Therapeutic Area Lead, Specialty Care

AbbVie; Quebec; On-site; CAD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

AbbVie Canada seeks a Therapeutic Area Lead, Specialty Care to join the Neuroscience & Specialty Care Medical Affairs team. You will lead development and execution of Medical Affairs strategies across Specialty Care, with emphasis on Ophthalmology/Eye Care and Virology/Infectious Disease, supporting asset launches and evidence generation.

As a senior Medical Affairs leader, you will supervise Medical Advisors and Medical Science Liaisons, build external partnerships, manage budgets, and ensure

Qualifications

• Doctorate in a scientific discipline is required.
• Strong knowledge of biotech/pharmaceutical industry, preferably within Specialty Care.
• Extensive understanding of drug development, clinical research, and evidence generation.
• Experience in Ophthalmology/Eye Care and/or Virology/Infectious Disease.
• Medical leadership experience with coaching Medical Advisors and Medical Science Liaisons.
• Experience supporting asset launches and cross-functional execution.

Responsibilities

• Establish the vision, strategy and goals for Specialty Care Medical Affairs, aligned with asset strategy and therapeutic priorities.
• Lead and coach Medical Affairs professionals, including Medical Advisors and Medical Science Liaisons.
• Define, measure and monitor Medical Affairs metrics and guide externally focused scientific exchange.
• Maintain compliance and allocate resources to protect AbbVie’s reputation.
• Manage the Specialty Care Medical Affairs budget, including evidence generation and launch readiness.
• Lead or supervise local clinical trials and Investigator-Initiated Studies.
• Build strategic relationships with investigators and external experts.
• Oversee advisory boards, publications, congress activities and medical plans.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align medical, commercial, market access and regulatory priorities.
• Develop field-based medical plans across marketed products, pipeline assets and launches.

Skills

MS Office

Digital tools

Travel availability

Driver's license

Education

Doctorate (PharmD or MD)

Job description

About AbbVie

AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines and solutions that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people's lives across several key therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology and neuroscience - and products and services in our Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X and YouTube.

** NOTE : The title of this role (within the AbbVie title structure) is Medical Manager, we have adapted the title to the market as this role is not an operational role.

Joining AbbVie means you will be part of a team of outstanding professionals dedicated to making a remarkable impact on patients' lives. At AbbVie, we conduct ground-breaking science on a global scale every day. AbbVie Canada is one of the Best Workplaces in Canada.

When choosing your career path, choose to be remarkable.

AbbVie’s mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines that solve serious health issues today and address the medical challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on people’s lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neuroscience, vision care, virology, women’s health and gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its Allergan Aesthetics portfolio.

We have an opportunity for a Therapeutic Area Lead, Specialty Care to join our Neuroscience & Specialty Care Medical Affairs team. In this role, you will lead the development and execution of Medical Affairs strategies across Specialty Care, with a strong focus on Ophthalmology/Eye Care and Virology/Infectious Disease. As an active member of the Neuroscience & Specialty Care leadership team, you will help shape franchise priorities, drive cross-functional alignment and support strategic decision‑making. You will provide leadership to Medical Affairs professionals, including Medical Advisors and Medical Science Liaisons, while supporting asset launches, evidence generation, clinical trial development and compliant medical execution.

Key responsibilities:

