Senior Director, Field Medical Excellence

Apnimed; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Generous vacation time off

Flexible working environment

Award: Best Places to Work 2024

Job summary

Apnimed, a Cambridge, MA-based clinical-stage company, seeks a Senior Director of Medical Excellence to lead the training strategy for scientific knowledge and business skills ahead of a forthcoming oral therapy launch for OSA.

The role will ensure the Medical Affairs team delivers high-impact onboarding, ongoing scientific training, and certification records, while shaping field readiness, medical plans, and data disclosures in collaboration with senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Advanced scientific or clinical degree required or equivalent experience.
• Minimum 7 years in pharmaceutical/biotech Medical Affairs with direct MSL experience.
• Knowledge of instructional design and adult learning principles.
• Prior training-related leadership within Medical Affairs is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead onboarding and training for Medical Affairs, including MSL/VOL teams.
• Develop and implement ongoing scientific knowledge and business-skills training.
• Create and maintain training certification records and assessments.
• Develop field-facing materials and internal scientific resources.

Skills

MSL experience

Instructional design

Leadership

Medical affairs

Scientific expertise

Education

MD/DO or equivalent

Job description

Apnimed is a well-funded, clinical-stage pharmaceutical company working to transform the treatment of sleep apnea based on a simple idea - patients with obstructive sleep apnea could benefit from treatment with a safe and effective oral medication dosed once daily at bedtime. Our lead development program targets the neurologic control of upper airway muscles to maintain an open airway during sleep. Based in Cambridge, Mass., we are developing a portfolio of novel pharmacologic therapies for sleep apnea and related disorders.

Summary

The Senior Director, Medical Excellence will lead the planning and execution of training in scientific knowledge as well as business skills supporting the anticipated launch of the first oral therapy for OSA. This person will ensure that every member of the Apnimed Medical Affairs team is a true "triple threat", demonstrating high levels of scientific excellence, business acumen, and emotional intelligence, with a special focus on the Field Medical Affairs team.

The Senior Director will provide support across all members of the Medical Affairs team from a strategic, scientific, developmental, and compliance standpoint, with particular emphasis on launch readiness before approval and launch excellence beyond approval. As a member of a growing Medical Affairs organization, the Senior Director will contribute beyond traditional training responsibilities and play a significant role in launch planning, field capability-building, and organizational development.

This position will report to the SVP, Medical Affairs, and partner closely with the VP, Field Medical Affairs and VP, HEOR-RWE.

Key Job Duties include, but are not limited to:

Training & Field Readiness Leadership

• Onboarding: In collaboration with Field Medical leadership and home office Medical Affairs, build and maintain a comprehensive onboarding program for the MSL and VOL team
• Scientific and Business Excellence: Develop and implement an ongoing scientific knowledge and business skills training program for the Medical Affairs team, with a focus on the MSL and VOL team
• Certification & Records: Develop, execute, and maintain training and certification records for the Field Medical team, including knowledge and skills feedback and assessments, both written and observed
• Field-Facing Materials: Support Medical Communications in the development of field-facing training materials and internal scientific resources

Scientific & Strategic Support

• Subject Matter Expertise: Serve as a deep subject matter expert on OSA science, including pathophysiology, epidemiology, and basic and clinical research across sleep medicine
• Landscape Monitoring: Maintain strong working knowledge of current OSA treatment strategies, competitors, and emerging clinical and scientific developments
• Medical Plan Input: Support Medical Affairs in developing medical plans and tactics relevant to field readiness, including advisory boards, congress presence, and data disclosures

Insights Generation

• Insight Capture: Identify and communicate key clinical and research insights from KOLs, gathered via the field team, back to the Medical Affairs organization
• Gap Analysis: Work with Regional MSL Directors and field performance data to identify educational and capability gaps, and build plans to close them

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Field Leadership Partnership: Prioritize mentorship and best-practice field approaches when designing and delivering training, in collaboration with Commercial Field leadership and training team
• Business Acumen and Emotional Intelligence: Support deployment of soft-skill and field-execution training in partnership with Field Medical leadership
• Compliance: Ensure full compliance with all corporate, industry, legal, and regulatory requirements for all Medical Affairs activities

Education & Experience

• Advanced scientific or clinical degree (MD, DO, DNP, PA-C, NP, or equivalent) preferred, or advanced healthcare degree with relevant clinical experience treating OSA
• Minimum of 7 years of successful performance and advancement within pharmaceutical/biotech Medical Affairs, including direct MSL experience
• Demonstrated success supporting a product through pre-launch, regulatory review and launch
• Knowledge of instructional design and adult learning principles
• Prior training-related leadership experience within a Medical Affairs organization strongly preferred

Preferred

• Experience in sleep medicine, pulmonology, or a related therapeutic area
• Familiarity with OSA diagnosis and management, including current and emerging diagnostic and treatment modalities
• Working knowledge of health economics, outcome research, and use of real-world evidence
• Experience in high-growth, pre-commercial biotechnology companies
• Exceptional ability as a scientific storyteller, educator and mentor
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to build programs and processes for a rapidly scaling team
• Demonstrated Field Medical Affairs leadership impact
• Notably strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, combined with a high level of emotional intelligence
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills; comfortable operating with ambiguity in a growing, pre-commercial biotech environment
• Demonstrated collaborative spirit; ability to build trust and effectively collaborate across home office Medical Affairs, Commercial, and field teams
• Working knowledge of industry, regulatory, ethical, and legal compliance guidelines relevant to engaging with health care providers

What Apnimed Offers

• 401(k) with company match
• Generous time off for vacation
• Flexible working environment
• Motivated and experienced team
• Winner of 2024 Boston Business Journal Best Places to Work

Location and Other Information

• Apnimed is a publicly licensed company based in Cambridge, MA; we are generally virtua land specific location within the US is not critical.
• We are a small growing Company with an inclusive environment.
• Must be able to travel as necessary.
• Apnimed is an EEO employer committed to an exciting, diverse, and enriching work environment.
• Please visit us at www.apnimed.com to learn more about our work with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.