Senior Director, Medical Affairs Strategy (Rare Disease)

Sumitomo Pharma Senior Director, Medical Affairs Strategy (Rare Disease) Honolulu, Hawaii Apply Now

Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. is a global pharmaceutical company based in Japan focused on addressing patient needs in oncology, urology, women's health, rare diseases, psychiatry & neurology, and cell & gene therapies. We aim to accelerate discovery, research, and development to bring novel therapies to patients sooner. For more information on SMPA, visit our website here.

Job Overview

The Sr. Director, Medical Strategy (Rare Disease) will be a key member of the Medical Affairs team reporting to the Executive Director, Medical Affairs Strategy. This role is responsible for strategic direction and management for RETHYMIC (allogeneic processed thymus tissue–agdc), indicated for immune reconstitution in pediatric patients with congenital athymia.

The role will provide set Medical Strategy for both internal company programs and external facing HCP and Payer interactions. The Sr. Director of Medical Affairs develops and maintains professional relationships with key physicians and other health care providers to conduct external scientific information exchange, gain clinical and scientific insights, and help identify unmet medical needs.

This job will effectively lead and communicate with cross-functional team members to share and gain insights that help SMPA meet the unmet medical needs of this ultra-rare disease community. The role will also collaborate closely with Commercial leadership and advance patient advocacy efforts to ensure that Medical Affairs activities align with patient focused programs.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

1. Develops and aligns medical affairs strategic plans with brand strategic imperatives that support impactful insights, data generation, and data communication plans to support education and awareness to HCP stakeholders and healthcare payers.
2. Leads the creation and execution of evidence generation plans to enhance the value of RETHYMIC in a real-world setting, including continuation of product registry and Natural History Study.
3. Collaborates with Scientific Communication in the development and implementation of detailed scientific Publication Plans, Medical Advisory Boards, and Patient Advisory Boards upon review and approval of Legal and Compliance process.
4. Critically evaluates information gained from published studies and HCP interactions to develop key insights that deepen our understanding of the market’s needs and opinions of external stakeholders.
5. Develops and sustains relationships with key HCPs to support compliant exchange of scientific and medical information including Advisory Boards and presentations at national and international meetings.
6. Represents the Medical Affairs department on the RETHYMIC lifecycle team to provide medical affairs input to Clinical Research and Clinical Operations needs.
7. Assesses and approves long-term Medical Education programming or Medical Affairs Sponsorships with Advocacy and Medical Education Groups.
8. Provides input into the development of Areas of Interest supporting research and presents research concepts to internal Review Committee for Investigator Initiated Study (IIS) concepts and research protocols.
9. Leads internal and external training on congenital athymia disease state and label education to ensure consistent information about RETHYMIC.
10. Engages with appropriate Market Access stakeholders to understand the state of healthcare policies and guidelines as they relate to clinical practices and reimbursement of RETHYMIC.
11. Presents data on RETHYMIC and educates scientific experts including physicians, academic institutions, researchers, and allied health care professionals.
12. Provides detailed and compliant medical review and approval of external resources, communications, and publications – ensuring medical accuracy, relevance, and fair-balance.
13. Reviews and approves custom responses to unsolicited requests for medical information associated with RETHYMIC for congenital athymia.
14. Serves as a subject matter expert in immunology and communicates current and emerging medical and scientific information on RETHYMIC for Medical Affairs programs.
15. Attends relevant Immunology medical and scientific conferences to support speakers and presenters.
16. Develops and oversees Medical Affairs annual operating budget.
17. Ensures that all interactions and activities in the US adhere to corporate and healthcare compliance guidance.
18. Ability to travel (domestic and some international) to attend scientific congresses, participate in internal meetings, and meet key stakeholders in the development of Medical Affairs activities - up to 25% travel.

Key Core Competencies

1. Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
2. Ability to effectively communicate, collaborate and deliver excellent work in a fast-paced environment.
3. Excellent interpersonal skills, with experience in conflict management and relationship building.
4. Ability to analyze complex issues critically and develop realistic plans and solutions.
5. One-Team attitude with the capability to work cross-functionally.
6. Proven track record of detailed, medically accurate, and scientifically relevant writing and review skills.

Education and Experience

1. Advanced degree in medical science (MD, PharmD, PhD); MD with relevant specialization preferred.
2. 8+ years of relevant Medical Affairs work experience in biotech or pharmaceutical industry.
3. Experience leading in a matrix team environment is considered a plus.
4. Strong computer skills (Microsoft Office, etc.) and knowledge of database management required.

The base salary range for this role is $274,800 to $343,500. Total compensation will depend on elements unique to each candidate.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

Sumitomo Pharma America (SMPA) is committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law.

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