How to apply for Executive Director, Clinical Pharmacology/Pharmacometrics

About Recursion

Recursion is a clinical-stage biotech company that uses a combination of experimental biology and computational methods to discover and develop new therapies. The company focuses on rare diseases and oncology, and this role sits within its clinical development team. The position is remote within the US, which may appeal to candidates who prefer to work from home.

About the role

This executive director role leads the clinical pharmacology and pharmacometrics strategy and execution for a portfolio of rare disease and oncology clinical programs. The person in this role acts as the clinical pharmacology lead for multiple programs, represents the company in regulatory interactions, and designs clinical studies from Phase 1 to Phase 3. The work directly influences how quickly therapies move through development and reach patients.

A typical day

A typical day may involve leading a cross-functional team meeting to discuss a clinical study design, reviewing modeling and simulation results to inform a go/no-go decision, and drafting a clinical pharmacology section for an upcoming regulatory submission. You might also interact with health authorities or prepare for such interactions, and coordinate with DMPK and translational modeling teams to align on strategy. Since the role is remote, much of the work happens via video calls and shared documents.

Who Recursion is looking for

• Has extensive experience in clinical pharmacology and pharmacometrics, including hands-on modeling and simulation with tools such as NONMEM, R, or similar, and has led strategies for multiple clinical programs.
• Has served as the clinical pharmacology lead on cross-functional teams and has authored regulatory documents such as INDs, NDAs, and Investigator's Brochures.
• Has direct experience in rare disease and/or oncology clinical development, including designing Phase 1-3 studies and dedicated clinical pharmacology studies.
• Has interacted with health authorities (e.g., FDA, EMA) as a clinical pharmacology expert and can propose innovative strategies to accelerate development.

Tips for this application

• Highlight specific examples where you led clinical pharmacology strategy for rare disease or oncology programs, including the phases and outcomes.
• List the modeling and simulation tools you have used (e.g., NONMEM, Monolix, R, Python) and describe how you applied them to answer drug development questions.
• Name the regulatory submissions you have authored or co-authored (e.g., IND, NDA, IB) and your role in health authority interactions.
• Emphasize experience working with cross-functional teams, especially with DMPK, translational modeling, and clinical study teams, as mentioned in the job description.
• Since the role is remote, mention your ability to work effectively in a remote environment and coordinate across time zones if relevant.

What to cover in your cover letter

In your cover letter, focus on: 1) Your experience leading clinical pharmacology and pharmacometrics strategy for rare disease and oncology programs. 2) Specific examples of designing clinical studies and authoring regulatory documents. 3) Your hands-on modeling and simulation work and how it expedited decision-making. 4) Your experience representing clinical pharmacology in health authority interactions.

Research before applying

• Read Recursion's pipeline and recent press releases to understand which rare disease and oncology programs are in clinical development.
• Learn about Recursion's approach to drug discovery, including its use of computational methods and experimental biology, to see how clinical pharmacology fits in.
• Check if Recursion has public information about its clinical development team structure and how remote work is managed.
• Look up recent publications or presentations by Recursion scientists in clinical pharmacology or pharmacometrics to understand their methods and priorities.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Describe a time you developed a clinical pharmacology strategy for a rare disease or oncology program. What was your approach and what was the outcome?
• Walk through a modeling and simulation project you led. What tools did you use, what question did it answer, and how did it impact a development decision?
• How have you contributed to regulatory submissions such as INDs or NDAs? What was your specific role in writing or reviewing clinical pharmacology sections?
• Tell us about an interaction with a health authority where you were the clinical pharmacology expert. What was the issue and how did you handle it?
• How do you work with cross-functional teams, such as DMPK, translational modeling, and clinical study teams, to ensure clinical pharmacology input is integrated into study designs?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Avoid applying without demonstrating specific experience in rare disease or oncology clinical pharmacology, as the role requires leading a portfolio in these areas.
• Do not submit a generic resume that lists skills without concrete examples of modeling and simulation, regulatory authorship, or study design.
• Avoid downplaying experience with health authority interactions, as the job explicitly includes acting as the clinical pharmacology expert in regulatory interactions.