Gulf ID and GSM Therapy Area Lead

Merck Sharp & Dohme IDEA Middle East; Dubai; On-site; AED 367,000 - 478,000; Full time

Job summary

A global pharmaceutical company in Dubai is seeking a Gulf ID GSM Medical Lead Associate Director to lead a team of Medical Advisors. The successful candidate will manage local medical strategy and engage with scientific leaders. A strong scientific background is required, along with excellent communication skills in Arabic and English. Experience in immunology and cardiovascular therapy areas preferred. This role offers an opportunity to contribute to strategic planning and compliance within the medical affairs team.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years experience in Medical Affairs.
• At least 3 years in a Medical Advisor/Manager role.
• Thorough understanding of local regulatory agencies.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of Medical Advisors.
• Manage local medical strategy and planning.
• Ensure compliance with company guidelines and SOPs.

Skills

Strong scientific background

Excellent communication skills

Arabic & English literacy

Proficient in Microsoft Office

Interpersonal communication skills

Education

MD or PharmD

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Job Description

Gulf ID GSM Medical Lead Associate Director

Role Summary

Gulf ID GSM Medical Lead is a credentialed (MD, Pharmacist/PharmD) therapeutic and disease expert whose primary role is the leadership, management and accountability of a field‑based team and their deliverables. The Lead ensures team members adhere to company policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs), executes on medical plans and engages in company research initiatives.

Responsibilities and Primary Activities

Leadership and Management

• Leads a team of Medical Advisors.
• Assesses Medical Advisor performance against objectives and competencies.
• Assists with personal development plans and monitors goals for each Advisor.
• Communicates assigned disease‑area medical plans to the team, monitoring performance aligned with the four core pillars: Scientific Exchange, Research Insights, and Scientific Congresses.
• Keeps current with resources and uses those resources to enhance the development of the team and its members.
• Provides input on internal resource development.
• Ensures that all team members comply with company ethics, compliance, and relevant guidelines and policies.

Medical Activities

• Manages local medical strategy & planning for relevant disease area(s) in line with Global Value & Implementation Global Medical & Scientific Affairs (V&I GMSA) goals/priorities.
• Manages scientific leader identification, engagement & planning.
• Ensures regular scientific updating for the cross‑functional team.
• Proactively communicates the science behind our Company’s product portfolio to scientific leaders in terms of locally registered products, and reacts to their queries on our pipeline.
• Constructs & executes valuable scientific educational activities to position our Company as a partner to scientific societies & community.
• Conducts advise‑seeking activities (e.g., Advisory Boards) for proper understanding of local epidemiology & management patterns across disease areas, according to our local & international compliance guidelines/regulations.
• Reviews & approves local promotional materials while ensuring adherence to our Company’s guidelines/SOPs and international promotional compliance standards.
• Ensures all promotional & non‑promotional activities/programs in the country are executed in a compliant manner according to our Company’s regulations, codes, SOPs, and local & international compliance regulations/standards.

Budget Management

• Plans & manages relevant disease area medical budget.
• Acts as a financial steward for our Company’s resources.

Research

• Supports Global Clinical Trials Operation (GCTO) in identification of appropriate local sites & investigators for our Company’s clinical development programs.
• Manages Real‑World Evidence studies & supports outcomes research.

Required Qualifications, Skills & Experience

• Physician or Pharmacist.
• Minimum 5 years experience in Medical Affairs with at least 3 years in a Medical Advisor/Manager role.
• Strong scientific background & understanding of Medical Affairs.
• Excellent communication skills & ability to engage with scientific leaders in a confident, high‑level scientific exchange/rapport.
• Arabic & English literacy.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint & Excel).
• Excellent interpersonal communication and presentation skills, strong personal integrity, teamwork, business acumen, and focus on scientific education and dialogue.
• Thorough understanding of local regulatory agencies and ethical guidelines, laws and regulations relevant to the pharmaceutical industry, ensuring compliance with all external and internal guidelines and SOPs.
• Ability to organize, prioritize and work effectively in a constantly changing environment and to motivate the team to do the same.
• Experience in Immunology & Cardiovascular therapy areas preferred.
• People‑management experience preferred.

Preferred Skills

• Adaptability
• Clinical Marketing
• Data Analysis
• Healthcare Education
• Healthcare Recruiting
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Medical Knowledge
• Medical Marketing Strategy
• Pharmaceutical Medical Affairs
• Project Management
• Scientific Communications
• Scientific Publications
• Scientific Reviews
• Strategic Planning
• Strategic Thinking
• Teamwork

Job Posting End Date: 07/6/2025

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