Director, Field Medical Director/ MSL Field Director- Pain

Latigo Biotherapeutics, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Latigo Biotherapeutics, Inc. is seeking an experienced Director of Field Medical Affairs to build and lead the MSL function as we advance a portfolio of non-opioid therapies for pain. The role combines hands-on field leadership with strategic development and external engagement with KOLs.

The Director will establish infrastructure, strategy, and capabilities, maintain field presence, and mentor the MSL team through pre-launch and launch. Travel will be significant as the program scales.

Qualifications

• Advanced scientific or clinical degree required.
• 8+ years in pharma/biotech with Medical Affairs/Field Medical experience.
• Proven leadership of MSL teams and field-based strategy.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the Field Medical strategy aligned with Medical Affairs and product strategy.
• Build and scale the MSL organization, including field structure, territories, and performance metrics.
• Identify and map key opinion leaders across pain-related specialties.
• Serve as a working MSL during initial build-out, engaging priority KOLs and institutions.
• Recruit, onboard, train, coach, and develop MSLs as the team expands.
• Partner with Medical Affairs leadership on resource planning and future expansion.
• Support launch readiness with MSL scientific training.
• Ensure high-quality scientific exchange, insights, and documentation.
• Identify trends, unmet needs, and barriers to adoption.
• Translate field insights into actionable recommendations for cross-functional teams.
• Collaborate on congress strategy, publications, and evidence-generation activities.
• Represent Medical Affairs at national and regional conferences.
• Assist in identifying investigators for clinical research and evidence-generation initiatives.

Skills

MSL Leadership

Field Medical Strategy

KOL Engagement

Cross-functional Collaboration

Education

MD/DO/PharmD/PhD

Job description

Position Summary

Latigo Biotherapeutics is seeking an experienced Director, Field Medical Affairs / MSL Field Director to build and lead our Medical Science Liaison (MSL) function as we advance a novel portfolio of non-opioid therapies for acute and chronic pain. This individual will be a highly visible, hands‑on Field Medical leader responsible for establishing the infrastructure, strategy, and capabilities of the MSL organization while also serving as a working MSL during the build‑out of the field team. The Director will maintain a significant field presence, directly engaging key opinion leaders (KOLs), developing scientific relationships, gathering insights, and representing Latigo at scientific meetings during the initial phase and leading and coaching the MSL team during pre‑launch and launch. As the MSL organization grows, the role will progressively expand to include broader leadership, coaching, and management responsibilities while maintaining meaningful external engagement. The ideal candidate will have experience in pain management, analgesics, CNS disorders, or a closely related therapeutic area, along with demonstrated success in Field Medical within a biotechnology or pharmaceutical environment. The Director will partner closely with Medical Affairs leadership and cross‑functional colleagues to translate the medical strategy into an effective field engagement plan, develop relationships with KOLs, generate actionable medical insights, support scientific exchange, and prepare the organization for future product launch.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the Field Medical strategy aligned with the overall Medical Affairs and product strategy.
• Build and scale the MSL organization, including field structure, geographic territories, targeting strategy, external engagement objectives, processes, and performance metrics.
• Identify, map, segment, and prioritize opinion leaders across key specialties relevant to acute and chronic pain.
• Serve as a working MSL during the initial build‑out of the Field Medical organization, maintaining direct responsibility for engagement with priority KOLs and institutions.
• Recruit, onboard, train, coach, and develop MSLs as the organization expands.
• Partner with Medical Affairs leadership on MSL resource planning, organizational design, and future expansion of the field team.
• Support launch readiness, including development and delivery of MSL scientific training
• Establish and maintain standards for high‑quality scientific exchange, insight collection, documentation, and communication of field activities.
• Identify emerging clinical trends, unmet needs, evidence gaps, competitive developments, and barriers to adoption.
• Translate field insights into actionable recommendations for Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, HEOR, Market Access, and other cross‑functional teams.
• Partner with colleagues on congress strategy, advisory boards, publications, medical education, and evidence‑generation activities.
• Represent Medical Affairs at national and regional scientific congresses and other external scientific meetings.
• Support identification of investigators and sites for clinical research and evidence‑generation initiatives, as appropriate.
• Ensure all Field Medical activities are conducted in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, company policies, and industry standards.

Qualifications

• Advanced scientific or clinical degree such as MD, DO, PharmD, PhD or equivalent relevant advanced degree.
• 8+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, including significant experience within Medical Affairs or Field Medical.
• Scientific expertise and relevant industry experience in pain, analgesics, CNS conditions, or a closely related therapeutic area is strongly preferred
• Prior experience as an MSL Lead, with demonstrated leadership experience and experience building, leading, or significantly expanding an MSL organization.
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to operate as a hands‑on, field‑facing leader and working MSL during the early growth of the organization.
• Experience supporting late‑stage clinical development, pre‑launch activities, and product launch readiness.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop high‑performing field medical professionals.
• Strong strategic thinking, communication, collaboration, and leadership skills with a strong focus on execution.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced, entrepreneurial biotech environment.
• Ability to travel approximately 50–70%, including attendance at national and regional scientific meetings.