Senior Director, Cardiovascular and Cardiometabolic Translational Biology

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The Respiratory, Immunology, and Inflammation Research Unit (RIIRU) uses immune science to address underlying organ dysfunction and disease, building a pipeline of medicines to transform treatment and care. Our diverse team of industry-leading experts turns scientific exploration into value for patients and GSK. We span the full R&D journey, from early discovery and mid-stage development to launching late-stage medicines. By combining leading datasets, capabilities and methods with decades of scientific expertise, we are reshaping how we develop and deliver new medicines.

GSK is expanding cardiovascular and cardiometabolic capabilities within RIIRU, initially focusing on cardiovascular disease as a key co-morbidity across respiratory, renal, hepatology and neurodegeneration. The next step is to sharpen the strategy, deepen internal expertise and build a portfolio that complements existing disease-area programmes. 

This is an opportunity to build, rather than inherit, a scientific direction. As the senior Translational Biology expert in cardiovascular science, you will evaluate existing targets, develop a human-first strategy, identify collaboration and business development opportunities, and guide investment priorities. You will provide key scientific recommendations within a matrix, partnering with clinical, genetics, genomics, disease-area and portfolio leaders. 

You will shape the strategy, scientific network and future portfolio, with immediate visibility across four established disease areas where cardiovascular biology can improve patient outcomes. Early involvement in emerging collaborations - including relationships with academic institutions and potential international partners - will allow you to bring together internal target science, external innovation and business development to build a differentiated portfolio.

The remit spans cardiovascular, vascular and cardiometabolic biology rather than a narrow single-disease specialism, offering senior influence without direct authority and the freedom to convene experts and turn evidence into portfolio recommendations.

For candidates seeking to be located at our Stevenage site, this role will temporarily be based at Stevenage. However, the Company plans to relocate its offices to Cambridge, UK. The location of this role will therefore subsequently change to Cambridge, UK in accordance with timelines to be set by the Company. The relocation is currently proposed to take effect by early 2029.

• Provide scientific leadership to progress an existing preclinical and clinical cardiovascular portfolio by defining clear, human-relevant mechanistic hypotheses
• Provide scientific leadership to progress an existing preclinical and clinical cardiovascular portfolio by defining clear, human-relevant mechanistic hypotheses
• Drive programs focused on cardiovascular disease biology, including vascular inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, fibrosis, remodeling, thrombosis, pulmonary vascular disease, heart failure-related mechanisms, and cardio-renal-metabolic disease pathways. Deliver translational strategies that incorporate human genetics, multi-omics, and reverse translation to strengthen target confidence and clinical relevance.
• Drive programs focused on cardiovascular disease biology, including vascular inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, fibrosis, remodeling, thrombosis, pulmonary vascular disease, heart failure-related mechanisms, and cardio-renal-metabolic disease pathways. Deliver translational strategies that incorporate human genetics, multi-omics, and reverse translation to strengthen target confidence and clinical relevance.
• Provide leadership on biomarker strategies, including target engagement, pharmacodynamic, disease activity, risk stratification, and patient-selection biomarkers that enable confident translation from preclinical models to clinical studies. Monitor scientific and competitive landscapes to identify emerging opportunities and potential portfolio risks and recommend evidence-based actions.
• Provide leadership on biomarker strategies, including target engagement, pharmacodynamic, disease activity, risk stratification, and patient-selection biomarkers that enable confident translation from preclinical models to clinical studies. Monitor scientific and competitive landscapes to identify emerging opportunities and potential portfolio risks and recommend evidence-based actions.

• Align stakeholders on study design, data interpretation, and decision quality across target selection, progression, and translational planning. Drive clarity on critical experiments, success criteria, and go/no-go recommendations. Ensure rigor, reproducibility, and fit-for-purpose model selection while mentoring project teams through hands-on scientific problem solving.

• Deliver efficient target selection and progression and to support clinical programs through integrated translational plans. Partner closely with disease area biology, clinical and translational scientists, biostatistics, DMPK, pathology, safety, and platform teams to interpret complex datasets and connect preclinical findings to clinical endpoints, patient populations, and study design.

