Position Summary
The Executive Director or Senior Director, Medical Affairs, is responsible for developing and executing Medical Affairs strategy aligned with Nektar's corporate objectives, clinical development priorities, and product lifecycle needs. The role will establish the capabilities, processes, and partnerships required for evidence generation, Investigator-Sponsored Trials, scientific engagement, medical education, publications, field medical strategy, and launch readiness.
This leader will help build and lead Medical Affairs capabilities to support the Nektar pipeline and will partner with corporate leadership and cross-functional teams to align priorities across the organization. The position will also establish strategic relationships with medical societies, patient advocacy organizations, academic centers, healthcare professionals, clinical sites, investigators, and other external scientific experts. The successful candidate will be a hands-on leader who can operate effectively in a dynamic biotechnology environment while simultaneously building long-term Medical Affairs capabilities and infrastructure.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Medical strategy and execution
- Lead implementation of the Medical Affairs strategy for rezpegaldesleukin in atopic dermatitis and alopecia areata, converting strategic priorities into integrated plans for evidence generation, external scientific engagement, scientific communications, medical education, publications, field medical execution, and launch readiness.
- Provide senior leadership and strategic direction for the Medical Affairs function, establishing priorities, operating plans, governance, and measures of success aligned with corporate objectives, R&D priorities, and product lifecycle needs.
Organization and people leadership
- Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Medical Affairs organization, including the field medical team; oversee workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, performance management, coaching, training, succession planning, and professional development.
External scientific engagement
- Develop and lead strategic relationships with clinical investigators, external scientific experts, medical societies, patient advocacy organizations, academic centers, healthcare professionals, clinical sites, and other relevant stakeholders to inform development and Medical Affairs priorities.
- Plan and lead steering committees and Medical Affairs advisory boards for Nektar programs, translating external input into actionable recommendations for evidence generation, scientific engagement, and lifecycle strategy.
Evidence generation and scientific communications
- Provide Medical Affairs leadership for evidence-generation activities across phases I through IV, including study-concept development, external scientific input, investigator engagement, and appropriate support of study awareness and enrollment initiatives.
- Partner closely with Clinical Development, Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacovigilance, Commercial, Market Access, Medical Information, Corporate Communications, and Business Development to align evidence generation, scientific communications, launch readiness, and lifecycle strategy.
- Serve as a credible scientific and medical representative of the company, engaging healthcare professionals and external experts in balanced, evidence-based, and compliant scientific exchange.
- Provide medical and scientific leadership for launch readiness, appropriate clinical adoption, and lifecycle planning based on unmet need, available evidence, and insights from the evolving treatment landscape.
- Lead the development of nonpromotional medical and scientific materials and provide Medical Affairs input into promotional review and training in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and company policies.
- Lead and support publication strategy and execution for clinical studies, evidence-generation initiatives, and other relevant scientific activities, ensuring scientific accuracy, transparency, and adherence to applicable publication standards.
- Maintain current knowledge of the treatment landscape, scientific literature, medical developments, and competitive intelligence; translate relevant insights into Medical Affairs strategy and communicate them effectively to cross-functional colleagues.
Required Competencies and Skills
- Demonstrated ability to solve complex problems with innovative solutions.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Proven experience working effectively with senior management.
- Experience conducting formal presentations to Senior Management and key opinion leaders.
- Knowledge of effective competitive strategies.
- In-depth understanding of clinical product development in the pharmaceutical industry.
- Strong analytical skills, especially regarding the interpretation of scientific research and literature.
- Understanding of clinical data-analysis methodologies.
- Initiative and strong interpersonal collaboration skills.
- Strong matrix leadership and strategic influence competency.
Education Requirements
- An advanced doctoral degree (MD, PharmD, PhD, or equivalent) in a scientific, medical, or health-related discipline is required.
Experience Requirements
Leveling will be based on the candidate's depth of experience and demonstrated leadership scope. Senior Director candidates should have a strong record of independently leading major Medical Affairs programs and influencing cross-functional strategy. Executive Director candidates should also demonstrate enterprise-level strategic leadership, experience in building or leading Medical Affairs capabilities or teams, and sustained influence with executive leaders and external experts.
- A minimum of 7 years of Medical Affairs experience is required for the Senior Director level, and a minimum of 12 years of Medical Affairs experience is required for the Executive Director level.
- Extensive experience within a headquarters-based Medical Affairs organization is required, including ownership of Medical Affairs strategy, evidence generation, and cross-functional leadership.
- Experience building or scaling Medical Affairs capabilities within an emerging biotechnology company is highly desirable.
- Experience supporting late-stage clinical development programs and launch readiness activities is highly desirable.
- Immunology therapeutic-area expertise is required. Experience in dermatology and/or autoimmune inflammatory diseases is preferred.
Work Location and Travel Requirements
- This position is fully remote within the United States.
- Travel is expected to be up to 40%, including domestic and international travel, to support congresses, advisory boards, investigator meetings, scientific engagement activities, and company meetings.
Working Relationships
This senior-level Medical Affairs role will be expected to work consistently with abstract ideas or situations across functional areas of the business. Through the assessment of intangible variables, the Executive Director or Senior Director will identify and evaluate fundamental issues, develop strategy, and provide direction for major functional areas. The position requires in-depth knowledge of the functional area, business strategies, and the company's objectives and involves interaction with senior-level management both internally and externally.
Additional Information
Nektar currently anticipates the base salary for the Senior or Executive Director, Medical Affairs to range from $325,000 to $400,000 for candidates in the Bay Area and will depend, in part, on successful candidate''s location and qualifications for the role, including education and experience. This position will also be eligible for an annual performance bonus in accordance with the terms of the applicable plan (depending, in part, on company and individual performance and at the Company''s discretion on an individual basis.) The compensation described above is subject to change and could be higher or lower than the range described based on the market survey data.
Qualifying employees are eligible to participate in benefit programs such as:
- Health Insurance (Medical/Dental/Vision)
- Disability Insurance
- Holiday Pay
- Paid Time Off (PTO)
- 401(k) Match
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Wellness Programs
- Parental Leave Benefits (in accordance with the terms of applicable plans)
For general information on company benefits, please go to https://www.nektar.com/careers.