Medical Science Liaison (MSL)

Job Description

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Job Description

About the role:

The Medical Science Liaison (MSL) establishes Takeda’s medical affairs presence with external stakeholders through scientific exchange and research support. This role is the field-based therapeutic area (TA) expert responsible for execution of the TA specific medical plan in the field, predominantly by establishing, developing, and fostering relationships with key external stakeholders along with the development of the medical plan. He/she will contribute to the achievement of business success by putting the patient’s needs and safety into primary focus.

This position is responsible for developing the medical plan and executing it in the field by communicating fair-balanced therapeutic area, product-related and clinical information to external stakeholders (e.g., key opinion leaders (KOLs), physicians, academic institutions, hospital formulary committees) and responding to unsolicited requests for medical information. Additionally, this position will provide key insights learned from the medical and scientific community to internal stakeholders to guide the medical and brand plans.

This position will work closely with the Therapeutic Area Lead/Medical Advisor in the TA to develop the medical plan and lead the in-field execution of it. This position will also collaborate cross-functionally to develop and execute medically relevant strategies and tactics as well as provide scientific expertise and training to cross-functional stakeholders as needed.

This position is a field- based position, with approximately 60% time in the field collaborating with KOLs and other external customers as needed.

How you will contribute:

Overall

• Lead the in-field execution of the Therapeutic Area (TA) Medical Plan by establishing, developing, and fostering relationships with key external stakeholders
• Develop and support medical strategies for compounds via field-based support from the medical function that are aligned with overall corporate goals and objectives
• Maintain a very high level of knowledge and understanding of the latest scientific/medical knowledge in the relevant therapeutic area by conducting literature searches, analyzing clinical papers, attending conferences, courses and other such events
• Provide insights from key external stakeholders to internal cross-functional stakeholders as needed to guide the Brand and Medical Plans

Strategic Planning

• Develop and execute a TA specific Medical Plan and a MSL scientific engagement plan aligned with the TA Medical Plan to guide field work
• Ensure appropriate and effective external stakeholder management by utilizing objective, aligned scientific criteria to profile KOLs and creates and regularly updates the TA KOL list
• Capture and share in-field insights to support brand, medical and scientific strategy, and business development
• Participate as a member of the Brand Team for the assigned TA
• Provides medical and scientific expertise to commercial partners as needed and within regulatory guidelines

Contribution to Organization Through Medical Expertise

• Participate in the development and implementation of key medical activities (e.g., Advisory Boards, Focus Group Meetings, medical education and peer-to-peer training activities) as directed by the Therapy Area Lead
• Create or support the development of medical/scientific materials and slide decks as needed (e.g., MSL slide decks and advisory board slides) and ensure the content is appropriately reviewed and approved as per Takeda policies
• Identify educational opportunities that are aligned with Takeda’s medical education strategies
• Provide medical booth and session coverage at scientific meetings and report information of strategic interest to cross-functional internal stakeholders
• Provide clinical presentations and medical information to managed markets, government accounts, and other external stakeholders upon request and as appropriate

Corporate Governance

• Ensure that all field scientific-medical communications are fair-balanced, based on appropriate scientific evidence, and compliant with local regulatory norms and internal compliance rules
• Ensure compliance of all responsible activities to relevant laws and regulations as well as internal standards and SOPs
• Support the company reputation and profile in the field

External Stakeholder Management

• Establish Takeda’s presence with KOLs and academic institutions in defined geographies for therapeutic areas of strategic interest to the company by identifying, developing, and fostering relationships with KOLs
• Meet regularly with identified KOLs to provide ongoing, balanced scientific exchange related to on-label indications and disease state(s)
• Respond to HCP unsolicited requests for medical information (including off-label information) related for marketed Takeda products and Takeda pipeline products
• Support scientific training of Takeda-contracted speakers by providing ongoing support and education as needed

