Clinical Development, Senior Medical Director - Kelly Services
South San Francisco, CA 94080
About the Job
Kelly® Science & Clinical is seeking a Clinical Development, Senior Medical Director for a fulltime, direct hire position with a pharmaceutical client in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you’re passionate about bringing the latest scientific discoveries to life and are ready to take the next step in your career, trust The Experts at Hiring Experts.
About the Role
The Senior Medical Director of Clinical Development will serve as a thought leader, driving clinical research and overseeing the strategic direction of clinical development programs. This role focuses on innovative study design, medical and scientific excellence, and adherence to the highest ethical standards. The Sr. Medical Director will lead clinical strategy and execution, guiding the translation of pre-clinical findings into clinical studies that demonstrate proof of pharmacology, mechanism, and concept for new candidate medicines. This individual will apply deep medical and clinical expertise to ensure high-quality decision-making and will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including experts in statistics and clinical pharmacology. The Sr. Medical Director will also act as the principal contact on medical and safety issues for all study execution lines, external collaborators, and clinical trial sites. They will build and maintain relationships with key opinion leaders, academic entities, and clinical trial sites to enhance collaborations and the company’s scientific reputation. They will work collaboratively across the enterprise to align drug development programs with leadership goals and ensure efficient, end-to-end execution of clinical development plans. This role is pivotal in shaping leading-edge clinical science applied to CNS drug development. This is a full-time remote position with the opportunity to work with cutting-edge biotech and life science companies on a global scale. This position will report to the Chief Operating Officer.
Responsibilities
- Lead the creation and execution of clinical development plans, from pre-clinical stages to proof of concept.
- Guide clinical team members to ensure excellence in translating research plans into efficient, innovative study designs.
- Collaborate with clinical operations and clinical research to optimize study designs for operational efficiency, ensuring timely and cost-effective delivery.
- Oversee the design and execution of clinical research studies and review key clinical documents (e.g., protocols, clinical reports, regulatory submissions).
- Provide final approval for clinical documentation across multiple projects.
- Contribute and provide input to the operational strategy and feasibility assessments of clinical studies in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
- Establish and leverage relationships with key clinical experts and trial sites to inform site selection and study execution.
- Flexible in supporting and managing multiple research programs in parallel, depending on development stages.
- Participate in technical and protocol review groups across the portfolio.
Qualifications
- MD or MD/PhD (or equivalent), with relevant post-graduate clinical training.
- Approximately 15 years or more of relevant experience in clinical development.
- Proven track record of leading clinical trials in the pharmaceutical industry, with strong project management skills.
- Expertise in CNS therapeutic areas and a deep understanding of the drug development process.
- Strong knowledge of regulatory requirements (GCP, ICH guidelines) and clinical trial design.
- Experience managing budgets and financial risk in clinical research.
- Ability to review emerging data and proactively ensure the delivery of high-quality study results.
- Skilled communicator and leader, able to articulate ideas clearly and integrate team feedback.
- Board certification in psychiatry with subspecialty training is preferred.
Why Kelly® Science & Clinical?
Kelly Science & Clinical is your connection to premier scientific and clinical companies looking to hire industry experts just like you. Our team creates expert talent solutions to solve the world’s most critical challenges. Every day, we match science professionals with dream jobs that fit their skills, interests, and career goals—it’s the way we think job searching should be. Nearly 100 percent of our science recruiters have a professional background and education in science, so we know a thing or two about the science market and how to get your expertise noticed.About Kelly
Work changes everything. And at Kelly, we’re obsessed with where it can take you. To us, it’s about more than simply accepting your next job opportunity. It’s the fuel that powers every next step of your life. It’s the ripple effect that changes and improves everything for your family, your community, and the world. Which is why, here at Kelly, we are dedicated to providing you with limitless opportunities to enrich your life—just ask the 300,000 people we employ each year.Kelly Services is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We welcome, value, and embrace diversity at all levels and are committed to building a team that is inclusive of a variety of backgrounds, communities, perspectives, and abilities. At Kelly, we believe that the more inclusive we are, the better services we can provide. Requests for accommodation related to our application process can be directed to Kelly’s Human Resource Knowledge Center.Kelly complies with the requirements of California’s state and local Fair Chance laws. A conviction does not automatically bar individuals from employment. Kelly participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.