidelines.
• Strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to clearly convey complex clinical and scientific data to internal leadership committees and external stakeholders.

Preferred (but not required):

• Track record in successfully translating AI-driven drug discovery and/or targets into clinical development programs.
• Ability and experience successfully incorporating AI tools into daily work, efficiently achieving clinical development and medical affairs objectives.
• Industry and/or academic experience in Dermatology or Women’s Health therapeutic areas, including designing, monitoring, and interpreting clinical trials in these indications.

 How We Thrive Together: Absci’s Core Values

• We believe in the impossible
•   We are one team with one finish line
•   We embrace our differences
•   We deliver results
•   We do the right thing
•   We innovate because lives depend on it

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $262,000 - $315,000 per year. The range provided is based on what we believe is a reasonable estimate for the base salary range for this job at the time of posting. Actual base salary pay will be based on a number of factors, including skills, competencies, experience, and other job-related factors permitted by law.

Absci offers highly competitive salaries and benefits, including medical, dental, vision insurance, unlimited vacation, parental leave, employee assistance program, voluntary life and disability insurance, annual bonus potential, and 401(k) with a generous company match.

Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required.  AbSci may agree to sponsor an individual for an employment visa now or in the future if there is a shortage of individuals with particular skills for this job.  

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.  

This position is for our Vancouver, WA location (just outside of Portland, OR) - AbSci may agree to offer relocation assistance for this role.