Cardio-Renal Discovery Disease Area Lead

We create a place where people can grow be their best be safe and feel welcome valued and included. We offer a competitive salary an annual bonus based on company performance healthcare and wellbeing programmes pension plan membership and shares and savings programme.

We embrace modern work practises; our Performance with Choice programme offers a hybrid working model empowering you to find the optimal balance between remote and in-office work.

Discover more about our company wide benefits and life at GSK on our webpage Life at GSK GSK

Discovery Disease Area Lead Cardiovascular-Renal Diseases

At GSK we are dedicated to improving the quality of human life by leveraging scientific advancements to develop better medicines with reduced attrition. Through our Discovery Disease Area Leads (DDALs) we enable target identification selection and validation at scale driving innovation and excellence across our R&D landscape.

As the Discovery Disease Area Lead Cardiovascular-Renal you will be at the forefront of our mission driving the discovery and validation of therapeutic targets for a range of diseases such as chronic kidney disease glomerulonephritis and cardiovascular conditions that are associated with metabolic dysfunction. You will lead a cross-functional highly matrixed team of scientists clinical staff and pharma experts to identify and validate high-quality targets using large-scale experimental and in silico approaches. Your efforts will ultimately contribute to translating human disease phenotype information into actionable therapeutic innovations.

Location: This role will be based at one of GSKs R&D hub sites in Stevenage UK or Upper Providence PA USA. The Discovery Disease Area Lead Cardiovascular-Renal will be expected to spend at least 2-3 days / week on site.

For candidates seeking to be located at our Stevenage site this role will temporarily be based at Stevenage. However the Company plans to relocate its offices to Cambridge UK. The location of this role will therefore subsequently change to Cambridge UK in accordance with timelines to be set by the Company. The relocation is currently proposed to take effect by early 2029.

Key Responsibilities:

Portfolio Execution

• Portfolio Generation and Oversight: Generate and oversee the pre-Commit to Target (C2T) project portfolio in the Renal and Cardio-Renal therapy area.
• Target Delivery: Systematically deliver pools of high-potential targets that fulfill all C2T quality criteria based on therapeutic area-defined target medicine profiles for bespoke target validation
• Senior Management Interface: Influence Senior R&D management by identifying and communicating portfolio risks and opportunities.
• Strategy Execution: Drive development and implementation of key components of the renal and cardio-renal research strategy in R&D Tech for the Research Units.
• Team Representation: Ensure appropriate representation of lines/functions within the operational matrix team.

Cardiovascular / renal / metabolic disease expertise -

• Nephrology and/or Cardiovascular Expertise: Apply deep experience in renal and cardio-renal disease indications drug discovery focusing on clinically relevant target identification through human-first discovery approaches.
• Scientific Excellence: Drive best-in-class science across R&D Technologies and Research Units (RUs).
• Strategic Partnership: Partner proactively with Research Units and R&D Technology Leadership to provide strategic scientific input into disease phenotype discovery and therapeutic target identification.
• External Engagement: Maintain connection with renal biology experts KOLs and societies to ensure solid strategic guidance on emerging therapeutics understanding which could impact the portfolio and priorities.
• Clinical Insight: General understanding of clinical treatments for renal cardio-renal and associated diseases and emerging innovative trial design and biomarkers.
• Business Case Development: Lead the creation of strong business cases that align with RU and R&D Tech strategies.
• External Opportunities Assessment: Collaborate with Business Development to assess external opportunities.

Strategic Alignment

• Framework Adherence: Ensure adherence to decision frameworks up to C2T incorporating relevant stakeholders.
• Resource Coordination: Coordinate resources from RDTech and RUs to cover all steps from the patient identification strategic ideation target screening triage large-scale validation and presentation.
• Risk Management: Elevate resource challenges project risks pipeline risks and opportunities to RDTech LT.
• Resource Allocation: Make recommendations to department heads (RDTech and RUs) on areas to reduce postpone or stop.

