VP of Medical Affairs - Head of Field Medical and Scientific

About Us 

Kardigan is a heart health company working to make cardiovascular disease preventable, curable and no longer the leading cause of death in the world. It is our mission to develop multiple targeted treatments in parallel that bring people with cardiovascular diseases to the cures they deserve. 

At Kardigan, we are motivated by our values which guide how we work, interact, and achieve our goals. Driven by patients and their families, we are deeply committed to improving the lives of patients and prioritizing their needs above all else. We believe in being authentic—leading with truth to bring out the best in others by creating an environment where every person knows they will be fully accepted. With an eagerness to learn, we encourage the highest levels of curiosity and are open to changing our minds. We are committed to winning as a team with urgency, excellence, and intention, and support each other no matter what role we play or where we sit. Lastly, we strive to enable the impossible because patients are counting on us. We are not afraid to take risks to unlock innovation and advance scientific discoveries.   

These values are the foundation of our work, empowering us to make a real difference, every day.  

Position Summary

The Head of Field Medical and Scientific Strategy & Communications role is a field-based, non-promotional medical and scientific leadership role, responsible for leading a national disease area field medical team comprised of medical science liaisons (MSLs) and the development of a future field medical model potentially consisting of regional director of MSL(s) (RDM), and Director of Strategy and Communications (DSC). This role is responsible for developing the national disease-area field medical strategy for their team, that is aligned to the overarching Medical Strategy and is focused on delivering impact and improving patient care. This role is accountable for successful execution of the field medical and scientific communications strategic plan, providing medical oversight and inspirational leadership and direction of customer engagement tactics that align to business and customer needs. Lastly, the role will be focused on developing organizational talent for future leadership positions in the Field Medical organization at Kardigan.

Role responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Develop and translate medical strategies and actionable customer insights into field medical initiatives and ensure successful execution of such initiatives by working with relevant internal stakeholders (i.e., DLLs, Global Program Teams, Clinical Development Leads, etc.)
• In partnership with medical leadership and the Global Program Teams, develop a Medical Strategy Plan as part of launch readiness planning across the clinical programs
• Serve as the medical functional representative on the Global Program Teams
• Interpret and infuse actionable customer insights from Field Medical Team into other relevant disease areas and/or product strategies and plans (i.e., Integrated Product Strategy, Medical Product Plans, etc.).
• Define external stakeholder mapping and engagement strategy, incorporating novel approaches to partnerships, for the Medical Team’s portfolio of medicines in collaboration with relevant internal stakeholders (i.e., Global Program Teams).
• Develop and ensure execution of scientific communication plans and field medical component in product launch plans, spanning product life cycles
• Define field medical impact and analytics needed to ensure maximal performance/impact of the field medical team to achieve desired regional and national business outcomes.
• Develop the field medical component of Medical Unit Congress Strategy Plans:
  • Determine Field Medical coverage needed for congresses in collaboration with Medical Unit Leadership
  • Define deliverables in partnership with congress planning teams
  • Attend national and international meetings for scientific content as well as customer management
• Oversee and own the communication and therapeutic training plans for field medical aligned with the medical strategy for each clinical program:
  • Communicate the disease area and product strategies and related tactics to the field medical team
  • Ensure timely dissemination of information on new trials and clinical data to the field medical team
  • Accountable for a therapeutic training plan to maintain scientific excellence of Field Medical associates
• Develop field medical trial support plan via active partnership with Clin Ops and Medical Affairs Leadership

Position Requirements:

• Advanced scientific or healthcare degree required; doctoral degree preferred (MD, PharmD, PhD, DNP, etc.)
• Minimum 10 years in the pharmaceutical industry with roles of increasing complexity and responsibility required. Field-based medical role preferred
• Experience managing and developing high performing team(s) required, previous management experience of field-based associates preferred
• Knowledge of clinical medicine, disease management, and medical research practices strongly preferred
• Working knowledge of Field Medical Teams and operations and having had experience in multiple disease areas, strongly preferred
• Must possess a thorough understanding of the FDA, OIG, HIPAA, PhRMA Code, and other ethical guidelines relevant to the pharmaceutical industry, to ensure compliance with these external as well as internal guidelines and standard operating procedures
• Excellent interpersonal communication, presentation, networking, collaboration and influencing skills and demonstrated teamwork (ability to lead a scientific team across a geographical area), are required
• Must have personal integrity, be a strong team player who can effectively work cross-functionally in a matrixed environment, including collaboration with clinical and commercial personnel and ability to interact effectively with senior leaders
• A demonstrated ability to effectively lead, direct, coach, manage issues, and resolve conflicts for scientific/medical colleagues at all skill and knowledge levels is essential.
• Strong business acumen and strategic mindset with demonstrated ability to navigate a complex healthcare landscape, analyze, interpret, and communicate information (e.g., scientific data, competitor landscape, business/market data) effectively and in a timely fashion to relevant internal colleagues Adept at project &
• time management, having strong prioritization and organizational skills with ability to effectively plan and pull through complex projects involving multiple stakeholders
• Ability to communicate effectively with Field Medical Team(s), cross-functional team(s) and influence internal partners to achieve desired outcomes
• Ability to provide constructive feedback, to plan both strategy and implementation, and to work effectively cross-functionally
• Must possess an innovative mindset, ability to successfully navigate change and ambiguity in a constantly changing environment, be able to organize, and prioritize and motivate team to do the same
• Must be driven more by the success of others/ team than personal success