Job Description
Are you passionate about patient safety and ready to help lead a fast-paced, global pharmacovigilance organization? Ascendis Pharma is seeking an experienced Program Safety Lead to champion safety excellence, drive compliance, and shape strategy across our growing portfolio.
We are a dynamic, global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Denmark with hubs in Palo Alto, CA and Princeton, NJ. Come join us at Ascendis Pharma, where our core values — Patients, Science & Passion, drive us to deliver best-in-class therapies that address critical unmet needs.
The role
The role of Program Safety Lead is a director level position here at Ascendis and this Lead will report to the Head of Global Medical Safety Science. You will play a pivotal role as the Program Safety Lead and pharmacovigilance expert for the Ascendis’ endocrinology pipeline. As a key member of the Global Patient Safety Organization and cross-functional product teams, you will shape the strategy, set priorities and lead pharmacovigilance activities for assigned products. The Program Safety Lead stewards the product safety profile and drives critical safety-related decisions to support the Ascendis portfolio.
As a member of our global team, you will work with highly skilled and passionate colleagues to advance our exciting product pipeline.
You will:
- Define safety strategy for assigned development and marketed products in collaboration with cross-functional teams
- Serve as the safety lead for assigned products, providing strategic recommendations and oversight of patient safety activities
- Ensure compliance with global pharmacovigilance regulations, including signal detection, evaluation, and risk management
- Develop and maintain safety surveillance and risk management plans for drug development programs
- Oversee identification and evaluation of safety signals and ensure timely escalation and resolution
- Provide medical and safety input for expedited and aggregate safety reports (e.g., SUSARs, PSURs, DSURs, IND Annual Reports)
- Contribute to safety sections of labeling, investigator brochures, protocols, informed consent forms, and regulatory submissions
- Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders on pharmacovigilance agreements, audits, and regulatory inspections
- Monitor industry best practices and evolving global safety regulations; recommend updates to policies and SOPs
- Act as a patient safety advisor across Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, Commercial, and PV teams
The estimated salary range for this position is $220-245 DOE. Actual salary determination is dependent on a variety of factors some of which include: experience, qualifications, and geographic location. This position may be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus or an incentive compensation plan (eligibility varies based on role and position level), discretionary stock-based long-term incentives, paid time off, and a comprehensive benefits package.
Your professional qualifications
You hold a Doctoral degree – preferably an MD (or equivalent), PhD, PharmD – and are proficient in English at a professional level, both written and spoken.
Furthermore, you have:
- Minimum of eight years, preferably ten years of industry pharmacovigilance experience in a fast-paced biopharmaceutical company.
- Leadership experience within the safety profile of products assigned within a matrix organization
- Endocrinology Therapeutic Area experience
- Demonstrated skills in clinical medicine with at least 1 year of clinical practice experience is preferred
As a person, you have/are:
- A passion for advancing innovative therapies that address unmet medical needs for patients struggling with Rare Endocrine Diseases
- Comfortable balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution and mentoring
- Demonstrated ability to navigate uncertainty and adapt quickly to changing priorities
- Proven track record delivering results in dynamic, fast-paced settings where clarity evolves over time
Travel: Ability to travel up to 20% of the time domestically and internationally
Office location: This is a hybrid role operating out of Princeton, NJ
Applications will be evaluated when received, so please apply as soon as possible.
- 401(k) plan with company match
- Medical, dental, and vision plans
- Company-offered Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance
- Company-provided short and long-term disability benefits
- Unique offerings of Pet Insurance and Legal Insurance
- Employee Assistance Program
- Employee Discounts
- Professional Development
- Health Saving Account (HSA)
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Various incentive compensation plans
- Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance
- Mental Health resources
- Paid leave benefits for new parents
A note to recruiters:
We do not allow external search party solicitation. Presentation of candidates without written permission from the Ascendis Pharma Inc Human Resources team (specifically from: Talent Acquisition Partner or Human Resources Director) is not allowed. If this occurs your ownership of these candidates will not be acknowledged.
