Director, Discovery Oncology, Reverse Translation

Job Description

Discovery Oncology is seeking a visionary and driven people leader to translate the deep clinical knowledge of our Company into unique insights and new therapeutic opportunities. This Director will lead a cross-site team based in Boston and San Francisco, with the position located in person in Boston. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving a discovery strategy grounded in reverse translation, bringing insights from the clinic back into discovery to shape programs, inform target and modality selection, and accelerate our Company's robust pipeline of compelling medicines. They will partner across our Company to help build our Discovery Oncology strategy. This leader will work tightly with clinical, translational, data science, and quantitative biosciences colleagues to test translational findings across all therapeutic modalities. The successful candidate will have a strong record of scientific excellence, realization of actionable translational findings, deep collaborative spirit, thoughtful strategic planning, and inspiring people leadership.

Responsibilities

• Be a creative and forward-thinking leader to reverse translate our clinical learnings into actionable discovery strategy, novel therapeutic combinations, and new molecular design.

• Deliver on milestones key to pipeline advancement, such as solutions to mechanisms of resistance across our Oncology pipeline, including large and small molecules.

• Contribute your expertise and vision to business development evaluations of molecules, technologies, or platforms of interest to our Company.

• As a member of the Discovery Oncology Leadership team, meaningfully contribute to the development and execution of strategy and the growth and development of staff.

• Foster a high-performance culture of collaboration, engagement, self-accountability, and inclusion.

• Establish strong relationships within highly collaborative, multidisciplinary teams across the Boston and San Francisco sites.

Required Qualifications / Education

• Ph.D. in Biology, Immunology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology, Bioengineering, Biotechnology, Oncology, Biophysics, Biologics, or a related STEM field with 8+ years of post-degree experience in industry or equivalent, or M.S. with 10+ years of experience.

• Extensive background in discovery or translational research.

• A proven track record of actioning clinical learnings into new molecular design and therapeutic approaches

• Experience managing a group of senior and junior scientists with a track record of achievements, including project leadership and strategic contributions.

• Ability to build strong relationships within highly collaborative, multidisciplinary teams to effectively drive actionable findings.

• Excellent attention to detail and strong communication skills, both oral and written.

• Highly self-motivated and capable of prioritizing deliverables among multiple projects.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Experience working across oncology modalities, including large molecules, small molecules, and other therapeutic platforms.

• Strong understanding of resistance biology, biomarker strategy, and translational decision-making.

• Experience influencing portfolio strategy in a matrixed environment.

• Prior success leading cross-site teams and building a collaborative culture across geographies.

#EligibleforERP

Required Skills:

Biologics, Drug Discovery Research, Drug Target Identification, Mentorship, Molecular Biology, Oncology, People Leadership, Small Molecules, Target Validation, Translational Research

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement​

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

The salary range for this role is

$194,100.00 - $305,600.00

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.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: 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

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

Yes

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/a

Job Posting End Date:

06/30/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.