Sr. Medical Director, Rheumatology - US Remote

Fortrea; Durham (NC); Remote; USD 240,000 - 340,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) plan

Job summary

Fortrea seeks a Senior Medical Director in Rheumatology for a US remote-based role. You will provide medical leadership across all trial phases, supporting development activities, and acting as the study physician with client-facing responsibilities.

The candidate will have an MD with Internal Medicine board certification and Rheumatology specialization, plus 3+ years in drug development or CRO settings. Strong scientific communication and leadership are essential.

Qualifications

• MD degree required and board-certified in Internal Medicine.
• Specialization in Rheumatology with broader autoimmune disease experience.
• 3+ years of drug development/clinical research in pharma/CRO.
• Strong scientific communication and client-facing capabilities.
• English language skills at full professional proficiency.

Responsibilities

• Provide medical leadership across all development phases.
• Lead or contribute as global/regional Program Physician as needed.
• Support business development and client discussions with medical strategy.
• Oversee medical monitoring to ensure timelines and data quality.
• Prepare materials for investigator meetings and site initiation visits.
• Collaborate with project teams and external partners.

Skills

Client-facing

Medical leadership

Clinical trial SME

Scientific communication

Strategic medical input

Education

MD Degree

Board Certification in Internal Medicine

Rheumatology specialization

Job description

Senior Medical Director, Rheumatology - US Remote Based

Raising CRO standards for innovation and delivery to help bring life-changing treatments to patients faster. Fortrea is seeking a dedicatedUS remotebased Medical Directoror Senior Medical Director with deep expertise inRheumatologyalongwith background in innovative therapies,including celland gene therapy. The incumbent will provide medical leadership and oversight across all phases of development, including early-phase innovation and late-phase global programs. Responsible for supporting the development activities of proposed and ongoing projects in their area of expertise, as well as medical monitoring to assigned clinical studies.

The (Senior) Medical Director will serve as a key medical representative in client interactions, business development discussions, and proposal presentations. The role will further foster and enhance relationships with global clinical operations teams and provide leadership as the Leading Physician for Phase I-IV clinical trials).

We are particularly interested in candidates who have led or supported rheumatologyclinical programs and who are comfortable serving as the study physician, providing medical monitoring oversight (e.g., safety review, contribution to protocol development, including study design, endpoints and eligibility criteria) and working collaboratively with other project team members. In addition to strong scientific leadership, the role is expected to be highly client-facing with an increased business development component - requiring regular engagement at executive level, and the confidence and polish to represent Fortrea with senior client leaders, external partners, and other key stakeholders.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• High level Medical TA and Clinical Trial Subject Matter Expertise (SME) contributions(maybeRegionalor Global).
• SME Cross-functional, scientific & technical contributions and interactions with Clients Medical teams, Project teams, Key Opinion Leadersand at Principal Investigator/Site levels.
• Partner with clients and internal teams to support business development - shaping clinical/medical strategy for proposals, biddefences, and client discussions.
• Provide oversight of medical monitoring activities to ensure timelines and quality of medical deliverables and assigns physician resources as required.
• According to the scope of work, may serve as Global Lead, Regional or Program Project Physician across multiple indications.
• Provide subject matter and drug development expertise and is a key contributor to the medical strategy and execution of the study/program for the client.
• Provides input, review and revision of protocols, case report forms, training materials, project specific tools, analysis plans design, clinical trial reports and new drug applications.
• Prepares materials for and actively participates in investigator meetings and assists at site initiation visits.
• Provides medical/scientific expertise to project team.
• And any other duties as required or assigned.

Qualifications (Minimum Requiredand preferred)

• MD Degree
• Board Certification in Internal Medicine
• Specialization in Rheumatologyandbroadertherapeutic experience in autoimmune diseases (AID)
• Preferred:Specific expertise in cell and gene therapy in autoimmune diseases (AID)
• 3+ years of substantial knowledge of drug development and extensive clinical research experience within the pharmaceutical/CRO industry (or as a clinical trial investigator)
• Preferred:Industry experience inclusive of clinical trials medical monitoring experience or other relevant clinical development/trial experience at a CRO, pharmaceutical company, regulatory agency
• Strong scientific communication and clientfacing capabilities, including presenting scientific expertise, supporting proposals, and strengthening externalpartnerships
• English language skills: Full professional proficiency

Work Environment

• Remote position based in USA
• Occasional national and international travel required, including attendance at sponsor meetings, investigator meetings, and relevant scientific or industry conferences.

Physical Requirements

• Frequently stationary for 6-8 hours per day.
• Repetitive hand movement of both hands with the ability to make fast, simple, repeated movements of the fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Occasional crouching, stooping, with frequent bending and twisting of upper body and neck.
• Ability to access and use a variety of computer software developed both in-house and off-the-shelf.
• Light to moderate lifting and carrying (or otherwise moves) objects including luggage and laptop computer with a maximum lift of 15-20 lbs.
• Regular and consistent attendance.
• Varied hours may be required.

Pay Range:USD $240,000-$340,000

Benefits:All job offers will bebased on a candidate's skills and prior relevant experience, applicabledegrees/certifications,as well as internal equity and market data.Regular,full-timeor part-time employees working 20 or more hours per week are eligible for comprehensive benefits including: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, STD/LTD, 401(K), Paid time off (PTO) or Flexible time off (FTO), Company bonus where applicable.

Application Deadline: 10/01/26

Learn more about our EEO & Accommodations request here.