Pliant Therapeutics is a public, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel therapies for fibrotic diseases. Founded by Third Rock Ventures with world-renowned academic thought leaders, Pliant is raising the bar to meet the unmet medical needs of physicians, patients and families impacted by fibrotic disease. The Company’s focus is on mechanism-based intervention in the fibrotic process using small molecules.
The Company’s lead product candidate, PLN-74809, is an oral, small molecule selective inhibitor of the αvβ1 and αvβ6 integrins that play a key role in multiple fibrotic pathways. PLN-74809 has received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in both idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) and are currently in Phase 2a clinical trials for these indications. The company recently reported positive data from its Phase 2a trial in IPF and is currently ramping up activities in preparation for a late-stage clinical trial at worldwide sites.
Pliant has also developed PLN-1474, a small molecule, selective inhibitor of αvß1 for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, or NASH with liver fibrosis. Pliant is initiating a Phase 1 study for its third clinical program, PLN-101095, a small molecule, dual-selective inhibitor of αvß8 and αvß1 integrins, that is being developed for the treatment of solid tumors. The Company also has discovery and development programs in oncology and muscular dystrophies.
The Company is seeking passionate, creative, and dedicated individuals to join our team and contribute to our mission.
Description
The Senior Manager/Associate Director, Scientific Communications will be in a highly visible role at Pliant as the single point of contact within Pliant for all medical/pre-clinical and clinical scientific communications and be responsible for creating and managing all activities for the successful dissemination of clinical and pre-clinical study results, including developing and managing a publication strategy.
The candidate will be spearheading the selection of scientific publication vendor(s), include seeking cross-functional input into the requirements, generating RFPs, seeking out potential vendors and managing the interview and selection process. Further, the Senior Manager/Associate Director, Scientific Communications will be responsible for overseeing the planning, editing, reviewing, and submitting of scientific abstracts, clinical pre-clinical presentations, manuscripts, etc. and be managing internal and external stakeholders in this process. This also includes the processes of authorship selection, comment adjudication and ensuring compliance with GPP/ ICMJE guidelines. The candidate will also lead publication kick-off, and update meetings and be responsible for ensuring the timely review of manuscripts and all other clinical and pre-clinical scientific publications/presentations by the applicable Pliant review committees. The Scientific Communications Manager may also be supporting advisory boards across all of Pliant’s clinical programs.
The candidate will be based in South San Francisco and report to the Senior Vice President of Clinical Development.
Responsibilities
- Act as the single point of contact within Pliant for all medical/clinical and pre-clinical scientific communications
- Develop and implement a scientific publication strategy and publications plan
- Manage the review of scientific abstracts, manuscripts, presentations etc. by both internal and external stakeholders to ensure consistent messaging and alignment
- Collaborate cross-functionally with all clinical departments, regulatory as well as non-clinical, research and investor relations to develop publication content and ensure alignment on key findings
- Seek out and plan medical/scientific conferences for presentations and journals for clinical research submissions
- Lead publication kick-off and update meetings
- Ensure timely submission of material into the applicable Pliant review committees in compliance with GPP and ICMJE guidelines
- Develop and ensure consistent use of Pliant approved terminology/lexicon in all publications
- Manage the review, approval, documentation and submission of abstracts, posters, manuscripts, and other relevant publications that support Pliant’s clinical and pre-clinical research
- Manage scientific/medical communications vendor(s), budget and timelines
- May travel to scientific conferences if/as needed
- May support the critical literature review and interpretation of data if needed
- May support clinical advisory boards
- Required to be on site approximately 3 days per week
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, abilities and prior experience required.
- Advanced medical or scientific degree (PhD, PharmD, or MS)
- 4+ years of biotech/pharmaceutical industry experience in medical affairs, medical communications, medical information, scientific affairs, or similar area
- Proven track record of developing, managing, and delivering communications strategies and plans
- Skilled in publication planning, development, and execution
- Knowledge of regulatory, compliance, commercial, and clinical issues affecting the biotech/pharmaceutical industry
- Detail-oriented, self-disciplined, and able to work independently with limited direction to resolve discrepancies and issues
- Exhibits strong and positive work ethic for a growing company environment
- Track record of working comfortably and collaboratively across diverse functional teams
- Experience managing publication vendors and running collaborative review processes
- Effective interpersonal skills to cultivate strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders
- Excellent written and oral communication skills with direct experience writing content for peer-reviewed scientific publications (e.g., manuscripts, abstracts, posters etc.)
- Strong writing, editing, and project management experience
- Track record of timely communication planning and execution
- Demonstrated understanding of how communications strategy connects to and advances the broader business strategy
- Knowledge of clinical trial methodology, statistics, regulatory and compliance requirements governing clinical trials, as well as GPP, GCP and ICMJE guidelines
- High integrity and the ability to bring out the best in others, intellectually and interpersonally
Pliant requires all new hires to be fully vaccinated prior to the first date of employment (subject to any legally required exemptions).
The annual base salary for this role is $170,000 - $190,000. Individual pay may vary based on additional factors, including, and without limitation job-related skills, experience, work location and relevant education or training. Pliant’s compensation package also includes benefits, equity, and annual target bonus for fulltime positions.
To understand how Pliant complies with and manages your personal information with respect to the California Consumer Privacy Act, please visit https://pliantrx.com/ccpa-applicant-and-staff-privacy-notice/.
