Medical Affairs Director

Abbott

Madison (WI)

On-site

USD 149,000 - 299,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Competitive retirement plan

Tuition reimbursement

Free education benefits

Recognition as great place to work

Job summary

Abbott is seeking a Medical Affairs Director for Rare Disease to lead the scientific strategy, evidence generation, and external engagement across the portfolio. You will partner with R&D, commercial, and enterprise Medical Affairs to shape priorities and drive scientific excellence.

You will own the development of education resources, publications strategy, and partnerships with key opinion leaders to accelerate portfolio growth while ensuring regulatory and ethical standards are met.

Qualifications

Masters Degree in Genetic Counseling, Genetics, or related scientific/medical field.
8+ years in Medical Affairs, clinical, scientific, or related roles within genetics, rare disease, diagnostics, biotech, academia, or life sciences settings.
Strong background in rare disease and/or genetics with credibility to influence stakeholders and represent the organization.
Publication and literature review experience including abstracts, posters, and manuscripts; ability to translate genetic data into clear narratives.
Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and scientific strategy in a matrixed environment.
Ability to train non-scientific audiences (e.g., sales) on complex medical content.

Responsibilities

Own the rare disease Medical Affairs roadmap, objectives, and metrics.
Represent the rare disease portfolio in executive and governance forums.
Identify new scientific and business opportunities to support portfolio growth.
Lead development of Medical Affairs infrastructure, governance, and procedures.
Oversee scientific content development and external communications for the portfolio.
Lead external engagement with KOLs and advisory boards.

Skills

Genetics expertise

Medical affairs leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Scientific communication

KOL engagement

Publication experience

Regulatory awareness

Matrix leadership

Education

Masters in Genetic Counseling/Genetics

Job description

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 115,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and your family, be your true self, and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

Career development with an international company where you can grow the career you dream of.
Employees can qualify for free medical coverage in our Health Investment Plan (HIP) PPO medical plan in the next calendar year.
An excellent retirement savings plan with a high employer contribution.
Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program, and FreeU education benefit - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries worldwide and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as the best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.

The Opportunity

The Medical Affairs Director, Rare Disease owns and leads the Medical Affairs strategy for the rare disease genetics portfolio, including scientific content development, evidence generation, external scientific engagement, and KOL partnerships. This role is accountable for shaping the scientific narrative, setting evidence-generation priorities, establishing Medical Affairs infrastructure and governance, and advancing the organization’s scientific leadership in rare disease. The Director serves as the primary Medical Affairs leader for rare disease, partnering with R&D, commercial, data/IT, and enterprise Medical Affairs teams to influence key business decisions and accelerate portfolio growth through scientific excellence.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy & Leadership

Own the rare disease Medical Affairs roadmap, objectives, and performance metrics, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and measurable impact.
Represent the rare disease portfolio in executive, cross-functional, and governance forums, providing scientific leadership and influencing strategic decision‑making.
Identify and champion new scientific, clinical, and business opportunities informed by emerging evidence, market dynamics, and unmet stakeholder needs to support long‑term portfolio growth.
Provide strategic leadership for enterprise scientific and data initiatives, representing rare disease priorities and influencing future‑state capabilities.
Act as the strategic Medical Affairs leader and primary partner to Commercial and cross‑functional leadership, leveraging insights from KOL engagement, scientific conferences, publications, and emerging clinical trends to influence portfolio strategy, evidence priorities, and compliant scientific communication.

Evidence Generation & Infrastructure

Own the rare disease evidence generation strategy, identifying evidence gaps, prioritizing research initiatives, and leading execution of studies aligned with business and scientific objectives.
Lead the development of Medical Affairs infrastructure, governance frameworks, operating procedures, and evidence generation standards to support scalable growth and scientific excellence within rare disease.

Scientific Content & Communications

Own and lead scientific content strategy for the rare disease portfolio, establishing priorities and directing the development of webinars, publications, educational materials, and thought leadership content that advance organizational objectives.
Monitor and synthesize emerging clinical evidence, scientific literature, guidelines, and market trends to inform Medical Affairs strategy, evidence generation priorities, and scientific communications.
Provide Medical Affairs leadership and final scientific oversight for concept, functional, and MLR reviews, ensuring scientific rigor, compliance, and alignment with business objectives.
Lead cross‑functional scientific content development efforts, directing internal subject matter experts and external partners to deliver high‑impact scientific and educational materials.
Lead publication and scientific communication strategy, driving abstracts, manuscripts, presentations, and other scientific outputs that enhance organizational credibility and scientific impact.

External Scientific Engagement

Own the organization’s scientific engagement strategy at major conferences, maximizing visibility, thought leadership, and stakeholder relationships.
Build and lead a comprehensive KOL, advisory board, and external engagement strategy, generating actionable insights that inform scientific priorities and portfolio strategy.

Education & Commercial Enablement

Lead the development of scientific education programs and training strategies, ensuring internal teams are equipped with accurate, impactful, and compliant scientific knowledge.
Direct the creation of scientific education resources and claims strategies that strengthen customer engagement and support portfolio growth.
Ensure compliance with applicable regulations, Company policies, operating procedures, and ethical standards while fostering effective collaboration with employees, KOLs, and external partners.

Minimum Qualifications

Masters Degree in Genetic Counsling, Genetics, or related scientific/medical field
8+ years experience in Medical Affairs, clinical,scientific,orrelated roleswithin genetics, rare disease, diagnostics, biotechnology, academia,or other life sciences settings, includingexperienceleading cross-functional initiatives and scientific strategy. DirectMedical Affairsexperiencestronglypreferred.
Strong background in rare diseaseand/orgenetics, with the scientificexpertiseandcredibilityto influenceinternalstakeholders,engageexternalexperts, andrepresent the organizationwithinthe broader scientific community.
Demonstrated publication and literature review experience, including authorship or oversight of abstracts, posters, and peer-reviewed manuscripts; comfort translating complex genetic and clinical data into clear scientific narratives.
Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders, driveorganizationalinitiatives, and achieve resultsin a matrixed environment.
Ability to manage cross-functional projects across R&D, commercial, regulatory, and quality stakeholders in a matrixed environment, and to train non-scientific audiences (e.g., sales teams) on complex medical and scientific content.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively engage stakeholders at alllevels of the organization.Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver resultsin a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Experiencedevelopingand leadingKOL engagement strategies,advisory boards, and scientificexternal engagementactivities; demonstrated ability to representthe organizationwith credibilityat scientific conferences and professional meetings.
Authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship.
Experience developing or executingan evidencegeneration and dissemination strategy, including identifying evidence gaps and aligning scientific output to commercial and organizational priorities.
Demonstrated ability to perform the Essential Duties of the position with or without accommodation.

Preferred Qualifications

Board certification/eligibility as a genetic counselor (e.g., ABGC/ABMGG) preferred for candidates from a genetic counseling background. No specific license required for candidates entering from a PhD or equivalent scientific background.

The base pay for this position is

$149,300.00 – $298,700.00

In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.

JOB FAMILY:

Medical & Scientific Affairs

DIVISION:

ONCO Cancer Diagnostics

LOCATION:

United States > Madison : 5505 Endeavor Ln

WORK SHIFT:

Standard

TRAVEL: