Regulatory Affairs Lead Jobs
Regulatory Affairs Lead jobs are open across pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biotechnology, and consumer products, from senior specialist to director level, with specializations in drug approval, quality systems, and labeling compliance. Find a role that fits from the openings below and apply directly.
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Role Overview:
The Associate Director is responsible for the review and approval of all US promotional materials and serving as the promotional regulatory expert with legal, medical and commercial colleagues to ensure that promotional practices are consistent with regulatory guidelines, our Company's policies, and support business objectives.
- Serve as the liaison and manage correspondence with FDA’s promotional review divisions OPDP/APLB, including complex regulatory questions and submissions for advisory comment.
- Propose creative, effective, and compliant regulatory strategies and solutions to challenging promotional concepts that meet business objectives and minimize regulatory risk.
- Provide regulatory consultation in the development and implementation of US marketing strategy and promotional programs.
- Support the US commercial teams, including relevant stakeholders, by participating in strategy discussions and extended team meetings and providing regulatory guidance and perspective on marketing strategies and promotion objectives and tactics. Provide promotional regulatory input on concepts and draft materials to help ensure promotional materials are aligned with U.S. promotional regulations, corporate standards and policies and business objectives.
- Actively participate in labeling and global regulatory team meetings to ensure support for anticipated promotional messages and claims (aligned with marketing strategy) in clinical trial design and product labeling as it relates to the use of study results in U.S. promotion.
- Maintain current awareness and understanding of FDA advisory correspondence, evolving FDA regulations and guidance documents, FDA enforcement letters and policy issues affecting the pharmaceutical/biologics industry and clearly articulate regulatory rationale.
- Ability to take on more complex projects and provide promotional regulatory training and coaching to team members.
- Contribute to the development of departmental strategic initiatives to drive effective, compliant promotional regulatory review.
Qualifications, Skills & Experience:
Minimum Requirement:
- B.A. or B.S. degree with an emphasis in science, health care or related fields.
- Master’s, PhD or PharmD degree with an emphasis in science, health care or related fields
- Minimum of five years of pharmaceutical/biologics industry or related experience with an emphasis in regulatory or scientific disciplines
- Minimum of two years of direct experience as the primary regulatory reviewer of advertising and promotional materials
- Demonstrated knowledge of FDA regulations relating to advertising and promotion for prescription products
- Proactive with strong cross-functional collaboration skills
- Demonstrated history of successful interactions with the promotional review divisions of FDA (OPDP/APLB) or experience developing/leading the regulatory strategy for a product filing/launch
- Understanding of the product development and labeling process
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
- Strong interpersonal skills with ability to demonstrate strategic and analytical thinking
- Demonstrated ability to negotiate and influence others effectively
#EligibleforERP
Required Skills:
Clinical Trials, Cross-Functional Teamwork, Data Analysis, Detail-Oriented, Electronic Common Technical Document (eCTD), FDA Regulations, Negotiation, Pharmaceutical Industry, Promotional Review, Regulatory Compliance, Regulatory Strategies, Regulatory Submissions, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Thinking, US Regulatory Affairs
Preferred Skills:
Current Employees apply HERE
Current Contingent Workers apply HERE
US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:
Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.
As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:
EEOC Know Your Rights
EEOC GINA Supplement​
We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.
Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts
The primary location for this posting is:
USA - Pennsylvania - North Wales (Upper Gwynedd)
Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.
The salary range for the primary location of this role is:
$129,000.00 - $203,100.00
This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs. The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.
We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.
Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.
Additional location(s) Compensation Information:
San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance
Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance
Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.
Employee Status:
Regular
Relocation:
No relocation
VISA Sponsorship:
No
Travel Requirements:
10%
Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid
Shift:
Not Indicated
Valid Driving License:
No
Hazardous Material(s):
n/a
Job Posting End Date:
11/21/2026*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.
Requisition ID: R424596
Regulatory Affairs Lead Jobs by Experience Level
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Find Regulatory Affairs Lead JobsRegulatory Affairs Lead Job Market
Who's Hiring
- Katalyst Healthcares & Life Sciences48

