Executive Director, Medical Affairs

Kardigan

About The Position

Kardigan is a heart health company dedicated to making cardiovascular disease preventable, curable, and no longer the leading cause of death globally. Our mission is to develop multiple targeted treatments to provide cures for people with cardiovascular diseases. The company's co-founders, Tassos Gianakakos, Jay Edelberg, M.D., Ph.D., and Bob McDowell, Ph.D., previously led MyoKardia to discover and develop mavacamten, the first cardiac myosin inhibitor, which led to an acquisition by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2020. Kardigan boasts a cutting-edge discovery and translational research platform, a pipeline of late-stage candidates, and an industry-leading team committed to improving patient lives. Our values, driven by patients and their families, emphasize authenticity, a strong eagerness to learn, teamwork, and a commitment to enabling the impossible through innovation and scientific discovery. Reporting to the Head of Medical Affairs, the Executive Director of Medical Affairs will be responsible for shaping and executing the integrated Medical Affairs strategy for a key clinical asset within Kardigan’s portfolio. This leader will partner closely with the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and the Development Launch Leader to ensure the medical strategy and team are positioned as strategic business partners, crucial for a successful asset launch. The Executive Director will be instrumental in establishing and maintaining influential relationships within the medical and scientific communities, ensuring alignment with external stakeholders and thought leaders. This role also encompasses overseeing strategies for health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), scientific communications, and publications planning, all to ensure a robust, credible, and value-driven medical narrative. The position requires a visionary leader capable of galvanizing and developing a high-performing team, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and championing Kardigan’s mission and values through scientific excellence and external engagement.

Requirements

MD / PharmD with substantial expertise in Cardiovascular disease areas (or relevant adjacency).
Minimum of 10 years’ experience within biopharma, including meaningful time in a medical leadership role.
Deep experience across Cardiovascular indications (or relevant adjacency); prior product launch experience in new and competitive markets is preferred.
Experience in leadership positions in both small and large pharma/biotech, including fast growing companies.
Ability to apply scientific rigor to understand and debate detailed scientific and clinical aspects of disease areas; ability to approach scientific and clinical discussions with confidence and curiosity, both internally and externally.
Broad knowledge of regulations and codes of practice governing information provision to customers within the pharmaceutical industry.
Track record of outstanding leadership of teams through organizational change and growth.
Record of successful creation and development of Medical Affairs teams through training, coaching, and mentorship that inspires autonomy and self-motivation across all levels of the team.
Demonstrates a strong patient-centric orientation.

Nice To Haves

Ability to work across teams and foster strong partnerships to ensure trust, collaboration, and solution-oriented alignment.
Able to articulate, implement, and advance a compelling vision of a successful Medical Affairs team that is in-line with Kardigan’s principles.
Builds energy and buy-in, and catalyzes action both internally at Kardigan and within the external scientific and medical community.
Ability to recruit, retain and develop the next generation of world class talent. A medical talent magnet who creates an environment where people want to be.
Is willing and able to lean in with teams to provide hands-on coaching and mentorship.
Motivates and challenges the Medical Affairs team, providing clear guidance and direction while empowering people to deliver and own results.
Inspiring leader who fosters confidence with internal and external stakeholders, including the senior leadership team, through presence and approach in the face of challenging conversations.
Pragmatic leader who leads with wisdom and humility while managing relationships and business needs; strong negotiation and communication skills, balanced with a high EQ.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the Medical Affairs strategy for one of Kardigan’s clinical assets, ensuring alignment with Kardigan’s mission to deliver value to patients and providers.
Serve as the Medical Lead and representative on the Global Program Team (GPT) for a clinical asset.
Lead the Medical Strategy Team (MST) in alignment with the program strategy and oversee the development and execution of the Medical Strategy Plan (MSP) for a clinical asset.
Ensure the asset’s Medical Affairs team is prepared for launch, driving market readiness and providing critical scientific insights to support the asset’s transformational potential.
Build and lead a high-performing Medical Affairs team dedicated to the asset, attracting and developing talent while positioning the team as trusted partners and subject matter experts.
Proactively establish and nurture relationships with key opinion leaders, scientific experts, and advisory groups relevant to the asset’s indication.
Oversee the development and execution of scientific communication plans, including robust publication strategies for clinical and real-world data, to build scientific leadership and support the asset’s commercialization and access.
Generate, interpret, and communicate health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) data to inform clinical development, regulatory, and commercial decision making.
Foster effective cross-functional collaboration, working in close partnership with Clinical Development, Commercial, Regulatory, and Safety teams to advance the asset’s objectives.
Provide high-quality medical input into medical, scientific, and promotional materials to ensure accuracy, credibility, and strategic alignment.