Executive Medical Director

Job Title: Executive Medical Director - Retina Program

Fully Remote

Job Description

The Executive Medical Director will oversee the design, execution, and analysis of clinical trials within the ophthalmology therapeutic area. This role involves reporting to the Chief Medical Officer and maintaining a dotted-line relationship with the Senior Vice President of Research & Early-Stage Product Development. The Executive Medical Director will be pivotal in clinical development leadership, biomarker strategy, regulatory documentation, and external scientific leadership.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the clinical lead for Phase 1 retina clinical trials, including study design, protocol development, dose escalation strategy, and safety oversight.
• Maintain accountability for study execution, data interpretation, and clinical readouts, including early signal detection and go/no-go recommendations.
• Serve as a medical monitor for assigned studies, ensuring subject safety and data integrity.
• Lead cross-functional study teams to ensure high-quality and timely trial delivery.
• Provide clinical leadership to multidisciplinary study execution teams.
• Lead development and implementation of biomarker strategies for GA and broader retina programs.
• Collaborate with research and translational teams to integrate biomarkers into early-phase trials.
• Serve as the primary clinical author of development plans, protocols, IBs, INDs, CSRs, and regulatory responses.
• Lead clinical contributions to IND submissions and early regulatory interactions.
• Organize and lead scientific advisory board meetings.
• Interact with external experts and stakeholders to gather input.
• Collaborate to identify program risks and implement mitigation strategies.

Essential Skills

• Medical Degree (M.D.) or relevant experience with other degrees.
• Residency training in Ophthalmology with a preference for subspecialty training in retina.
• 10+ years of clinical ophthalmology research in the biopharmaceutical industry.
• Experience with medical monitoring and oversight of Phase 1 retina clinical trials.
• Experience with gene therapy clinical studies.
• Experience in other phases (Phase 2, 3) of clinical research.
• Experience with NDA/BLA/MAA submission planning and execution.
• Experience in data analysis, data interpretation, and medical writing.
• Knowledge of ICH-GCP and FDA regulatory guidelines.
• Knowledge of international regulatory guidelines.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills, including public speaking.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Skills in administrative tasks, data analysis, clinical support, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Experience in drug development, disease management, and pharmacovigilance.
• Knowledge of genetic medicine and investigational new drug processes.
• Leadership and decision support skills.
• Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) and fellowship experience.

Work Environment

This position is fully remote, with potential travel up to 20% for leadership meetings. The role requires working primarily in a sedentary capacity, with occasional physical activities such as repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and fingers, as well as talking and expressing ideas verbally. The work is primarily conducted in the Pacific Standard Time (PST) zone.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Emeryville, CA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $350000.00 - $398000.00/yr.

Every 4th Friday of the month is paid day off opportunities for promotions 2x a year 9 holidays

Workplace Type

This is a fully remote position.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 4, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.