- Revolution Medicines18

- AbbVie17

- BD13

- Abbott11

Top Industries Hiring
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals59
- Medical Devices11
- Healthcare & Medical Services10
- Consulting & Professional Services9
- Science & Research5
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in regulatory affairs lead jobs.
- Bachelor's degree or higher in life sciences, pharmacy, chemistry, or a related field
- Five or more years of experience managing regulatory submissions to FDA or comparable agencies
- Hands-on experience authoring or coordinating IND, NDA, BLA, 510(k), or PMA submissions
- Proficiency with electronic submission systems such as eCTD publishing tools or Veeva Vault RIM
- Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC) from RAPS preferred or required by many employers
- Strong cross-functional communication skills for working with clinical, quality, and legal teams
Tips for Your Regulatory Affairs Lead Job Search
Tailor your resume to submission types
Hiring managers scan for the specific submission formats you've owned, whether IND, NDA, 510(k), or CE marking. Name each type directly in your experience bullets rather than describing your regulatory work in general terms.
List your therapeutic area expertise upfront
Oncology, rare disease, and combination products each carry different regulatory pathways. Calling out your therapeutic area in your resume summary gets you past filters that sort by product type before a recruiter ever reads further.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists regulatory affairs lead openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Target roles by agency relationship experience
Postings that specify FDA, EMA, or Health Canada experience are filtering hard on that credential. If you've managed a Type B or C meeting, a CAT interaction, or a pre-submission, name those interactions explicitly so your application clears the first cut.
Prepare a case study for your interview
Most regulatory affairs lead interviews include a scenario question about a deficiency letter, a labeling dispute, or a timeline crunch. Walking through a real submission challenge you navigated, including the agency feedback and how you resolved it, is far more persuasive than describing your process in the abstract.
Negotiate using scope, not just salary
In regulatory affairs, the portfolio size, number of direct reports, and budget authority you hold at offer stage shape your next move. Confirm those terms in writing before you sign, because scope determines your leverage for the role after this one.
Regulatory Affairs Lead Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most regulatory affairs leads?
The companies hiring the most regulatory affairs leads right now include Katalyst Healthcares & Life Sciences, Revolution Medicines, and AbbVie, with the largest share of openings in California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand is concentrated at mid-size and large pharmaceutical, medical device, and contract research organizations actively managing product pipelines.
How many regulatory affairs lead jobs are remote?
About 72% of regulatory affairs lead openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the document-heavy, cross-functional nature of much of the work. Roles focused on submissions strategy, labeling, and post-market surveillance tend to be the most remote-friendly, while positions requiring direct lab interaction or on-site agency liaison work are more likely to require in-person presence.
How do you become a regulatory affairs lead?
Most regulatory affairs leads start in a specialist or associate role after earning a degree in a life science field, then build experience across at least one full product lifecycle, from preclinical through approval. Earning the RAC credential from RAPS strengthens your candidacy for lead-level roles. Moving into a lead position typically requires owning a submission end-to-end, managing timelines independently, and demonstrating you can coordinate across clinical, quality, and legal functions without constant oversight.
Can you get hired as a regulatory affairs lead with limited experience?
Breaking into a lead-level role with limited experience is possible if you can show depth in a specific submission type or therapeutic area rather than breadth. Candidates who have owned a single submission from start to approval, even in a supporting role, are more competitive than those with broad but shallow exposure. Contract or consulting work at a CRO can accelerate the timeline because it compresses experience across multiple clients and product types into a shorter period.
What does the regulatory affairs lead interview process look like?
Most regulatory affairs lead interviews run three to four rounds. The first is a recruiter screen focused on submission experience and agency familiarity. A hiring manager interview follows, covering your approach to cross-functional coordination and how you handle agency feedback. Later rounds often include a technical exercise, such as reviewing a mock deficiency letter or walking through a submission strategy, and a panel conversation with quality, clinical, or legal stakeholders who will work directly with you.
Where can I find and apply to regulatory affairs lead jobs?
You can find and apply to regulatory affairs lead jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from companies across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your submission experience, therapeutic area, and preferred location or remote arrangement, then apply directly to each listing that fits.
See All 664+ Regulatory Affairs Lead Jobs
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