Director, Medical Science Liaison - Epilepsies
About The Position
Praxis is seeking a Director, Medical Science Liaisons to lead and develop the field medical team supporting our epilepsy portfolio, including relutrigine, through pre-launch and launch. This people-leadership role is responsible for hiring, coaching, and developing a high-performing team of Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs); translating medical strategy into a compliant, high-impact field medical plan; and ensuring consistent, high-quality scientific exchange across a defined set of high-priority academic and community neurology centers. This is a field-based leadership role operating within a highly focused engagement model in rare and developmental epilepsies. The role involves setting the direction for the MSL team’s scientific engagement, overseeing KOL and center prioritization and territory alignment, and ensuring the team communicates emerging clinical data accurately and compliantly while surfacing meaningful field insights that shape strategy. The Director will champion aligned execution of pre-launch and launch activities and serve as a key bridge between field intelligence and medical strategy in a dynamic, evolving environment. Success requires proven people-leadership, strong scientific acumen, sound judgment, and the ability to build and inspire a team that engages credibly in complex clinical discussions while operating with independence in the field.
Requirements
- Advanced clinical or scientific degree (PharmD, PhD, or MD; NP, PA, or RN with relevant experience)
- Substantial Medical Affairs / MSL experience in biotech or pharma, including demonstrated people-leadership or field-management experience
- Proven success leading geographically dispersed field medical teams, including experience managing managers and/or leading organizations through periods of growth, transformation, or launch
- Experience establishing field medical strategy and operating models in pre-launch and launch environments
- Demonstrated ability to influence senior executives and drive cross-functional alignment without direct authority
- Experience supporting Market Access initiatives, including Managed Care strategy, payer engagement, and reimbursement activities
- Experience managing budgets, headcount planning, and organizational resource allocation
- Strong scientific acumen with the ability to coach the team through complex clinical and data discussions in rare patient populations
- Demonstrated ability to translate medical strategy into field execution and measurable results
- Experience in neurology or CNS disorders required
- Excellent cross-functional leadership, influence, and communication skills
- Ability to manage competing priorities, budgets, and resources with strong organization and attention to detail
Nice To Haves
- rare or genetic epilepsy experience strongly preferred
- Product launch and pre-launch experience strongly preferred
Responsibilities
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of epilepsy MSLs, setting clear objectives, performance expectations, and individual development plans
- Build and scale a high-performing Field Medical organization, including workforce planning, succession planning, talent assessment, onboarding strategy, and capability development
- Establish field medical operating standards, performance expectations, and excellence frameworks to ensure consistent execution and scientific credibility across the team
- Lead territory design, resource allocation, and organizational planning to ensure optimal coverage of key centers, investigators, and stakeholders throughout pre-launch and launch
- Translate Medical Affairs strategy into an actionable field medical plan, including engagement priorities, scientific objectives, and team success metrics
- Oversee KOL and center engagement strategy, territory alignment, and account planning across priority academic and community neurology centers
- Ensure the team delivers accurate, balanced, and compliant scientific exchange on disease state, clinical data, and the relutrigine clinical profile in rare and genetic epilepsies
- Build team capability and readiness for pre-launch and launch, including onboarding, scientific training, and field coaching on SCN2A, SCN8A, and broader epilepsy populations
- Aggregate, synthesize, and elevate field insights to inform medical, clinical, and commercial strategy, and report on field medical activity and impact
- Partner cross-functionally with internal Praxis leadership to ensure aligned execution
- Represent Field Medical Affairs at scientific congresses, advisory boards, and internal governance forums
- Manage field medical operations, including CRM utilization, metrics and reporting
- Establish, monitor, and enforce compliance with regulatory requirements, company policies, SOPs, and industry standards across all field activities
- Maintain current expertise in the rare epilepsy landscape, competitive environment, and evolving treatment paradigms, and ensure the team stays scientifically current
Benefits
- 99% of the premium paid for medical, dental and vision plans
- company-paid life insurance, AD&D, disability benefits, and voluntary plans
- match dollar-for-dollar up to 6% on eligible 401(k) contributions
- long-term stock incentives
- ESPP
- discretionary quarterly bonus
- extremely flexible wellness benefit
- generous PTO
- paid holidays
- company-wide shutdowns
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
