Senior Director - Head of DMPK/ADME

Are you motivated by building and scaling DMPK capabilities across multiple modalities -peptides, mAbs, VHHs, and mini‑proteins - and by leading teams through complex scientific and organizational challenges? If you are ready to take on a broad, high‑impact leadership role we would welcome you as our new colleague.

Your new position
Zealand Pharma is expanding its Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK) capabilities and is seeking a Senior Director to lead the scientific and operational delivery of nonclinical DMPK activities across the company’s pipeline. This role will provide strategic leadership to ensure fit‑for‑purpose DMPK approaches and high‑quality data packages that enable confident, data‑driven project decisions.

A key focus during the first year will be to build and scale DMPK capabilities at our Boston site, with particular emphasis on supporting antibodies and antibody–peptide conjugates, while ensuring strong scientific and operational integration with the Copenhagen organization. The role will also drive the adoption of automation and AI‑enabled ways of working to enhance efficiency, quality, and scalability.

The Senior Director, DMPK reports to the VP of Pharmacokinetics, Immunogenicity and Bioanalytical Sciences and partners closely with cross‑functional R&D stakeholders across discovery and development. The position may be based at Zealand Pharma’s headquarters in Copenhagen or at the research hub in Boston.

We offer exciting responsibilities:

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for DMPK / ADME strategy and execution across the portfolio
• Build, mentor, and scale DMPK capabilities, talent, and ways of working at the Boston site, ensuring strong alignment and integration with Copenhagen standards and interfaces
• Oversee bioanalytical method development, including robust nonclinical assay validation and oversight of sample analysis (internal and external)
• Lead in vitro ADME activities, including stability and drug–drug interaction (DDI) assessments, ensuring fit‑for‑purpose study design, interpretation, and documentation
• Oversee in vivo pharmacokinetics and metabolite identification, integrating findings into a coherent ADME understanding and risk‑based decision framework
• Deliver high‑quality nonclinical PK summaries and integrated DMPK data packages to support project decision‑making, governance processes, and external‑facing documentation as required
• Drive continuous improvement through the implementation of automation, digital, and AI enabled approaches within DMPK workflows
• Provide scientific leadership in cross functional project teams, partnering closely with Discovery, Translational, Clinical Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Regulatory colleagues
• Ensure effective oversight of external partners and CROs, including scientific quality, timelines, and budget accountability
• Contribute to regulatory strategy and interactions by ensuring DMPK content is scientifically sound and inspection ready

Your Profile

This role suits a collaborative, science-driven leader who combines deep DMPK / ADME expertise with sound judgment and a structured approach to decision making. Success in this role requires comfort operating in a fast-moving multi-modal pipeline environment, partnering effectively across functions and geographies, and building and developing teams that consistently deliver high-quality, timely outputs. Strong communication skills are important to translate complex DMPK data into clear actionable recommendations for diverse stakeholders.

Qualifications & Experience

• PhD in pharmaceutical sciences or similar with extensive relevant industry experience.
• Extensive experience addressing DMPK challenges for multiple modalities
• Proven people-leadership experience, including building, mentoring and developing high-performing scientific teams across sites and/or in matrix environments
• Experience contributing to regulatory‑facing DMPK content (e.g., IND/CTA support, responses to agency questions)
• Demonstrated ability to set DMPK strategy aligned with project and portfolio priorities, balancing scientific rigor with speed and resource constraints
• Experience ensuring quality, compliance and scientific rigor in nonclinical assay validation oversight, sample analysis oversight, and vendor/CRO interactions
• Experience with oligonucleotides and small molecules is an advantage; experience driving lab automation and AI-enabled workflows is an advantage

Your new team
Our department is organized into five teams - DMPK, Immunogenicity, Clinical Bioanalysis, Modeling & Simulation, and Nonclinical Toxicology - providing end-to-end understanding of drug behavior, efficacy, and safety. As the DMPK leader, the role collaborates across Medicinal & Biological Chemistry, Modeling & Simulation, Nonclinical Toxicology, and Translational Pharmacology to shape strategies, oversee execution, interpret data, and communicate nonclinical DMPK risks, mitigations, and recommendations to project teams and governance.

Let's bond and be bold
We have a unique culture, characterized by excellent teamwork and strong engagement across the organization. And we want you to help us strengthen this culture.

Making bonds is at the core of everything we do. From discovering and developing the best new peptide drugs for patients, to engaging with our partners or connecting with each other. We bond through curiosity and playfulness as a team, allowing ourselves to challenge common thinking and drive future innovation. Join us and let's bond and be bold.

Interested in bonding with us? Then please apply no later than 24th May 2026, or as soon as possible. The applications will be reviewed as they come in. While a cover letter is not required, please include a few sentences in your CV explaining your motivation for applying.

For further information, please contact VP of Pharmacokinetics, Immunogenicity and Bioanalytical Sciences Carsten Boye Knudsen: CKnudsen@zealandpharma.com

We are committed to an inclusive recruitment process and welcome applications from all job applicants.

About Zealand Pharma A/S
Zealand Pharma A/S (Nasdaq: ZEAL) is a biotechnology company focused on advancing medicines for obesity and metabolic health. Combining more than 25 years of peptide R&D expertise with a proprietary data platform that leverages advanced data-driven and AI/ML approaches, Zealand Pharma aims to lead a new era in obesity and metabolic health. To date, more than ten Zealand Pharma-invented drug candidates have entered clinical development, of which two products have reached the market and three candidates are in late-stage development. The Company has collaborations with global pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners for research, development, and commercialization. Founded in 1998, Zealand Pharma is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a U.S. presence in Boston, Massachusetts. Learn more at www.zealandpharma.com.

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