Executive Medical Director

Rhythm Pharmaceuticals • Boston, MA

1d • $230,000 - $330,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Rhythm seeks an experienced, strategic, and highly motivated physician to join its Clinical Development team in Boston, Massachusetts. Within the clinical development group, there are multiple ongoing and planned clinical studies of setmelanotide and novel pipeline candidates across rare neuroendocrine and genetic metabolic indications. As an Executive Medical Director, this physician will serve as a senior clinical leader with primary accountability for the design, execution, and oversight of multiple clinical development programs across the development lifecycle (Phase 1–3), providing strategic leadership across one or more disease areas and ensuring alignment of clinical strategy across studies, indications, and lifecycle management opportunities. The role encompasses end-to-end clinical strategy, protocol architecture, medical monitoring oversight, clinical safety leadership, and clinical ownership of global regulatory submissions and health authority interactions. This high-visibility position will collaborate extensively across executive leadership, cross-functional development teams, and external scientific networks, while serving as a mentor and trusted advisor across the Clinical Development organization and providing guidance to other Medical Directors on study strategy, execution, regulatory interactions, and development best practices.

Requirements

• Doctor of Medicine (MD) or equivalent international medical degree required
• Minimum of 8-10 years of clinical development experience within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, including experience leading global clinical development programs and regulatory interactions
• Demonstrated success serving as a senior medical leader within a Clinical Development organization, including mentoring and developing other physicians and providing technical leadership across multiple studies or programs.
• Demonstrated track record of successful clinical trial design, medical oversight, and execution across Phase 1 through Phase 3 clinical studies, including registrational/pivotal trials.
• Proven experience leading clinical components of global regulatory filings (IND/NDA/BLA/MAA) and direct participation in formal interactions with regulatory agencies (e.g., FDA, EMA, PMDA).
• Deep expertise in GCP/ICH guidelines, pharmacovigilance reporting standards, ethical conduct of clinical trials, and global clinical regulatory policies.
• Exceptional leadership and matrix collaboration capabilities, with demonstrated success influencing cross-functional teams and external stakeholders and serving as a trusted subject matter expert and mentor within a Clinical Development organization.
• Demonstrated ability to balance scientific rigor, patient needs, regulatory requirements, and business priorities within a fast-paced biotech environment.
• Superior written, verbal, and presentation communication skills, with the ability to convey complex medical/scientific concepts clearly to diverse internal and external audiences.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as necessary (up to 20%).

Nice To Haves

• Board Certification in Endocrinology, Pediatrics, Genetics, Internal Medicine, or a related specialty preferred.
• Experience in rare disease, endocrinology, obesity, metabolic disease, pediatrics, or related therapeutic areas strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the Clinical / Medical Lead across multiple complex clinical studies and development programs, ensuring high-quality trial execution, patient safety, and scientific integrity.
• Act as a senior clinical development resource within the organization, providing scientific and operational guidance to fellow Medical Directors and study teams.
• Lead the creation, optimization, and execution of comprehensive Clinical Development Plans (CDPs) and innovative study protocols for new indications, lifecycle management activities, and future pipeline opportunities.
• Provide strategic medical and scientific leadership across cross-functional matrix teams, including Clinical Operations, Biostatistics, Data Management, Regulatory Affairs, Medical Affairs, Translational Research, and Drug Safety / Pharmacovigilance.
• Provide physician oversight for medical monitoring activities, including subject eligibility evaluation, protocol deviations, endpoint assessment, and emerging clinical issues.
• Provide clinical safety leadership across assigned programs, including review of aggregate safety data, SAE evaluation, Benefit-Risk evaluation, and collaboration with Pharmacovigilance to support patient safety.
• Lead the clinical authoring, review, and defense of key regulatory documents (including INDs, Briefing Packages, Investigator’s Brochures [IBs], Clinical Study Reports [CSRs], and NDA/BLA/MAA clinical modules) and serve as a primary clinical representative in meetings with the FDA, EMA, and other global health authorities.
• Direct interpretation, synthesis, and reporting of complex clinical data from ongoing and completed trials, contributing to high-impact peer-reviewed publications, congress presentations, and internal executive briefings.
• Provide leadership in the interpretation of complex clinical data and support less-experienced team members in developing data interpretation and communication skills.
• Establish and maintain collaborative partnerships with external Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), investigators, academic collaborators, and study sites; support and participate in Scientific Advisory Boards and Data Safety Monitoring Boards (DSMBs).
• Mentor, guide, and support Medical Directors and cross-functional study team members, sharing clinical development expertise and serving as a resource for protocol design, medical monitoring, regulatory strategy, and study execution.
• Help strengthen organizational capabilities through knowledge sharing, best practices, and informal leadership across the Clinical Development function.

Benefits

• A discretionary annual bonus may be available based on individual company performance.
• This role may be eligible for benefits and other compensation such as restricted stock units.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive