Pharmaceutical R&D Domain Expert

3. Core Qualifications

• Education: PhD or PharmD in a pharmaceutically relevant discipline, for example medicinal or organic chemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology, pharmaceutical sciences, or toxicology. An MD with substantive drug development experience also qualifies.
• Experience: 4+ years of substantive pharmaceutical or biotechnology research and development experience, at a pharmaceutical company, a biotechnology company, a contract research organization, or a translational research institute. Purely academic research with no drug development exposure is a weaker fit.
• Domain depth: Genuine specialization in at least one stage of the pipeline, for example target identification and validation, medicinal chemistry and lead optimization, preclinical pharmacology and toxicology, translational and biomarker science, clinical development, or regulatory affairs and CMC.
• Seniority: Clear progression to a senior level, for example Senior Scientist, Principal Scientist, Director of Research, or a VP level R&D role, with real ownership of a discovery project or development program.
• Research record: Peer-reviewed publications, granted patents, or contributions to programs that reached the clinic. Strongly preferred.
• AI fluency: Hands-on working use of large language models in your professional work, and the judgment to tell a well-reasoned answer from a plausible-sounding wrong one.
• Availability: Able to commit reliably to 40 hours per week for an initial engagement of 6 months.
• Location: Living in the Bay Area, California, and able to work on-site with the client's team multiple days each week, when required. Candidates not currently based in the Bay Area must be willing to relocate there at their own cost. Relocation assistance is not provided.
• Excellent written communication, and the ability to give precise, well-structured written feedback.

About Cincinnatus LLC

Cincinnatus LLC is an enterprise staffing company that partners with leading technology companies to source and employ highly skilled professionals for contingent and contract-based opportunities. Cincinnatus serves as the employer of record for these engagements, providing W-2 employment, payroll, benefits, and compliance, while placing employees directly within client teams to work on high-impact initiatives.

Roles hired through Cincinnatus are not project-based or freelance engagements. They are structured, role-based positions that typically involve part-time or full-time commitments, close collaboration with a client's internal teams, and integration into standard enterprise workflows.

Cincinnatus is a legal entity separate from Mercor. While opportunities may be discovered through Mercor's platform, employment, onboarding, payroll, and benefits for these roles are administered by Cincinnatus LLC.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Cincinnatus is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Cincinnatus is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans throughout the job application process.

Description from Mercor. Full details and the application are on Mercor's site.