Head of Medical Affairs

Aveo Oncology•Boston, MA

About The Position

Reporting to the CEO/CMO the Head of Medical Affairs will serve as the functional manager and leader of the Field-based Medical Science Liaison team and provide strategic input into key medical affairs activities, including consistent and aligned medical and scientific communications, cross-functional medical strategy, development and execution of Advisory Boards, KOL and other key customer identification and engagement, publication strategy and planning, CME topics of interest and grant administration, and fostering relationships with key societies, physician networks, oncology cooperative groups and academic institutions. The successful candidate will be someone who has demonstrated success in combining MSL leadership expertise, people-management skills, and medical affairs strategic visionary and tactical operational competencies that resonate with the cross-functional organization.

Requirements

Advanced Scientific or Medical degree (s), MD preferred
Demonstrated substantial Medical expertise in Oncology through clinical, research, and business activities
Minimum of 7 years of experience in medical affairs, with 5 years as an MSL in industry; at least 2 years of experience managing an MSL team
Demonstrated success in building effective teams, systems, and processes; proven ability to identify, select and manage a variety of external resources related to execution of medical affairs functions
Ability to lead a team of functional experts and negotiate the multi-disciplinary environment in which they operate
Strategic and analytical thinking with the ability to contribute to the plan and design effective medical affairs brand and life cycle strategies
Strong understanding of industry and regulatory guidelines pertinent to compliant interactions with external audiences
Demonstrated ability to comprehend complex scientific, medical, and relevant business issues and respond with actionable strategies and tactics to effectively produce timely and measurable results
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, exceptional listening skills, strong presentation skills, and good negotiating and influencing skills

Responsibilities

Contribution to Medical Affairs Strategy and Tactics · Serve as a senior scientific advisor to executive leadership, providing insight into evolving clinical landscapes, competitive dynamics and evidence generation opportunities.
Develop and own the Medical Affairs strategy aligned to corporate objectives and lifecycle plans, ensuring scientific differentiation and long-term asset value.
Collaborate with leadership to define strategic initiatives; communicate clearly and frequently to the MSL team and ensure alignment with medical affairs and corporate initiatives
Define and execute KOL engagement strategy establishing AVEO as a credible and trusted scientific partner. Map scientific influencers and advisory networks.
Drive external credibility for the organization
Participate in the development and execution of Medical Affairs activities, such Advisory Boards, Speaker Training, and development of scientific and medical presentation slides
Provide medical support and a collaborative interface to cross-functional partners (Marketing, Training, Market Access, Clinical Development)
Establish strong professional rapport with key internal and external customer segments
Support publication planning (in collaboration with scientific communications, clinical development, and marketing) and contribute to development of evidence-based internal and external scientific/medical content.
Support medical review of promotional and advertising strategies and implementation
Contribute to the review, selection, and administration of external educational grants and continuing medical education support activities
Develop, manage and maintain accountability for the Medical Affairs budget, ensuring strategic allocation of resources across MSL activities, evidence generation, advisory boards, publications, and grants to maximize scientific impact and long-term asset value.
Functional Leadership of MSL Team · Retain (and/or recruit/hire, as needed) a qualified, highly motivated, diverse-thinking, and flexible MSL team
Oversee and ensure the highest medical and scientific standard and expertise across the MSL team; develop a standard of professionalism that demonstrates the highest regard for established regulatory and legal compliance in accordance with company policies and sound ethical practices
Actively manage the MSL team by encouraging professional and personal development; lead by example and nurture individual growth, thereby optimizing team performance
Support and train the team in engaging in compliant scientific exchange about current and emerging therapies, discussions around investigator-initiated trials, and in delivering effective presentations; provide appropriate mentoring and coaching to direct reports with respect to technical skills, business acumen/planning, and effective regional and time management, including frequent field visits with the MSL team
Work creatively with Medical Affairs leadership to develop meaningful, measurable key performance measures (Key Performance Indicators [KPIs]) to assess and track the success of the MSL team and function and report metrics to Medical Affairs leadership on a regular basis; ensure that goals/performance/ development plans are reviewed on at least a quarterly basis; conducts annual and mid-year performance reviews; create and encourage an environment that stresses open, candid, and timely feedback relative to performance
Work with MSL team to provide ongoing field updates and insights, including competitive intelligence and Congress coverage, and synthesize this information into meaningful, actionable imperatives