Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) Lead/Director

Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) Lead/Director

UCB - Union Chimique Belge

Slough, United Kingdom

About the role

In this Director level role, you will provide scientific leadership and expertise in Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) across global discovery and development programs. You will define and deliver DMPK strategies across the full lifecycle - from early research through clinical development and registration - contributing directly to candidate selection, risk assessment, and patient-focused innovation.

You will play a key role in enabling translation from discovery into clinical success across diverse therapeutic modalities.

Who you’ll work with

You will collaborate within multidisciplinary project teams across R&D, working closely with experts in toxicology, clinical pharmacology, drug design, and translational sciences.

You’ll be part of a team focused on advancing innovative therapies for patients, partnering closely with the wider DMPK community to drive scientific excellence and best practice globally.

What you’ll do

• Lead DMPK strategy across discovery and clinical development programs;
• Design and interpret PK, PK/PD, toxicokinetic, ADME, and translational studies;
• Influence compound design, candidate selection, and risk mitigation;
• Predict human pharmacokinetics, dose, and drug–drug interaction risks;
• Contribute to modelling and simulation, including PBPK activities;
• Author DMPK sections for regulatory submissions and internal documents;
• Serve as DMPK expert for due diligence evaluations of external opportunities;
• Provide scientific mentoring and coaching to junior staff.

Interested? For this role we’re looking for

• PhD (or equivalent) in Pharmaceutics, Pharmacology, DMPK, or related discipline;
• Significant industrial DMPK experience across discovery and development;
• Strong expertise in ADME, PK studies, and human PK prediction;
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements and submission processes;
• Experience with modelling and simulation (PBPK preferred);
• Proven ability to work effectively in global, cross-functional teams.