Vice President, Clinical Development – Cardiovascular

About the role

The Vice President, Clinical Development - Cardiovascular is a board-certified cardiologist (M.D.) with deep expertise in lipid disorders and cardiometabolic disease who is responsible for defining and driving the clinical development strategy for Ionis' cardiovascular portfolio, including Phase 4 and post-marketing programs.

Responsibilities

• Maintain deep expertise and a broad, integrative view across cardiovascular and cardiometabolic disease, including lipid disorders such as hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and lipoprotein(a) mediated risk.
• Apply current and emerging science in lipid biology and cardiovascular risk reduction to inform clinical development strategies and portfolio decisions.
• Guide development of clinical programs targeting lipid-modifying therapies, including selection of appropriate patient populations, biomarkers, and endpoints.
• Provide leadership on the design and interpretation of cardiovascular outcomes trials (CVOTs) and other studies evaluating impact on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).
• Integrate translational insights (e.g., mechanism of action, biomarker response, genetic validation) into clinical development plans to strengthen probability of success.
• Lead Phase 4 strategy and post-marketing evidence generation plans, including post-marketing commitments and lifecycle management studies.
• Partner with Medical Affairs to redefine and optimize the Clinical Development/Medical Affairs partnership model across the cardiovascular and cardiometabolic portfolio.
• Provide thought leadership with regulatory agencies and external experts, including investigators, key opinion leaders, and advisory boards.
• Manage and develop direct reports, building a high performing, engaged, and inclusive team culture aligned with Ionis values.

Requirements

• M.D., board-certified cardiologist with significant experience in clinical development within the biopharmaceutical industry.
• Substantial pharmaceutical/biotech industry experience with a track record of leading late-stage and Phase 4/post-marketing cardiovascular programs.
• Deep expertise in cardiovascular disease, with strong experience in lipid disorders and cardiometabolic disease (e.g., dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, triglyceride metabolism, Lp(a)).
• Demonstrated success leading development of therapies targeting cardiovascular risk factors, including experience with lipid-modifying agents and/or outcomes-based clinical programs.
• Demonstrated success leading clinical development programs across multiple stages, including late-stage development.
• Experience driving Phase 4 strategy and post-marketing commitments.
• Experience designing and interpreting studies involving lipid biomarkers, surrogate endpoints, and cardiovascular outcomes (e.g., MACE).
• Proven ability to translate mechanistic and translational science (including genetics and biomarker data) into clinical development strategy.
• Experience influencing portfolio strategy and contributing to investment or prioritization decisions.
• Experience interacting with regulatory agencies and external experts.

Who Thrives Here

• Adaptable leader - moves fluidly between clinical strategy, hands-on protocol and data work, team leadership, and regulatory interactions, comfortable shifting gears quickly.
• Working VP mindset - rolls up their sleeves, dives into documents and data, and models execution as well as vision.
• Inclusive people leader - shows respect for diverse perspectives, honors the history and contributions of long-tenured Ionis employees, and develops talent across levels.
• Change leader - communicates clearly through change, reduces ambiguity, and helps teams stay focused on what matters most.
• Out-of-the-box thinker - brings fresh ideas on evidence generation, lifecycle management, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Self-aware and collaborative - reads team dynamics, builds trust across levels and departments, and invites constructive criticism.
• Driven owner - owns outcomes for a high-stakes franchise proactively and follows through to impact.
• Courageous communicator - brings a clear point of view, asks hard questions, and leans into healthy debate in a driven, intense environment.
• Strong communicator - adapts across scientific, commercial, and executive audiences, making complex topics clear and actionable.