VP, Head of QSP Consultancy

The Applied BioSimulation (ABS) group is part of the Certara Predictive Technology (CPT) division, the largest mechanistic modelling and quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) group in the industry. The breadth and depth of our services, science and technology is unparalleled and offers unique career opportunities at the forefront of mechanistic model-informed drug development. Leveraging our experience in working on hundreds of drug discovery and development projects, we bring a track record of impact and success that has made us the partner of choice for many biopharma companies across the world. We have pioneered the development of QSP platform technology, which is now increasingly being applied in our consultancy services and used by our clients for internal decision making and regulatory submissions.

The VP, Head of QSP Consultancy will play a pivotal part in the growth and continuous improvement of Certara's QSP group to achieve its strategic and business objectives, through a continued focus on achieving optimal impact in all client engagements. As a member of the ABS leadership team, you will help drive critical efforts in areas including targeted recruitment of new talent, optimizing resource allocation to QSP consultancy projects, business development, and strengthening consultant skills across the team. You will be working closely with the SVP, Head of ABS and VP's, Head of QSP R&D and Head of QSP Software to develop and implement strategies for optimization of the business processes across the team, interfacing with the Commercial & Operations teams within the CPT division, and promoting an environment of collaboration across ABS, CPT and other Certara business units. You will supervise and mentor colleagues in the QSP Consultancy team, either directly or through work product review, contribute to QSP consultancy business development efforts and lead projects for key clients.

Operational

• Lead all operational aspects within the QSP Consultancy team.
• Drive optimization of resource allocation to QSP Consultancy projects - ensure a robust yet nimble resourcing approach. Be the point person for resource allocation issues across QSP. Partner with the QSP leadership team to identify individuals or teams that are under or over utilized and apply solutions resulting in balanced utilization across teams.
• Monitor and manage progress of consultancy projects against agreed milestones and timelines.
• Work closely with the QSP project manager and CPT financial administrator to provide financial updates in a timely and efficient manner. Track financial progress against agreed budget.
• Maintain and develop quality control procedures and best practices across QSP Consultancy.

People

• Supervise and mentor members of the QSP Consultancy team, ensuring that development and career pathways are offered which match the ambitions and interests of individuals.
• Work in close partnership with HR to coordinate recruitment for QSP Consultancy - ensure that hiring targets are met and organizational balance (senior vs junior, distribution of skills sets) is maintained.

Projects

• Oversee timely and effective delivery of QSP Consultancy projects.
• Lead specific QSP Consultancy projects if and when needed, for example with key clients or ones of specific strategic importance.
• Be the point person for the business development team, identify SMEs for scoping calls and ensure quality proposals are written in a timely manner. Participate in contract negotiations for more challenging contracts.
• Work with Business Development to strengthen the portfolio of services that we provide and how we sell these to our clients.
• Establish networks across Simcyp and Certara to create opportunities for synergistic collaborations.

Key Performance Indicators

• Meeting QSP Consultancy yearly business targets.
• Year-on-year growth of QSP Consultancy business.
• Continuous growth in adoption of QSP Platforms/technology-enabled services in QSP Consultancy.
• Individual contributions to specific consultancy projects.

• PhD, PharmD and/or MD.
• A minimum of 10 years of QSP industry/consulting experience.
• Track record of scientific, operational and people leadership.
• Demonstrable ability and experience in combining novel biological science and state-of-the-art computational approaches in multiple therapeutic areas.
• Excellent understanding of QSP modelling approaches.
• Strong track record of scientific leadership, for example through publications, presentations and roles in external QSP communities.
• Good understanding of business strategy and offerings with the ability to drive the development of more complex project proposals and contribute to QSP Consultancy development efforts.
• Experience in moving compounds through the different phases of development and with various elements of clinical development, clinical trial design and conduct and regulatory filings.
• Demonstrated skills and experience in pharmacometrics, clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in a project team setting (including leadership roles), with clients as well as internal staff.
• Experience working with multi-disciplinary teams across the R&D spectrum in multiple therapeutic areas. Experience interacting with regulatory agencies is a plus.

Certara bases all employment-related decision on merit, taking into consideration qualifications, skills, achievement, and performance. We treat all applicants and employees without regard to personal characteristics such as race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, nationality, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental condition, genetic information, military service, or other characteristic protected by law.