Executive Director, Head of Toxicology

Executive Director, Head of Toxicology

Boston, MA

Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: CNTA) new kind of pharmaceutical company with a deconstructed R&D environment that prioritizes data driven decision making led by subject matter experts. Centessa is advancing a portfolio of high conviction programs with strong biological validation.

Our asset-centric model offers a unique R&D logic that has been applied by single asset companies to improve productivity. This operating model has minimal centralized infrastructure, reduced hierarchy, and exclusive focus on data driven capital allocation. Our teams are uniquely incentivized to expeditiously interrogate key scientific hypotheses. We believe the asset-centric model can lead to improved success rates for programs with greater speed and modest costs.

Centessa Pharmaceuticals is seeking an Executive Director/Head of Toxicology to provide scientific and strategic leadership for nonclinical safety across discovery and development programs, with an emphasis on small ‑ molecule therapeutics. This role leads toxicology and safety pharmacology strategy to support target selection, lead optimization, IND ‑ enabling activities, and clinical advancement. Reporting to our SVP, Nonclinical & Translational Development, the Head of Toxicology partners closely with cross ‑ functional teams and represents nonclinical safety in regulatory interactions while building a strong, high ‑ performing toxicology organization.

• Lead and mentor a team of toxicologists and technical/operational staff, fostering scientific excellence and professional growth
• Define and execute nonclinical safety strategies across discovery, preclinical, and clinical stages
• Provide expert toxicology and safety pharmacology input to cross‑functional development teams
• Lead nonclinical sub‑teams as an integrated development head, providing cross‑functional oversight across Toxicology, DMPK, Bioanalytical Sciences, and Clinical Pharmacology to ensure aligned, program‑ready nonclinical strategies
• Serve as the primary nonclinical representative on Program Development Teams (PDTs) and at internal governance and external forums, effectively championing program strategy, presenting to regulatory authorities, and holding scientific ground with senior leadership, partners, CROs, and health authorities
• Design, oversee, and interpret GLP, non‑GLP, investigative, and in vitro toxicology studies
• Develop safety strategies for new targets, lead optimization programs, and platform technologies
• Oversee toxicology and safety pharmacology studies conducted internally and at CROs
• Ensure high scientific quality, compliance, and timely delivery of nonclinical study outputs
• Author and critically review toxicology sections of regulatory documents (e.g., pre‑IND, IND, IBs)
• Partner with biology, DMPK, pathology, pharmacology, clinical, and regulatory colleagues to drive integrated decision‑making
• Present nonclinical safety data and risk assessments to project teams and senior R&D leadership
• Serve as the primary nonclinical safety representative in regulatory agency interactions
• Support product defense and regulatory submissions through robust scientific rationale
• Provide strategic guidance on safety issue resolution and investigational toxicology approaches
• Contribute to portfolio‑level planning and prioritization of nonclinical safety resources
• Build scalable toxicology capabilities to support a growing and diverse pipeline

• PhD in Toxicology, Pharmacology, Pathology, DVM, or related discipline; board certification (e.g., DABT, ERT) - required
• 18+ years of experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology R&D with a strong track record in nonclinical and regulatory toxicology
• Proven ability to function as an upward‑facing nonclinical leader and generalist, with the credibility and judgment to represent project development team agenda at decisional governance meetings, engage confidently with regulatory agencies, and serve as a trusted development partner to senior leadership
• Deep expertise supporting small‑molecule programs across discovery, IND‑enabling, and early clinical development
• Strong…