Head of R&D and Scientific Strategy, Rare Disease

Head of R&D and Scientific Strategy, Rare Disease

Updated: February 13, 2026
Location: USA-NC-Remote
Job :

Description

Head of R&D and Scientific Strategy, Rare Disease

Syneos Health® is a leading fully integrated biopharmaceutical solutions organization built to accelerate customer success. We translate unique clinical, medical affairs and commercial insights into outcomes to address modern market realities.

Our Clinical Development model brings the customer and the patient to the center of everything that we do. We are continuously looking for ways to simplify and streamline our work to not only make Syneos Health easier to work with, but to make us easier to work for.

Whether you join us in a Functional Service Provider partnership or a Full-Service environment, you’ll collaborate with passionate problem solvers, innovating as a team to help our customers achieve their goals. We are agile and driven to accelerate the delivery of therapies, because we are passionate to change lives.

Discover what our 29,000 employees, across 110 countries already know:

WORK HERE MATTERS EVERYWHERE

Why Syneos Health

• We are passionate about developing our people, through career development and progression; supportive and engaged line management; technical and therapeutic area training; peer recognition and total rewards program.
• We are committed to our Total Self culture – where you can authentically be yourself. Our Total Self culture is what unites us globally, and we are dedicated to taking care of our people.
• We are continuously building the company we all want to work for and our customers want to work with. Why? Because when we bring together diversity of thoughts, backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives – we’re able to create a place where everyone feels like they belong.

Under the guidance and direction of the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), the Head of R&D and Scientific Strategy is responsible for supporting or leading matrix teams or enterprise-wide initiatives aimed at driving value by harnessing the Company’s scientific capabilities. The office of the CSO is focused on pulling together medical and scientific capabilities across the Company’s different functions and business units to create innovative solutions for our customers and to drive collaboration across the enterprise.

Examples of such teams/initiatives include the Cross Functional Constortia, Lab to Life delivery, and Cross BU solutions development, and our Biotechnology Customer Solutions Platform. The office of the CSO also drives and supports our Scientific communications and Thought Leadership Strategy. The Head of R&D and Scientific Strategy will have responsibilities for contributing to and executing on this strategy in conjunction with the internal medical and scientific community.

The Head of R&D and Scientific Strategy will have customer facing responsibilities that may include customer meetings to understand potential work models, bid defenses, or meetings aimed at increasing awareness and growth of our scientific reputation. The Head of R&D and Scientific Strategy may engage C-level personnel to ensure the Company maintains complementary development pipelines with the potential to become long term and meaningful relationships for the Company.

The Head of R&D and Scientific Strategy will interact with senior management, customers, business development, and project teams to coordinate services and provides direction and strategy for growth and provides consulting, as needed.

Integrates the Company’s resources (from all areas) to craft tailored scientific solutions for the targeted internal issues or customer problems. Consults with appropriate internal and external stakeholders regarding the respective area’s clinical and commercial issues and points of interest.

• Acts as a primary senior-level contact for initiatives/teams the Head of R&D and Scientific Strategy is leading.
• Participates in customer proposals, Request for Information (RFIs), presentations, proposal defenses and Steering Committees.
• Responsible for coordinating the acquisition of necessary medical/scientific input from outside experts/consultants/advisors.
• Repres…