Medical Affairs Director - Rare Epilepsies
Lundbeck
Summary
The Medical Affairs Director - Rare Epilepsies will provide strategic medical leadership for developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE) and bexicaserin, supporting U.S. launch readiness and execution across the U.S. Medical Affairs organization. This role will shape and advance the U.S. medical strategy by integrating scientific evidence, external stakeholder insights, cross-functional partnership, and high-quality medical execution to address the needs of people living with DEE, families, caregivers, healthcare professionals, payers, and policymakers.
Job description
Key Responsibilities
- Provide expert medical perspective to co-create launch strategy together with Commercial, Patient advocacy, Market Access, Regulatory, Clinical Development, Pharmacovigilance, and other internal stakeholders.
- Partner cross-functionally to drive US medical launch readiness, lifecycle management.
- Translate clinical data and scientific insights into actionable strategies that inform stakeholder engagement and brand planning.
- Build and maintain strong, trusted relationships with investigators, key opinion leaders (KOLs), advocacy leaders, and healthcare professionals.
- Engage pediatric and adult epileptologists, neurologists, multidisciplinary care teams, and DEE patient advocacy organizations.
- Represent U.S. Medical Affairs in scientific forums and stakeholder engagements to reinforce Lundbeck’s scientific leadership in DEE and rare epilepsies.
- Synthesize external insights and monitor evolving DEE science, diagnostic and treatment practices, competitor activities, and policy landscape to proactively inform U.S. and global strategies.
- Lead and support relevant advisory board and insights strategy.
- Develop and execute U.S. medical education and scientific communications initiatives aligned to overarching brand and development objectives, with measurable impact.
- Co-create with Global Medical Affairs to ensure US insights inform the scientific narrative, clinical value story, lexicon, data story, key messages, evidence summaries, and communication themes.
- Ensure consistent, accurate, and balanced scientific communication of clinical data across materials.
- Interpret bexicaserin data to inform medical strategy and scientific exchange.
- Develop and execute US-specific publication strategy and priorities; ensure alignment and integration with global publication plans.
- Develop and execute US medical congress strategy and execution, including data dissemination and key congress activities.
- Partner with Field Medical to inform field medical strategy, support scientific readiness, training, and consistent, compliant communication of the DEE and bexicaserin scientific narrative, and oversee development of necessary scientific resources.
- Serve as medical reviewer within the promotional review process, upholding the highest standards of scientific integrity and compliance.
- Design and execute strategic Medical Education programs (CME and non-CME).
- Manage external partners and vendors, budgets, timelines, and deliverables.
- Identify and prioritize critical US evidence gaps and translate unmet medical needs, scientific insights, and stakeholder perspectives into a strategic evidence generation and scientific communication roadmap.
- Implement US evidence generation initiatives, including post hoc analyses, real-world evidence studies, observational research, and investigator-initiated studies, ensuring scientific rigor and decision-relevant objectives.
- Partner with Global Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, HEOR, and cross-functional stakeholders to align research priorities, optimize evidence generation investments, and ensure complementary evidence plans.
- Ensure evidence generation outputs inform medical strategy, scientific exchange, clinical practice, and future research priorities, maximizing the scientific and strategic value of generated data.
Requirements
- Accredited advanced scientific or clinical degree (MD, PharmD, PhD or MS)
- 5+ years of progressive, non-field-based Medical Affairs experience within pharmaceutical or biotech industry or at an agency that supports the pharmaceutical or biotech industry
- Minimum 2+ years contributing to medical strategy development, launch readiness, evidence generation, external engagement, and medical education
- Demonstrated experience designing and executing Medical Education programs (CME and non-CME)
- Experience developing and executing evidence generation strategy
- Strong understanding of clinical trial data, evidence generation, publication practices, and therapeutic-area strategy and translate insights into strategic recommendations
- Experience translating scientific evidence and stakeholder insights into medical strategy, education, and communication priorities
- Knowledge of compliance requirements, publication ethics, and medical/legal/regulatory review processes
- Experience serving as a medical reviewer for promotional materials, ensuring compliance and scientific rigor
- Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving capability, and data-driven decision-making skills
- Demonstrated success building collaborative cross-functional relationships and influencing without authority
- Experience managing multiple priorities in a dynamic environment
- Exceptional communication skills with ability to convey complex scientific information clearly and persuasively
- Demonstrated integrity, professionalism, and commitment to ethical standards
- Authentic, long-term engagement within the rare disease community, viewed as a trusted and mission-driven partner
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate respectfully and effectively with patient advocacy groups (PAGs), patients, caregivers, clinicians, and industry stakeholders
- Deep understanding of rare disease best practices, access and policy considerations, and patient support ecosystems
- Ability to build relationships with rare disease clinical leaders, scientific societies, and relevant patient organizations
- Strong business acumen and strategic judgment, with the ability to communicate effectively with leadership and other cross functional stakeholders
- Highly proactive and adaptable leader capable of operating effectively in evolving, data-limited environments
- Willingness/ability to travel up to 35% domestically
Benefits
- Flexible PTO
- Medical, Dental & Vision
- 401(k) Matching
- Long-term incentive plan
- 25% bonus target
Company overview
Lundbeck is a global pharmaceutical company specializing exclusively in brain diseases, with over 70 years of neuroscience expertise. Founded in 1915 in Copenhagen, Denmark, the company has established itself as one of the world's leading innovators in treatments for central nervous system disorders. Lundbeck focuses on developing and commercializing therapies for conditions including depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and migraine. With approximately 5,000+ employees worldwide and operations in more than 50 countries, the company maintains production facilities in Denmark, France, and Italy, with research centers in Denmark and the United States. Lundbeck's portfolio includes some of the world's most widely prescribed therapies for brain diseases, reaching over 7 million people daily. The company is publicly traded on Nasdaq Copenhagen, with the Lundbeck Foundation holding approximately 70% ownership. Lundbeck's commitment to neuroscience research and patient-centered innovation has positioned it as a key player in addressing the complex challenges of brain health globally.