• Identify opportunities to develop novel therapies, next-generation translational approaches, human-relevant model systems, and advanced analytical methodologies that accelerate drug discovery and development across cardiovascular and organ dysfunction pathways.

• Contribute to identification, evaluation, and scientific diligence of business development opportunities, particularly those focused on cardiovascular, vascular, cardio-renal, and cardio-metabolic mechanisms.

• Establish and maintain strategic collaborations with academic institutions, contract research organizations, and external experts to access cutting-edge technologies, unique patient datasets, advanced model systems, and translational capabilities. Build a network of key opinion leaders spanning cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, and metabolic disease.

• Drive the discovery and advancement of innovative cardiovascular assets while ensuring adherence to relevant policies, regulatory expectations, and quality standards.

• Provide input to portfolio resourcing and external spend planning by defining critical-path experiments and recommending efficient use of internal capabilities and external partners to maximize scientific impact and translational success.

Why you?

Basic Qualifications & Skills:

We are looking for professionals with these required skills to achieve our goals:

• MD/PhD or PhD in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g., Cardiovascular Biology, Cell/Molecular Biology, Genetics, Pharmacology, Immunology, or related field) with extensive experience in preclinical biology and forward and reverse translation.
• Extensive experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, with a strong focus on cardiovascular disease, vascular biology, cardio-renal disease, pulmonary vascular disease, heart failure, fibrosis, inflammation, and/or cardiometabolic disease.
• Deep understanding of target mechanisms and translational evidence required to support early clinical development.
• Demonstrated ability to operate as a senior individual contributor and scientific thought leader, influencing decisions in a matrix environment through data-driven recommendations, clear communication, and collaboration.
• Experience leading external scientific collaborations and evaluating business development opportunities.
• Proven track record of advancing targets and/or therapeutic assets through key discovery and early development milestones, including development of fit-for-purpose translational packages encompassing mechanistic rationale, human relevance, biomarker strategy, and clinical hypotheses.
• Strong knowledge of cardiovascular disease biology and an appreciation of how cardiovascular mechanisms intersect with respiratory, hepatic, renal, inflammatory, fibrotic, and metabolic diseases.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills:

Please note the following skills are not necessary, just preferred, if you do not have them, please still apply:

• Demonstrated achievement as a translational scientist capable of partnering with Disease Area Acceleration Teams, Clinical Research Heads, and Early Development and Medicine Development Leaders to interpret complex datasets, connect preclinical findings to clinical outcomes, and provide recommendations on indication expansion, patient stratification, biomarker strategies, and business development opportunities.
• Deep expertise in cardiovascular pathophysiology, vascular biology, cardio-renal-metabolic syndromes, pulmonary vascular disease, fibrosis, inflammation, and organ dysfunction biology.
• Strong understanding of human genetics, multi-omics, and computational approaches to target identification and validation.
• Strong business acumen and understanding of commercial considerations, patient segmentation, and market opportunities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders internally and externally.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements and compliance standards relevant to translational medicine and pharmaceutical development.

This is a senior individual-contributor role in a highly matrixed organisation. Success will require curiosity, initiative, excellent communication and the confidence to build alignment across several disease-area teams. Travel is expected to be reasonable and purposeful, including scientific conferences and occasional international collaboration meetings.

Closing Date for Applications – Sunday 15th November

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Please take a copy of the Job Description, as this will not be available post closure of the advert. 
When applying for this role, please use the ‘cover letter’ of the online application or your CV to describe how you meet the competencies for this role, as outlined in the job requirements above. The information that you have provided in your cover letter and CV will be used to assess your application.

At GSK, we have bold ambitions for patients, aiming to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade. Our R&D focuses on discovering and delivering vaccines and medicines, combining our understanding of the immune system with cutting-edge technology to transform people’s lives. GSK fosters a culture ambitious for patients, accountable for impact, and committed to doing the right thing, making sure that we focus our efforts on accelerating significant assets that meet patients’ needs and have the highest probability of success. We’re uniting science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together.

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GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

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