Head of R&D and Scientific Strategy - Neuroscience

Head of R&D and Scientific Strategy - Neuroscience

Syneos Health® is a leading fully integrated biopharmaceutical solutions organization built to accelerate customer success. We translate unique clinical, medical affairs and commercial insights into outcomes to address modern market realities.

Our Clinical Development model brings the customer and the patient to the center of everything that we do. We are continuously looking for ways to simplify and streamline our work to not only make Syneos Health easier to work with, but to make us easier to work for.

Whether you join us in a Functional Service Provider partnership or a Full-Service environment, you’ll collaborate with passionate problem solvers, innovating as a team to help our customers achieve their goals. We are agile and driven to accelerate the delivery of therapies, because we are passionate to change lives.

Discover what our 29,000 employees, across 110 countries already know:

WORK HERE MATTERS EVERYWHERE

Why Syneos Health

• We are passionate about developing our people, through career development and progression; supportive and engaged line management; technical and therapeutic area training; peer recognition and total rewards program.
• We are committed to our Total Self culture – where you can authentically be yourself. Our Total Self culture is what unites us globally, and we are dedicated to taking care of our people.
• We are continuously building the company we all want to work for and our customers want to work with. Why? Because when we bring together diversity of thoughts, backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives – we’re able to create a place where everyone feels like they belong.

Job Responsibilities

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Consulting & Proposal Development:

• Serve as the medical lead in multidisciplinary teams responding to RFPs, contributing to study design, indication strategy, and operational feasibility assessments.
• Provide therapeutic and medical insight during bid defense meetings and client consultations.
• Collaborate with business development and operational teams to ensure that proposed solutions align with client goals, budgets, and timelines.
• Maintain awareness and share insights on industry pipeline and scientific and business landscape

Medical and Scientific Oversight:

• Lead the development of clinical trial protocols, medical monitoring plans, and other key deliverables.
• Ensure the scientific accuracy and regulatory compliance of medical content and clinical strategies.
• Provide expert input into therapeutic feasibility analyses, indication assessments, and risk mitigation strategies.

Client and Cross-Functional Engagement:

• Act as a key point of contact for medical and strategic questions throughout the proposal and trial lifecycle.
• Build strong relationships with clients, acting as a trusted advisor and ensuring high-quality service delivery.
• Collaborate closely with Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Biostatistics, and Pharmacovigilance teams.

Therapeutic Leadership:

• Bring deep subject matter expertise in at least one therapeutic area (e.g., Oncology, Rare Diseases, CNS, Infectious Diseases).
• Stay abreast of medical and regulatory developments that impact clinical trial design and execution.

Innovation and Thought Leadership:

• Champion the integration of innovative technologies and methodologies (e.g., decentralized trials, adaptive design, digital biomarkers).
• Contribute to white papers, conference presentations, and publications representing the CRO’s thought leadership.

Accountabilities:

• Provide comprehensive input on proposals budgets and strategic planning to ensure alignment with therapeutic goals.
• Therapeutic Leadership
• Innovation and Thought Leadership
• Client and Cross-Functional Engagement:
• Medical and Scientific Oversight
• Meet with clients/BD
• Portfolio/early Engagement
• Clinical Development Strategy Support.
• Deep Partnership with clinical segment leads
• Bring KOL's
• Marketing

QUALIFICATION EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Medical degree (MD, DO, or equivalent); additional training (PhD, MPH, MBA) is advantageous.
• 8–12 years of relevant experience in clinical research, with at least 5 years in a CRO or client-facing strategic role.
• Strong knowledge of ICH-GCP guidelines, clinical trial design, and global regulatory requirements.
• Demonstrated experience in therapeutic strategy, protocol development, and medical review.
• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with business development teams and present to clients.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to simplify complex scientific information for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to understand customer needs, have difficult conversations with internal and external stakeholders and customers, negotiate solutions and understand impacts on the overall offering
• Advanced business acumen, innovative and strategic thinking alongside confidence with financial considerations, excellent negotiation and influencing skills, and comfort working in both sales and operational environments
• Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Fluency in written and spoken English is essential. Travel up to 50% may be required.

At  Syneos Health, we believe in providing an environment and culture in which Our People can thrive, develop and advance. We reward and recognize our people by providing valuable benefits and a quality-of-life balance. The benefits for this position may include a company car or car allowance, Health benefits to include Medical, Dental and Vision, Company match 401k, eligibility to participate in Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Eligibility to earn commissions/bonus based on company and individual performance, and flexible paid time off (PTO) and sick time. Because certain states and municipalities have regulated paid sick time requirements, eligibility for paid sick time may vary depending on where you work. Syneos complies with all applicable federal, state, and municipal paid sick time requirements.

Salary Range:

The base salary range represents the anticipated low and high of the Syneos Health range for this position. Actual salary will vary based on various factors such as the candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role.

Get to know Syneos Health

Over the past 5 years, we have worked with 94% of all Novel FDA Approved Drugs, 95% of EMA Authorized Products and over 200 Studies across 73,000 Sites and 675,000+ Trial patients.

No matter what your role is, you’ll take the initiative and challenge the status quo with us in a highly competitive and ever-changing environment. Learn more about Syneos Health.

Additional Information

Tasks, duties, and responsibilities as listed in this job description are not exhaustive. The Company, at its sole discretion and with no prior notice, may assign other tasks, duties, and job responsibilities. Equivalent experience, skills, and/or education will also be considered so qualifications of incumbents may differ from those listed in the Job Description. The Company, at its sole discretion, will determine what constitutes as equivalent to the qualifications described above. Further, nothing contained herein should be construed to create an employment contract. Occasionally, required skills/experiences for jobs are expressed in brief terms. Any language contained herein is intended to fully comply with all obligations imposed by the legislation of each country in which it operates, including the implementation of the EU Equality Directive, in relation to the recruitment and employment of its employees. The Company is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, including the provision of reasonable accommodations, when appropriate, to assist employees or applicants to perform the essential functions of the job.

Summary

The Head of R&D and Scientific Strategy leads medical and scientific contributions across clinical development programs and strategic partnerships in a TA. The role will directly influence business growth through innovation and alignment. Develop strategies for exploring new indications. Deliver insights from the healthcare community to improve patient outcomes and therapeutic decision-making. Integrate medical affairs early in drug development The role partners with current and potential clients to shape clinical strategies that are both innovative and operationally aligned. The expertise of the role will directly influence study designs, regulatory pathways, and business growth. The Medical Strategist drives and supports strategic initiatives and collaborates with other senior leaders in the development and delivery of our strategy. As a subject matter expert, the Head of R&D and Scientific Strategy will drive thought leadership activities with the medical scientific community.