Principal Scientist, Drug Safety

Job Description

CSRM Physician, Principal Scientist

The CSRM Physician, Principal Scientist, is a physician leader in pharmacovigilance responsible for the overall clinical risk management and safety surveillance of assigned investigational and marketed products.

Reporting to a CSRM Scientific Associate Vice President, CSRM Associate Vice President, or CSRM Distinguished Scientist, this role leads the development and maintenance of risk management and pharmacovigilance plans and chairs the Risk Management and Safety Team (RMST) for assigned products. The CSRM Physician partners closely with colleagues across Clinical Development, Epidemiology, Regulatory Affairs, Biostatistics, Manufacturing, and other functions to ensure integrated safety strategies, robust benefit-risk evaluation, and timely execution of global pharmacovigilance and risk management activities.

The position has global scope and supports product development, regulatory review, and post-approval safety activities. The role may be based in Upper Gwynedd, Pennsylvania, or Rahway, New Jersey, and requires approximately 10% travel. This is an individual contributor position with no direct reports or budgetary responsibility.

Key Responsibilities:

Clinical Safety and Product Development Leadership

• Serve as a core member of Product Development Teams and chair the RMST for assigned products, with participation on related internal and joint internal/external project teams as appropriate.

• Partner with Clinical Development to ensure clinical programs support robust safety assessment of investigational compounds.

• Work with Clinical Research and other partners to develop benefit-risk evaluations for aggregate safety reports and regulatory submissions.

• Provide medical and scientific leadership for the ongoing evaluation of safety information throughout the product lifecycle.

Safety Surveillance and Signal Management:

• Evaluate safety data from multiple sources, including clinical trials, scientific literature, and post-approval use.

• Lead safety surveillance activities for assigned products, including aggregate clinical trial data analyses and post-approval safety signaling reviews.

• Apply medical judgment to the review of aggregate safety data and individual cases and collaborate with CSRM Associates in overseeing surveillance activities.

• Ensure the completeness and medical accuracy of safety information in Company Core Data Sheets and oversee the review and approval of product labeling files maintained in the safety database.

• Demonstrate a working knowledge of MedDRA and apply appropriate medical terminology in safety evaluation and documentation.

Risk Management and Regulatory Documentation:

• Lead the development and maintenance of risk management and pharmacovigilance plans for assigned products.

• Develop recommendations for pharmacovigilance actions, product labeling, risk minimization activities, and broader risk management strategies in collaboration with CSRM Associates and cross-functional partners.

• Provide scientific strategy and medical oversight for safety-related documents, including Common Technical Document components, Risk Management Plans, Periodic Safety Update Reports, aggregate reports, and regulatory filing summaries.

• Ensure safety sections of Company product circulars are medically and scientifically appropriate.

• Prepare safety summaries and analyses for regulatory documents and filings and, as applicable, oversee Medical Associates supporting safety data analysis and document authoring.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Organizational Contribution:

• Collaborate with Clinical Development, Epidemiology, Regulatory Affairs, Biostatistics, Manufacturing, and other stakeholders to align safety activities with global pharmacovigilance and risk management strategies.

• Communicate safety issues, benefit-risk considerations, and recommended actions clearly to cross-functional teams and decisionmakers.

• Participate in the development, implementation, and evaluation of departmental standards, processes, metrics, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Contribute to a culture of scientific rigor, patient focus, accountability, and effective collaboration.

Education:

Required

• M.D., D.O., or equivalent medical degree.
  

Preferred

• Board Certification.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Minimum of 3 years of clinical experience following postgraduate medical training or other relevant clinical experience.

• Excellent communication, writing, analytical, and organizational skills.

• Demonstrated organizational leadership skills, preferably in clinical safety, pharmacovigilance, risk management, drug development, or a related area.

• Ability to apply sound medical judgment to complex safety information and communicate clear benefit-risk assessments and recommendations.

• Ability to collaborate effectively across functions and operate successfully in a global, matrixed organization.

Required Skills:

Clinical Development, Clinical Risk Management, Clinical Safety, Cross-Functional Project Management, Detail-Oriented, Medical Review, Medical Writing, Pharmacovigilance, Risk Management, Safety Evaluation, Safety Strategy, Scientific Leadership

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:

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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 primary location for this posting is:

USA - Pennsylvania - North Wales (Upper Gwynedd)

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

$231,900.00 - $365,000.00

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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.

Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

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:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

10/29/2026

*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.

Our company is a global health care leader with a diversified portfolio of prescription medicines, vaccines and animal health products. The difference between potential and achievement lies in the spark that fuels innovation and inventiveness; this is the space where we have codified our legacy for over a century. Our success is backed by ethical integrity, forward momentum, and an inspiring mission to achieve new milestones in global healthcare.

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