Director, Medical Science Liaison / Regional Medical Lead

Kardigan

$220K — $320K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • MD, PharmD, PhD, or equivalent advanced scientific degree required
  • 5+ years in cardiovascular Medical Affairs, clinical research, or related field
  • Prior MSL experience required
  • Regional leadership or mentoring experience preferred
  • Strong understanding of cardiovascular trials and guideline development

Responsibilities

  • Develop and maintain strategic relationships with cardiologists and KOLs
  • Conduct scientific exchange on cardiovascular clinical data
  • Present and interpret complex cardiovascular clinical data
  • Identify unmet needs in cardiovascular treatment
  • Support medical congress activities through engagement and insight capture
  • Translate global medical strategy into regional plans
  • Lead mentorship and development for regional MSLs
  • Aggregate and communicate regional insights to Medical Affairs leadership

Benefits

  • Opportunity to lead the advancement of cardiovascular medical strategy
  • Engagement with leading experts in the field
  • Collaboration with cross-functional teams to impact clinical development
  • Opportunity to mentor and develop the next generation of MSLs
  • Participation in significant medical congresses
Full Job Description
Job Overview

The Director, Medical Science Liaison (MSL) / Regional Medical Lead (RML) serves as a field-based scientific leader responsible for advancing the medical strategy within a defined region. This role combines traditional MSL responsibilities with regional leadership oversight, strategic execution, and cross-functional collaboration to support cardiovascular assets across approved products and pipeline programs.

The individual acts as a scientific expert in cardiovascular disease (e.g., heart failure, cardiomyopathies, hypertension, cardiometabolic disease, etc.), builds trusted partnerships with key opinion leaders (KOLs), and drives regional medical excellence aligned with global and U.S. medical strategy.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Scientific Engagement & KOL Development (MSL Function)
  • Develop and maintain strategic peer-to-peer relationships with leading cardiologists, heart failure specialists, interventionalists, and academic researchers.
  • Conduct high-level scientific exchange regarding disease state, mechanism of action, clinical trial data, real-world evidence, and emerging pipeline assets.
  • Present and interpret complex cardiovascular clinical data (Preclinical research, Phase I-IV , biomarker data).
  • Identify unmet needs and evolving trends within cardiovascular treatment paradigms.
  • Support medical congresses (ACC, AHA, ESC, HFSA) through scientific engagement and insight capture.
  • Facilitate investigator-initiated studies (IIS) and research collaborations.

Regional Medical Leadership Responsibilities

As a Regional Medical Lead, additional responsibilities include:
  • Regional Strategy Execution
  • Translate national/global cardiovascular medical strategy into actionable regional plans.
  • Prioritize KOL engagement and resource allocation based on regional impact.
  • Identify high-value centers for clinical development and research partnerships.
  • Drive alignment between medical objectives and regional market dynamics.
  • Team Leadership & Mentorship
  • Serve as scientific mentor and thought partner to regional MSLs.
  • Support onboarding, field coaching, and scientific development of team members.
  • Lead regional medical team meetings and strategy reviews for future field medical team development
  • Ensure consistent, high-quality scientific engagement across the region.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Partner with Clinical Development to identify high-performing cardiovascular trial sites.
  • Provide regional insights to Commercial, Market Access, and HEOR teams.
  • Collaborate with Safety and Regulatory regarding emerging data trends.
  • Support launch readiness planning across all cardiovascular assets.
  • Insight Generation & Strategic Influence
  • Aggregate regional field insights and communicate trends to Medical Affairs leadership.
  • Identify shifts in guideline interpretation, formulary access, and competitive positioning.
  • Contribute to lifecycle management strategies and publication planning.
  • Provide input into advisory board strategy and speaker development.

Clinical & Research Support
  • Identify and cultivate high-quality cardiovascular investigators.
  • Support site feasibility, trial enrollment acceleration, and retention strategies.
  • Provide protocol education and scientific support in compliance with regulations.
  • Facilitate research proposal evaluation in partnership with Medical Affairs leadership.

Compliance & Governance
  • Ensure all scientific interactions comply with FDA, EMA, Sunshine Act, and internal SOPs.
  • Maintain accurate documentation of all field activities in CRM systems.
  • Uphold ethical standards and scientific integrity in all engagements.


Qualifications and Preferred Skills

Education
  • MD, PharmD, PhD, or equivalent advanced scientific degree required. *Salary Range posted is for MD candidates. Non-MD range will be adjusted down


Experience
  • 5+ years in cardiovascular Medical Affairs, clinical research, or related field.
  • Prior MSL experience required.
  • Regional leadership or mentoring experience preferred.
  • Strong understanding of cardiovascular trials and guideline development.

Expertise Areas May Include
  • Heart Failure (HFrEF, HFpEF)
  • Dilated and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
  • Hypertension
  • Valvular Heart Diseases (Aortic Stenosis)
  • ASCVD & Lipid Disorders
  • Thrombosis & Anticoagulation
  • Cardiometabolic Disease
  • Rare Cardiovascular Condition


Exact Compensation may vary based on skills, experience and location.

Pay range

$220,000-$320,000 USD

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