• Establish the vision, strategy and goals for Specialty Care Medical Affairs, aligned with clinical gaps, asset strategy, brand priorities and the evolving Ophthalmology/Eye Care and Virology/Infectious Disease landscape.
• Act as an active member of the Neuroscience & Specialty Care leadership team, contributing to strategic priorities, governance discussions, cross-functional alignment and leadership team decisions.
• Lead, develop and coach Medical Affairs professionals, including Medical Advisors and Medical Science Liaisons, with accountability for performance management, professional development and succession planning.
• Define, measure and monitor relevant Medical Affairs metrics to assess team impact, identify improvement opportunities and coach Medical Science Liaisons to maintain an externally focused mindset anchored in customer needs, scientific exchange and stakeholder impact.
• Maintain regulatory and compliance best practices, allocate resources effectively and protect AbbVie’s reputation through compliant execution of clinical and brand strategies.
• Manage the Specialty Care Medical Affairs budget, including investments related to local studies, evidence generation, launch readiness and medical plan execution.
• Lead or supervise local clinical trials, evidence generation plans, real-world evidence initiatives and the review, approval and fulfillment of Investigator-Initiated Studies.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key clinical investigators, external experts and relevant medical stakeholders.
• Oversee Medical Affairs tactics, including advisory boards, consultation plans, publication plans, congress activities and scientific exchange initiatives, ensuring alignment with cross-functional partners and local procedures.
• Develop and execute field‑based and affiliate medical plans across marketed products, pipeline assets and launch brands, ensuring scientific support throughout the product lifecycle.
• Gather and share competitive and scientific insights that may inform development programs, launch readiness and marketed product strategies.
• Partner with Medical Affairs colleagues across affiliates to promote consistency, share best practices and support aligned execution.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to execute stakeholder engagement plans and ensure integration across medical, commercial, market access and regulatory priorities.
• Maintain deep and current scientific knowledge of assigned Specialty Care therapeutic areas, with emphasis on Ophthalmology/Eye Care, Virology/Infectious Disease, emerging data and external scientific

Education/Experience required:

• Doctorate, PharmD or MD in a scientific discipline is required.
• Relevant experience with solid knowledge of the biotech/pharmaceutical industry, preferably within Specialty Care.
• Strong knowledge of drug development, clinical research, clinical trial design and evidence generation in relevant therapeutic areas, including local and/or affiliate‑led studies.
• Experience in Ophthalmology/Eye Care and/or Virology/Infectious Disease, with demonstrated ability to rapidly build expertise in complex Specialty Care therapeutic areas.
• Proven medical leadership experience, including management, coaching and development of Medical Affairs professionals such as Medical Advisors, Medical Science Liaisons and other medical associates.
• Experience supporting asset or product launches, including launch readiness, scientific communication planning, external expert engagement and cross‑functional execution.
• Ability to build strong relationships with external experts and other relevant stakeholders.
• Ability to think and plan strategically and translate strategies into actionable, realistic medical actions with execution excellence.
• Strong commitment to compliance, scientific quality and integrity.
• Solid working knowledge of the health care environment and evolving landscape.
• Organizational, analytical and financial acumen to prioritize work, monitor progress, track data and activities, and manage budgets.

Essential skills & abilities:

• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Word, etc.).
• Must be at ease with new technology/ digital tools and the use of various tools/systems to perform day‑to‑day tasks.
• Travel required about 20‑30% of the time.
• Valid driver’s license and passport.

Key Leadership competencies:

• Strong ability to translate Medical Affairs strategy, evidence generation priorities and data‑based insights into impactful Specialty Care plans that support asset launches and lifecycle management.
• Display sound business judgment and an executive leadership mindset to assess the local market and set direction, including the ability to anticipate outcomes from both customer and competitive perspectives.
• Ability to coach Medical Affairs team members for high‑quality scientific interactions with key stakeholders, external experts and medical associations.
• Effective communication, collaboration and conflict‑management skills to drive alignment on medical plans, launch priorities, evidence generation activities and compliant ways of working.

AbbVie strives to provide a French working environment for its employees in Quebec.Although as part of its francization program has taken all reasonable steps to avoid imposing the following requirement, advanced amount of knowledge of English / Fluency in English is an essential requirement for the position of Therapeutic Area Lead, Specialty Care including, but not limited to, for the following reasons:

1. English speaking employees outside the province of Quebec.
2. English speaking clients outside the province of Quebec.
3. Anglophone region outside the province of Quebec.

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and encourages women, Aboriginal people, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities to apply.

AbbVie is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to operating with integrity, driving innovation, transforming lives and serving our community. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled.

US & Puerto Rico only - to learn more, visit https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/equal-employment-opportunity-employer.html

US & Puerto Rico applicants seeking a reasonable accommodation, click here to learn more: https://www.abbvie.com/join-us/reasonable-accommodations.html