Novartis Posted June 30, 2026

Preclinical Safety Profiling Expert, Principal Scientist

Cambridge (USA), United States Regular
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research Principal

Novartis is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Cambridge MAInternal: Principal Scientist I or IILI#-HybridThe Preclinical Safety (PCS) department within the Novartis Biomedical Research Translational Medicine Unit provides world class preclinical safety profiling and assessment for optimal drug discovery, development and commercialization, with state-of-the-art regulatory compliance. As a Preclinical Safety Profiling (PSP) Expert, you will join our global PCS team to help us to unleash the power of early safety screening and profiling approaches for advancing translational safety assessment and to drive drug discovery and development. You will bring your curious, innovative, and collaborative mindset to leverage a wealth of non-clinical safety-related data generated within our department and deploy state-of-the-art laboratory science and data exploration methods to accelerate the advancement of innovative medicines.

Key Responsibilities:Design and execute the early safety screening & profiling strategies associated with secondary pharmacology and cardiovascular safety, in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.Primary interface between PCS and our CRO partners.Manage internal relationships with PSP subject matter experts and the outsourcing resource group.   Further develop data internalization processes and manage outsourcing budget.Effectively communicate with stakeholders, including experimental design, data quality, timeline requirements and flowchart planning.Understand and execute agreed business strategy defined by local and global Preclinical Safety Profiling requirements, ensuring appropriate coordination of projects.Participate in cross-functional early safety screening & profiling collaborations with Novartis Biomedical Research partners to support the early derisking of compounds, drug targets, and therapeutic modalitiesDeliver clear and concise presentations for audiences with different expertiseIn collaboration with cross-functional partners, provide scientific and strategic input to support the early derisking of compounds, drug targets, and therapeutic modalitiesEnsure quality and compliance of data generation, analyses and resultant reportsEssential RequirementsDegree/Advanced Degree in Pharmacology, Toxicology or a Related Field5+ years of relevant experience in pharmacology / toxicologyUnderstands the basic concepts of hazard identification and risk assessment associated with drug ADME, off-target mitigation and cardiovascular safety.Familiar with early drug discovery processesExperience with data integrity and quality assurance practices.Articulates solutions / recommendations to business users. Presents analytical content concisely and effectively and influences the outcome of predictive safety profiling contributions.Collaborates with internal stakeholders, external partners, and cross-functional teams to solve critical business problems, propose operational efficiencies and innovative approaches.Familiar with visualization tools to increase efficiency and quality of data communication and interpretation.Desired Requirements:Small molecule safety assessment experienceThis is a dual level posting. The final level & title of the offer role would be determined by the hiring team based on the skills, experience & capabilities required to perform the role at the level the role has been offered.The salary for this position is expected to range between:Principal Scientist I: $114,100 and $211,900 per year.Principal Scientist II: $119,700 and $222,300 per year.The final salary offered is determined based on factors like, but not limited to, relevant skills and experience, and upon joining Novartis will be reviewed periodically. Novartis may change the published salary range based on company and market factors.Your compensation will include a performance-based cash incentive and, depending on the level of the role, eligibility to be considered for annual equity awards.US-based eligible employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, life and disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, and a variety of other benefits. In addition, employees are eligible for a generous time off package including vacation, personal days, holidays and other leaves.To learn more about the culture, rewards and benefits we offer our people click here.

Job details

Seniority
Principal
Function
Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
Cambridge (USA), United States
Employment type
Regular

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 193 comparable Principal Drug Discovery & Preclinical Research roles across 31 biopharma companies.

193Comparable roles tracked
172Currently active
31Companies hiring similar roles
12Countries represented

Salary context

64 of 193 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject $114,100/yr – $211,900/yr
Peer group range $105,700 – $322,000 (median $165,300)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 193 comparable roles

United States158
India9
United Kingdom5
Canada4
China's Mainland3
China3

+ 6 more countries

Seniority mix

193 of 193 peers have a known seniority level

Senior111
Principal56
Director26

Therapeutic area mix

29 of 193 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology16
Immunology5
Cardiovascular / CVRM5
Neuroscience1
Vaccines & Infectious Disease1
Respiratory1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
AstraZeneca Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly San Francisco, California, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
Lilly Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country
60%similar
AbbVie Cambridge, MA Principal
Same function Same seniority Same country

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Principal Scientist Drug Product Development
AstraZeneca · Gaithersburg, Maryland, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Sr Scientist/Principal Scientist, Discovery Oncology (in vivo Biology)
Lilly · San Francisco, California, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Principal Research Scientist I, Process Chemistry (Biocatalysis)
AbbVie · North Chicago, IL · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
60%
Associate Principal Scientist, Immunology Discovery
Merck · San Diego, California, United States of America · Principal
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.