Principal Statistician

Business Introduction 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 people’s lives. GSK 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. We’re uniting science, technology, and talent to get ahead of disease together. Find out more: Our approach to R&D

Position Summary You will lead statistical planning and delivery for clinical research in Japan. You will work with cross-functional teams to design trials, analyse data, and support regulatory interactions. We value clear scientific thinking, pragmatic problem solving, and a genuine focus on patients. You will grow technical and leadership skills while helping bring research advances to people who need them. Join us to use your statistical expertise to make a measurable difference and to develop your career in a supportive, mission-driven environment.

Responsibilities This role will provide YOU the opportunity to lead key activities to progress YOUR career. These responsibilities include some of the following:

• Act as the primary statistical lead for Japan projects, contributing to study design, analysis plans, and interpretation of results.
• Collaborate with global statisticians and local cross-functional teams to align trial design and analysis across regions.
• Prepare statistical input for regulatory interactions and support submissions to Japanese health authorities.
• Oversee external statistical partners and vendors to ensure quality, timelines, and cost control.
• Apply modern statistical methods, including adaptive and Bayesian approaches when appropriate, to enable efficient and ethical study designs.
• Coach and mentor statisticians and non-statistical colleagues, promoting good statistical practice and reproducibility.

Why You?

Basic Qualification We are seeking professionals with the following required skills and qualifications to help us achieve our goals:

• Degree in statistics, biostatistics, mathematics or a closely related quantitative discipline.
• At least 5 years of experience working as a statistician in randomized clinical trials, with industry or CRO experience.
• Practical experience in clinical trial design and statistical analysis.
• Proficiency with statistical software such as R or SAS and working knowledge of clinical trial data formats and conventions.
• Business-level English and fluent Japanese (ability to read, write and speak in Japanese at professional level).
• Strong communication skills with experience explaining statistical concepts to non-statisticians.

Preferred Qualification If you have the following characteristics, it would be a plus:

• PhD or advanced degree in statistics, biostatistics, or related field.
• Experience with regulatory submissions and direct interactions with Japanese regulatory authorities.
• Knowledge of adaptive designs, Bayesian methods, or other innovative statistical approaches.
• Background in one or more therapeutic areas relevant to our work in Japan.
• Experience managing external vendors and contract statisticians.
• Familiarity with data science tools and modern workflows oriented to reproducibility and automation.

Working Arrangement This role is hybrid, based in Japan, combining on-site work with flexible remote days as agreed with the line manager. Some travel within Japan and occasional international collaboration may be required.

What you will bring You bring strong statistical judgement and the ability to make clear recommendations. You enjoy working with diverse teams and communicating results in simple, actionable terms. You work with integrity and focus on patient impact. You welcome feedback and support the growth of others.

How to apply If this role fits your experience and ambitions, we encourage you to apply. Please submit your CV and a short cover note describing a statistical project you led and the impact it delivered. We will review applications and contact candidates for next steps.

We are committed to inclusion. We welcome applications from people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.