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Senior Scientist II (Pharmacology)

Exelixis
Alameda HQ, United States, United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 18 Aug 2026
💰 $188,000/yr($132,500/yr$188,000/yr)

About the role

The Senior Scientist II is responsible for leading pharmacology research efforts to support various Discovery and Development projects. The strong candidate must be a highly self-motivated, interactive, and productive PhD scientist with hands-on experience. This individual will possess strong knowledge and experience with various animal tumor models and be able to strategically incorporate the latest technologies into Pharmacology functions. The candidate must have a deep understanding of PK, PD, and efficacy, and be able to interpret their relationships. The candidate will share management responsibilities and support operations in the animal facility and the Pharmacology laboratory.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Lead, design, execute, and interpret in vivo pharmacology (PK/PD/Efficacy) experiments to test the selected compounds in rodent tumor models.

  • Establish PK/PD/Efficacy relationship and be able to characterize the Tox profile by using the preclinical animal models for the therapeutic candidates.

  • Represent the Pharmacology function or act as Project Team Co-Lead (PTL) on Discovery project teams.

  • Provide scientific support for the project teams and Discovery/ Pharmacology staff.

  • Utilize literature and internal data sets to design and test hypotheses for drug targets.

  • Experience working with CROs to coordinate and execute the study in a timely manner.

  • Prepare Pharmacology study reports for research findings and support IND filings.

  • Collaborate with the IACUC committee to ensure compliance with internal policies and animal welfare regulations.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • May manage a team in the Pharmacology group

           

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/SKILLS:

Education:

  • PhD in Pharmacology, Cancer Biology, Molecular Cellular Biology, or a closely related field with a minimum of 2 years of industrial experience after post-doctoral training; or

  • Equivalent combination of education and experience

Experience:

  • Deep understanding of in vivo Pharmacology (PK, PD, and efficacy) concepts for the oncology drug discovery.

  • Extensive experience using in vivo tumor models for drug discovery with a proven track record in establishing, validating, and implementing animal models for testing cancer therapies, including xenograft, syngeneic, genetically engineered mouse, orthotopic, PDX, and humanized models to study biologic mechanisms.

  • Proven track record of writing regulatory and IND filing documents in the pre-clinical Pharmacology section.

  • Proven track record of good experimental design, in-depth data analysis, and interpretation based on strong scientific rationale.

  • Expertise in cell culture with aseptic technique and basic vivo techniques (handling, different routes of administration, blood collection, etc.) is a must.

  • Strong scientific expertise with a good track record of publications.

  • Managerial experience with a small group (3-5 people) is required.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

  • In vivo skills include, but are not limited to, animal handling, dosing with different routes (po, iv, sc, ip, im, etc.), blood collection, tissue collection/ perfusion, necropsy, tumor measurement, clinical observation, and rodent survival surgeries.

  • Understanding the regulations and guidelines of IACUC and AAALAC is a must.

  • Has flexibility to adapt to a fast-paced work environment and deadlines.

  • Ability to work in a team-based environment and coach junior scientists.

  • Excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills.

  • Detail-oriented and able to solve problems and offer potential solutions.

  • Strong communication skills, excellent work ethic, self-motivation, and ability to work effectively either in a team environment or independently.

  • Advanced knowledge of MS Office, PDF, GraphPad, ELN notebook, and Studylog is required. 

JOB COMPLEXITY:

  • Work on problems of diverse scopes where analysis of data requires evaluation of identifiable factors. 

  • Exercise judgment within generally defined practices and policies in selecting methods and techniques for obtaining solutions.

  • May require weekend and holiday work to support the in vivo study.

#LI-HG1

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The base pay range for this position

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Company

Exelixis

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