Associate Principal Scientist, Immunology Biomarker Lead, Translational Medicine

Job Description

Translational Clinical Biomarkers shapes the strategic use of clinical biomarkers to support decision-making across the development lifecycle for all therapeutic areas at our Company’s Research Laboratories. We are seeking a highly motivated Associate Principal Scientist to serve as an Immunology Biomarker Lead who will partner across functions to develop and execute biomarker strategies that connect drug mechanism, patient biology, and clinical endpoints across immune-mediated and inflammatory diseases.

The role requires a scientist who brings scientific expertise, decision-focused thinking, and strong collaboration to support biomarker hypotheses, plans, and readouts tied to development decisions in a fast-moving matrixed environment.

The individual will have the following responsibilities:

• Support development and alignment of biomarker strategies for early- and late-stage clinical programs, emphasizing clear hypotheses, fit-for-purpose readouts, and decision-linked plans.

• Lead biomarker sub-teams within cross-functional development program teams and represent the biomarker perspective in selected governance or program interactions.

• Build alignment across stakeholders with diverse technical backgrounds and priorities to converge on pragmatic biomarker choices, tradeoffs, and recommendations.

• Partner with subject matter experts to translate disease biology and drug mechanism into clinical-stage biomarker plans that address key program questions.

• Support selection of fit-for-purpose biomarker technologies and methodologies such as immune profiling, omics, tissue-based readouts, and digital pathology, grounded in disease biology and therapeutic mechanism of action.

• Contribute to biomarker analysis planning, data interpretation, and communication to ensure conclusions are scientifically rigorous, clinically meaningful, and clearly linked to program decisions.

• Integrate fluid- and tissue-based biomarker data, in partnership with subject matter experts, to connect biomarker readouts with clinical endpoints and support decision-making.

• Contribute to precision medicine and patient stratification considerations where biomarker data may inform responder biology, enrichment hypotheses, or future diagnostic optionality.

Position Qualifications

Education Minimum Requirement

PhD or MD/PhD in a life sciences discipline such as Immunology, Molecular Pathology, Cell Biology, Translational Medicine, Pharmacology, Genetics/Genomics, Bioengineering, or related STEM field. MS or BS considered with equivalent experience.

Required Experience and Skills

• PhD or MD/PhD with 5+ years, MS with 8+ years, or BS with 12+ years of experience in the biotech or pharmaceutical industry, preferably in translational or biomarker sciences.

• Experience contributing to biomarker strategies for clinical development programs, including biomarker selection, sample planning, data interpretation, and decision-focused communication.

• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence in matrixed environments, including working across clinical, translational, biomarker, data science, and operational stakeholders.

• Strong knowledge of immune-mediated and inflammatory disease biology and clinical development, with experience in at least one of the following areas: gastrointestinal/mucosal inflammation, rheumatology, or dermatology.

• Experience applying biomarkers to assess drug activity, mechanism of action, pharmacodynamic response, or patient response.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex or ambiguous information into clear options and recommendations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with fluid- and/or tissue-based biomarker readouts and their relationship to clinical endpoints.

• Working knowledge of biomarker platforms and multi-modal data types, including immunoassays, flow or immune profiling, NGS, transcriptomics, proteomics, or digital pathology.

• Experience partnering with bioinformatics, biostatistics, clinical, translational, and operational teams to support biomarker analysis and interpretation.

• Familiarity with precision medicine concepts, patient stratification, or diagnostic considerations in clinical biomarker planning.

• Experience contributing to external scientific engagement, including publications, presentations, KOL interactions, or consortia participation.

#EligibleforERP

Required Skills:

Allergy and Immunology, Biomarker Analysis, Biomarker Assay Development, Biomarker Development, Biomarker Identification, Biomarker Qualification, Biomarker Research, Biomarkers, Clinical Immunology, Immunoassays, Immunology, Immunology Research, Relationship Building, Stakeholder Engagement, Translational Medicine

Preferred Skills:

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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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U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

The salary range for this role is

$129,000.00 - $203,100.00

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

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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

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Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

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Job Posting End Date:

04/30/2026

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