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Provide medical insights and intelligence from the field to key cross-functional internal stakeholders within compliance framework to support the development and life-cycle management of Takeda compounds
• Act as field-based reference point of scientific and clinical expertise for cross-functional internal stakeholders (e.g., medical, regulatory, commercial, market access) through training and ad-hoc support
• Serve as an ongoing, infrequent training resource for sales representatives as per requests by commercial or sales Training, utilizing approved training materials

Clinical Research

• Support ongoing/future Company Sponsored Studies (i.e., provides LOC review of proposed CRO site lists, attends site visits, provides site/investigator feedback to clinical operations) following the appropriate requests from Area/Regional or Global clinical development
• Support unsolicited requests from HCPs for investigator-initiated sponsored research (IISR) proposals by providing appropriate investigator support as per Takeda SOP as well as engaging with Global External Research (GOR) on IISR proposals as appropriate
• Provide support to Medical Affairs Company Studies (MACS) as needed including site identification
• Develop and support national disease registries and RWE projects for relevant disease areas as needed

Patient Centricity

• Provide support and/or leadership in planning and implementation of patient access programs as needed and as per local regulatory requirements
• Prioritize patient safety by following all PV-related processes
• Support reporting of product-related medical safety issues by providing input on product-related quality issues and incidents to the local PV-team
• Continuous Improvement
• Responsible for maintaining a very high level of disease and product knowledge through continuous education
• Attend courses and industry meetings, reads industry publications, and discusses Therapeutic Areas with colleagues to keep up to date with developments within the pharmaceutical industry and pharmaceutical medicines

Structural Organization

• Complete all required training, activity documentation, expense reporting, and other administrative responsibilities

* This job description defines and captures key expectations. However, duties and/or roles are not limited to details above and may evolve or change during the course of the role based on company priorities and manager’s discretion

What you bring to Takeda:

Education

Required:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Life Science, Pharmacy or similar discipline

Preferred:

• Advanced scientific degree such as Master’s Degree/Doctoral Degree (e.g., Ph.D.)

Experience

Required:

• > 2 years working experience in pharmaceuticals, healthcare industry, or academia

Preferred:

• Minimum 1-year prior MSL experience in relevant Therapeutic Area
• Product launch experience
• Experience working in relevant Therapeutic Area
• Clinical research experience

Behavioural Competencies and Skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to develop relationships easily, even with challenging people
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English; fluency in other languages is a plus
• Excellent oral presentation skills
• Strong planning & organization skills with ability to prioritize
• Independent and self-driven with a positive work ethic
• Proven track record of teamwork, cross-functional collaboration, and leadership
• Results oriented with high sense of urgency and adherence to timelines
• Meticulous and strong analytical skills
• Ability to engender trust and respect of peers and superiors
• High integrity, ethical & professional mindset
• Well versed in highly technical and scientific languages
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook

As with all Takeda positions, the Medical Science Liaison is expected to conduct themselves in line with the Company culture and Takeda-ism

Licenses/Certifications:

• Pharmacist or medical post-graduate (e.g., Ph.D.) is preferred.

Travel Requirements:

• Ability to drive to or fly to various meetings/client sites
• Overnight travel (% TBD based on territory), including weekend commitments
• Travel may vary depending on geography

More about us:

At Takeda, we are transforming patient care through the development of novel specialty pharmaceuticals and best in class patient support programs. Takeda is a patient-focused company that will inspire and empower you to grow through life-changing work.

Certified as a Global Top Employer, Takeda offers stimulating careers, encourages innovation, and strives for excellence in everything we do. We foster an inclusive, collaborative workplace, in which our teams are united by an unwavering commitment to deliver Better Health and a Brighter Future to people around the world.

Empowering our people to shine:

Takeda is proud in its commitment to creating a diverse workforce and providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, national origin, age, disability, citizenship status, genetic information or characteristics, marital status, status as a Vietnam era veteran, special disabled veteran, or other protected veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws, and any other characteristic protected by law.

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