Global Medical Affairs Director Rare Diseases

Ipsen; Paris; On-site; EUR 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Ipsen, a patient-focused biopharmaceutical company, seeks a Medical Director in Rare Diseases to lead the global medical strategy for highly specialized assets and to enable evidence generation across the product lifecycle. You will align medical priorities with development, regulatory, and commercial strategies, shaping scientific narratives and partnerships.

You will drive global studies, work with affiliates, and ensure GCP compliance while building collaborations with thought leaders and

Qualifications

• MD/PhD/PharmD or equivalent clinical training.
• Strong scientific foundation and clinical understanding in rare diseases or related therapeutic areas.
• Extensive experience in medical affairs within biopharma.
• Experience in late-phase development, global medical planning, and lifecycle management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and execution of the Global Medical Plan for assigned rare disease assets.
• Align medical priorities with clinical development, regulatory, commercial, and market access strategies.
• Drive global and international clinical studies and RWE programs for rare diseases.
• Guide affiliate-led studies with strategic and scientific input, ensuring protocol alignment with global priorities.
• Establish and manage compliant governance for data-generating activities (GCP, ethics).
• Develop relationships with global and local key opinion leaders, patient groups, and academic centers.
• Represent Ipsen at international congresses and advisory boards, contributing as a medical voice in rare diseases.
• Collaborate to identify research partnerships, policy shaping, and medical education aligned with strategy.

Education

MD/PhD/PharmD

Job description

Are you ready to lead and innovate in a dynamic, patient-focused biopharmaceutical company? Ipsen is a growing global specialty-driven biopharmaceutical company focused on innovation and specialty care. We aim to make a sustainable difference by significantly improving patients' health and quality of life, providing effective therapeutic solutions for unmet medical needs through differentiated and innovative medicines in Oncology, Neurosciences, and Rare Diseases.

Why Ipsen?

• Patient-Focused: The patient is at the heart of everything we do, and improving their outcomes is the deliverable of every strategy.
• Employee Care: We care for our employees, who are the ambassadors making a real difference.
• Bold Leadership: We attract and develop bold, agile, entrepreneurial individuals who take full ownership of their decisions.
• Growth Opportunities: We offer a wealth of fulfilling challenges and growth opportunities in a fast-moving, game-changing organization.

About The Role

As Medical Director in Rare Diseases, you will lead the design and execution of the global medical strategy for highly specialized assets with significant unmet medical need. Reporting to the Medical Asset Lead, you will play a key role in shaping the clinical and scientific narrative, enabling evidence generation, and building trusted partnerships with the rare disease community. Your work will directly inform strategic decision-making and ensure patient-centric approaches across the product lifecycle.

Main Responsibilities

Medical Strategy and Planning

• Lead the development and implementation of the Global Medical Plan for assigned rare disease assets, integrating
• the evidence generation plan, thought leader (TL) engagement strategy, and medical communications roadmap.
• Serve as a core member of the cross-functional asset team, aligning medical priorities with clinical development, regulatory, commercial, and market access strategies.
• Contribute to indication-specific medical budget planning and ensure efficient allocation of resources in line with strategic objectives.

Evidence Generation and Scientific Leadership

• Drive the design and execution of global and international clinical studies and real-world evidence (RWE) programs, tailored to the unique challenges of rare disease populations
• Support affiliate-led studies by providing strategic and scientific input, reviewing protocols, and guiding execution to ensure consistency with global priorities.
• Ensure full compliance with GCP, ethical standards, and internal medical governance; establish fit-for-purpose oversight mechanisms for all data-generating activities.

Thought Leader Engagement and Community Partnership

• Develop and sustain collaborative relationships with global and local key opinion leaders, patient advocacy groups, and academic centers of excellence.
• Represent the company at international congresses, scientific symposia, advisory boards, and high-level stakeholder engagements, contributing as a respected medical voice in rare disease discourse.
• Partner with external stakeholders to identify opportunities for research collaborations, policy shaping, and medical education aligned with the Global Medical Affairs strategy.

Medical Education and Scientific Communication

• Create, validate, and deliver high-impact scientific and educational materials tailored to diverse audiences, including healthcare professionals, internal stakeholders, and patient communities.
• Support local and regional training programs, ensuring consistent messaging and deep scientific understanding across markets.
• Curate and disseminate relevant scientific publications, insights, and competitive intelligence to internal teams in a timely and actionable manner.

Insight Generation and Strategic Input

• Capture and synthesize insights from medical field interactions, advisory boards, and external engagements to inform lifecycle management, clinical trial design, and access strategy.
• Identify emerging trends and data gaps in the rare disease landscape, proactively adjusting medical strategy to remain at the forefront of innovation and patient impact.

Cross-Functional Collaboration and Influence

• Act as the rare disease medical expert within the organization, providing strategic and scientific input across functions and geographies.
• Independently lead high-impact initiatives that address key scientific, clinical, or strategic challenges within your asset scope.
• Contribute to shaping the long-term vision for rare disease assets, from early development through launch and postapproval stages.

Qualifications

• MD, PhD, or PharmD (or equivalent scientific/clinical training).
• Strong scientific foundation and clinical understanding of rare diseases or related therapeutic areas.
• Extensive experience in medical affairs within the biopharmaceutical industry
• Extensive experience in late-phase development, global medical planning, and lifecycle management.
• Prior clinical or academic research experience in rare diseases or similarly complex therapeutic areas is highly desirable.