Director, Nonclinical Due Diligence & External Innovation

The Director Non-Clinical Due Diligence & External Evaluations provides scientific leadership for nonclinical due diligence supporting CSL’s in‑licensing, acquisitions, and strategic collaborations. The role ensures integrated, objective, and decision‑relevant evaluations of nonclinical pharmacology, PK/QSP, and toxicology data to identify development risks, data gaps, and mitigation strategies and to inform portfolio decisions.

The incumbent will further act as nonclinical representative for selected Research programs and support oversight of nonclinical strategies and programs across all Therapeutic Areas.

The role reports to the Executive Director, Head of Nonclinical Development.

Responsibilities and accountabilities

• Leads operational execution of nonclinical due diligence for assigned opportunities.

• Acts as hands‑on scientific integrator, translating expert input into clear risk narratives.

• Trusted subject‑matter lead for nonclinical DD on individual deals.

• Lead end-to-end nonclinical due diligence for individual assets or transactions, from request through final governance readout.

• Integrate input from Toxicology, PK/QSP, Nonclinical Pharmacology, and external experts into a single, coherent scientific assessment.

• Identify FIH‑enabling gaps, translational risks, and regulatory limitations, with clear mitigation proposals.

• Prepare high‑quality DD reports, executive summaries, and risk tables for governance review.

• Act as NCD scientific interface to Business Development and Therapeutic Area teams at the project level.

• Contribute to maintenance and continuous improvement of nonclinical DD frameworks and templates.

• Mentor junior contributors and matrix team members as appropriate.

• Escalates complex or high‑impact issues to Head of NCD

• Chair of “NCD Review Committee”

Qualifications:

Education:

• Advanced degree (Ph.D., D.V.M., or equivalent) in toxicology, pharmacology, or a related field 

• Toxicology training, board certification preferred

Experience :

• Experience in nonclinical development (10+ years) with proven experience in due diligence or external innovation, ideally across various geographies.

• Strong understanding of FIH‑enabling nonclinical requirements, particularly for biologics and complex modalities.

• Ability to communicate complex scientific risk clearly to non‑expert stakeholders.

• Experience across multiple therapeutic areas and modalities is highly desirable.

Competencies:

• Proven ability to work effectively both independently or in a team setting, and to meet set goals by managing own timelines.

• Experience in working in cross-functional, multicultural and international teams.

• Excellent communication and analytical skills.

• Experience in analyzing and presenting research results to scientific and professional audiences.

• Strong planning and organizational skills.

• Ability to work successfully in a matrix organizational structure.

• Strong negotiation skills and ability to identify and engage internal and external expertise as needed.

• Good understanding of drug development process, strong knowledge of ICH/GLP

• Fluent in English, oral and written;

The role requires onsite presence 3 days per week.

The role can be based in Zurich, Switzerland or Waltham, USA.

CSL Behring is a global biotherapeutics leader driven by our promise to save lives. Focused on serving patients’ needs by using the latest technologies, we discover, develop and deliver innovative therapies for people living with conditions in the immunology, hematology, cardiovascular and metabolic, respiratory, and transplant therapeutic areas. We use three strategic scientific platforms of plasma fractionation, recombinant protein technology, and cell and gene therapy to support continued innovation and continually refine ways in which products can address unmet medical needs and help patients lead full lives.

CSL Behring operates one of the world’s largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. Our parent company, CSL, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, employs 32,000 people, and delivers its lifesaving therapies to people in more than 100 countries.

To learn more about CSL, CSL Behring, CSL Seqirus and CSL Vifor  visit https://www.csl.com/ and CSL Plasma at https://www.cslplasma.com/.

Our Benefits

For more information on CSL benefits visit How CSL Supports Your Well-being | CSL.

You Belong at CSL

At CSL, Inclusion and Belonging is at the core of our mission and who we are. It fuels our innovation day in and day out. By celebrating our differences and creating a culture of curiosity and empathy, we are able to better understand and connect with our patients and donors, foster strong relationships with our stakeholders, and sustain a diverse workforce that will move our company and industry into the future.

 To learn more about inclusion and belonging visit https://www.csl.com/careers/inclusion-and-belonging

Equal Opportunity Employer

CSL is an Equal Opportunity Employer. If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please visit https://www.csl.com/accessibility-statement.