Principal Scientist, Global Efficacy - Equine Therapeutic Area

About the role

Dechra is a growing, global specialist in veterinary pharmaceuticals, focused on the development, manufacture, marketing, and sales of high-quality products exclusively for veterinarians worldwide. Our values—(D)edication, (E)njoyment, (C)ourage, (H)onesty, (R)elationships, and (A)mbition—are embedded in our culture and guide our operations across nearly 3,000 colleagues globally.

The Principal Scientist, Global Efficacy - Equine Therapeutic Area is accountable for delivering assigned efficacy activities for equine development programs within Dechra R&D. This role provides scientific, clinical, and regulatory input to ensure studies are planned, executed, interpreted, and reported to agreed quality, timeline, animal welfare, and data integrity standards. The Principal Scientist works with internal teams, CROs, investigators, and external partners to translate efficacy plans into practical study delivery, operating with appropriate independence while escalating complex or higher-risk questions as needed.

Responsibilities

• Be accountable for delivering assigned efficacy activities for equine development programs in line with study plans, timelines, quality standards, regulatory expectations, and animal welfare requirements.
• Coordinate study delivery, monitor progress, support data quality, resolve routine issues, and escalate significant risks promptly.
• Work with CROs, investigators, referral centres, academic partners, consultants, and key opinion leaders (KOLs) to ensure assigned study activities are delivered as planned.
• Contribute scientific and practical input to the development and use of equine disease models and translational tools for assigned studies.
• Collaborate with internal functions to maintain alignment on study activities, timelines, risks, data outputs, decisions, and documentation.
• Contribute to project planning, issue resolution, risk tracking, team updates, and development decisions for assigned equine activities.

Requirements

• DVM, VMD, or equivalent veterinary degree; or advanced degree such as MSc, PhD, doctorate, board certification, diploma, or equivalent in veterinary medicine, equine science, biomedical science, animal science, pharmacology, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience in efficacy study design, execution, reporting, and interpretation, ideally including proof of concept, dose-selection, and clinical field studies.
• Experience working with CROs, clinical investigators, referral hospitals, academic centres, ambulatory practices, and external partners.
• Working knowledge of relevant regulatory requirements and expectations, including FDA-CVM, USDA (where applicable), EMA-CVMP, UK-VMD, VICH GCP, and GLP.
• Ability and willingness to travel nationally and internationally as required.

Qualifications (Desirable)

• Board certification, diploma, doctorate, or equivalent advanced specialist qualification in equine medicine, veterinary pharmacology, translational science, or a related discipline.
• Experience in veterinary pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical R&D, preferably including equine product development, equine clinical practice, or equine research.
• Experience with disease models, translational tools, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, dose selection, field studies, and clinical endpoints relevant to equine medicine.