Why you

Basic Qualifications & Skills:

We are looking for professionals with these required skills to achieve our goals:

• Education: Minimum of PhD degree or extensive (15 years) drug discovery and development experience.
• Experience: Minimum of 15 years of progressive pharmaceutical experience required including key project leadership roles in programs that progressed to the clinic and/or approval for renal / cardiovascular indications.
• Leadership Skills: Proven track record of exceptional team and cross-functional leadership.
• R&D Expertise: Experience with renal or cardiovascular R&D programs scientific and clinical strategies.
• Research Program Design: Ability to design a comprehensive drug discovery program to reach a critical milestone
• Data Interpretation: Strong data interpretation and report writing/presentation skills.
• Global Mindset: Demonstrated ability to assimilate complex science quickly and work globally.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Ability to work cross-functionally cross-geography and with high-level managers and executives.
• Communication Skills: Excellent executive communication skills.
• Time Management: Ability to manage multiple demands and priorities on time lead teams gain alignment and drive decision-making.
• Networking: Access to internal and external networks of experts.
• Travel Requirement: Up to 20% travel (mostly international).

Closing Date for Applications 4th October 2026

#LI-GSK #LI-hybrid

Please take a copy of the Job Description as this will not be available post closure of the advert.

When applying for this role please use the cover letter of the online application or your CV to describe how you meet the competencies for this role as outlined in the job requirements above. The information that you have provided in your cover letter and CV will be used to assess your application.

At GSK we have bold ambitions for patients aiming to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade. Our R&D focuses on discovering and delivering vaccines and medicines combining our understanding of the immune system with cutting-edge technology to transform peoples fosters a culture ambitious for patients accountable for impact and committed to doing the right thing making sure that we focus our efforts on accelerating significant assets that meet patients needs and have the highest probability of success. Were uniting science technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

Find out more:

Our approach to R&D

Skills

Biotechnology Business Strategies Cell Biology Cross-Functional Teamwork Drug Development Drug Discovery Process Influencing Without Authority Interpersonal Communication Life Science Market Opportunities Matrix Leadership Molecular Biology Renal Pathology Scientific Research Scientific Writing Strategic Alignment Target Discovery

If you are based in Cambridge MA; Waltham MA; Rockville MD; or San Francisco CA the annual base salary for new hires in this position ranges $202125 to $336875. The US salary ranges take into account a number of factors including work location within the US market the candidates skills experience education level and the market rate for the addition this position offers an annual bonus and eligibility to participate in our share based long term incentive program which is dependent on the level of the role. Available benefits include health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family) retirement benefits paid holidays vacation and paid caregiver/parental and medical leave. If salary ranges are not displayed in the job posting for a specific country the relevant compensation will be discussed during the recruitment process.

Why GSK

Uniting science technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade as a successful growing company where people can thrive.

We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make so were committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how together we deliver for patients shareholders and our people.

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex (including pregnancy gender identity and sexual orientation) parental status national origin age disability genetic information (including family medical history) military service or any basis prohibited under federal state or local law.

We believe in an agile working culture for all our roles. If flexibility is important to you we encourage you to explore with our hiring team what the opportunities are.

Should you require any adjustments to our process to assist you in demonstrating your strengths and capabilities contact us at where you can also request a call.

Please note should your enquiry not relate to adjustments we will not be able to support you through these channels. However we have created a Recruitment FAQ guide. Click the Link where you will find answers to multiple questions we receive

Important notice to Employment businesses/ Agencies

GSK does not accept referrals from employment businesses and/or employment agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site. All employment businesses/agencies are required to contact GSKs commercial and general procurement/human resources department to obtain prior written authorization before referring any candidates to GSK. The obtaining of prior written authorization is a condition precedent to any agreement (verbal or written) between the employment business/ agency and the absence of such written authorization being obtained any actions undertaken by the employment business/agency shall be deemed to have been performed without the consent or contractual agreement of GSK. GSK shall therefore not be liable for any fees arising from such actions or any fees arising from any referrals by employment businesses/agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site.

Please note that if you are a US Licensed Healthcare Professional or Healthcare Professional as defined by the laws of the state issuing your license GSK may be required to capture and report expenses GSK incurs on your behalf in the event you are afforded an interview for employment. This capture of applicable transfers of value is necessary to ensure GSKs compliance to all federal and state US Transparency requirements. For more information please visit the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) website at