Executive Director, US Medical Affairs, Field Medical Ophthalmology

Merck Executive Director, US Medical Affairs, Field Medical Ophthalmology in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Job Description

The Executive Director (ED) for Field Medical Affairs in the US understands our Company's corporate and products/portfolio strategies and works cross-functionally with the Global Medical and Scientific Affairs Therapeutic Area teams to align on Global medical strategies relevant to their region as defined by the Global Value & Implementation (V&I) Planning and global V&I Plan. The ability to work effectively and successfully in a highly matrixed environment is critical.

The Executive Director provides strategic and tactical direction to the field Regional Medical Scientific Director (RMSD) and is accountable for ensuring field teams execute on Integrated Field Medical Plans (FMPs) and achieve field metrics for scientific exchange and research support.

Primary Responsibilities:

1. Leadership and Management
   1. Serves as a senior leader in the Country Medical Affairs field organization, broadly influencing medical activities and setting the direction for RMSDs across the Therapeutic Area (TA) programs.
   2. Assesses and determines core vision, strategy, and objectives for field TA teams that are aligned with Global Medical and Scientific Affairs (GMSA) medical strategies.
   3. Co-chairs Regional Medical Affairs Team (USMAT) meeting.
   4. Optimizes and ensures therapeutic support of Health Systems accounts by fostering collaboration with the Medical Affairs Health Systems teams and Outcomes Research as needed across programs.
   5. Collaborates with external alliance partners as per approved ways of working.
   6. Provides ongoing assessment of Team Leader (TL) competencies, supports implementation of individualized employee development priorities, and completes performance evaluations based on observations, deliverables, and feedback from peers and customers.
   7. Collaborates with other EDs to ensure best-practice sharing among the different field teams.
   8. Provides guidance to the TL to ensure compliant field medical activities that support the safe, effective, and knowledgeable use of Company products.
   9. Supervises TL management of field medical teams to meet the following objectives:
      1. Execute on regional- and territory-specific scientific exchange and research support FMPs.
      2. Engage in scientific exchange with scientific leaders and investigators to support Our Company scientific platforms and research programs.
      3. Support scientific and research exchange activities and meetings at scientific congresses.
      4. Maintain relationships with scientific leaders and investigators essential to insight collection and participation in Our Company's clinical development program.
      5. Identify new and emerging science in areas important to our Company.
      6. Identify potential study sites and increase participation in studies of Our Company compounds by increasing investigator awareness of research opportunities supported by Our Company.
      7. Support Our Company's Investigator-Initiated Study Program (IIS) through field-based support of Areas of Interest (AOI) dissemination, Letter of Intent submission, data generation, and study publication.
      8. Support company-sponsored trial programs through site recommendations, site initiation visit support, scientific support, and data dissemination.
      9. Provides scientific consultation to Our Company's Research Laboratories to support scientifically informed and clinically educated decision making.
      10. Assures cooperation and alignment with Global initiatives.

Strategic Planning and Project Management

1. Partners with the TA on monthly USMAT meetings.
2. Serves as a senior leader across medical governance teams (e.g., USMAT) to provide comprehensive field and external insights into TA Franchise Plans.
3. Ensures that external insights are evaluated and integrated into scientific platform development to enhance V&I strategies and FMP.
4. Incorporates Scientific Platform, including insights and voice of the investigator, into the execution of Field Medical strategies and tactics.
5. Optimizes TA management team alignment, integration, and tactical implementation via coordination with the field medical leadership team, Headquarters (HQ) Medical Affairs teams, Global Clinical Development, and IIS teams.
6. Assists Country Medical Affairs senior leadership with field medical strategic planning and resource management.
7. Actively interfaces with Country Medical Affairs and TA Franchise leadership (e.g., RDMA, EDMA, Global Medical Affairs Capabilities) to ensure strategic alignment, proper resourcing, and flawless execution of FMPs by field teams.
8. Ensures development and implementation of bi-annual field execution plans and monthly dashboards, working closely with various field medical roles for each TA team.

Internal Collaboration and Alignment

1. Works and collaborates with leadership within Country Field Medical, Research & Development (R&D) Clinical Development, Global Center for Scientific Affairs (GCSA), and Global Human Health (GHH).
2. Coordinates and leads R&D research and scientific field medical capabilities in alignment with Global Clinical Development (GCD) and Global Clinical Trial Operations (GCTO).
3. Coordinates with Global Scientific Affairs to ensure team support of IIS with therapeutically assigned areas.
4. Coordinates strategy, planning, and execution of scientific congress responsibilities.
5. Oversees the coordination of strategy, planning, and execution of Country Medical Affairs activities at Academic Medical Center meetings with GCTO and R&D early stage, late stage, and translational clinical development teams.
6. Fully complies with all company policies and applicable laws, regulations, and ethical standards.

Budget Management

1. Develops and effectively manages field team budget each year.
2. Oversees and ensures appropriate approval of key travel decisions, congress participation, and program expenses, as applicable and appropriate.
3. Oversees field medical affairs activities and ensures budgets are in alignment with priorities so that proposed vs. actual budgets are aligned.

Education:

Doctoral Degree (MD, PharmD, PhD) with demonstrated ability to effectively lead and coach scientific/medical colleagues at all skill and knowledge levels.

Required Experience and Skills:

1. Prior industry experience (≥ 7 years) preferably within Medical Affairs.
2. 5 years of front-line field medical leadership in the pharmaceutical industry, with teams having responsibility for scientific exchange and research support, preferably in relevant TA.
3. Excellent interpersonal, communication, presentation skills, strong personal integrity, teamwork and collaboration abilities, strong business and financial acumen, and customer focus.
4. Ability to work in a heavily matrixed work environment, balancing the needs of multiple, cross-functional internal stakeholders.
5. Ability to effectively engage senior management to implement field medical vision and TA-aligned strategies.
6. A demonstrated understanding of local regulatory agencies and other ethical guidelines, laws, and regulations relevant to the pharmaceutical industry and its customers to ensure compliance with all external and internal guidelines and standard operating procedures, specifically regarding field activities.
7. Ability to network and partner with important external customers, including top scientific leaders and investigators for all types of contracted/sponsored research.
8. Effective leadership skills (by example and through accomplishments) and ability to step forward to handle challenges within scope of authority.
9. Demonstrated deep therapeutic competency in disease states aligned with TA programs and ability to stay abreast of trends and new information in the TA landscape.
10. Strong working knowledge of healthcare delivery in country – acute care/hospital, payers, integrated delivery systems, care coordination, etc., relevant to the TA landscape.
11. Ability to organize, prioritize, and work effectively in a constantly changing, dynamic environment and to motivate a team to do the same.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

1. 3+ years of clinical, research, or industry expertise in retinal diseases.
2. Scientific/medical research and publication experience in retinal diseases, including knowledge of national/international treatment guidelines, quality measures, and collaboration networks.
3. Strong working knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), Veeva, and other systems used by field medical teams.
4. Ability to interface effectively with a variety of technical platforms for the collection, review, and dissemination of scientific insights.
5. Demonstrated learning agility and experience managing field teams in relevant TAs in the local market.

Employee Status: Regular

Relocation: Domestic

VISA Sponsorship: No

Travel Requirements: 25%

Flexible Work Arrangements: Remote

Shift: 1st - Day

Job Posting End Date: 03/21/2025

#J-18808-Ljbffr

---