Sr Director, Global Medical Affairs, Head of Opinion Leader Medical Strategy

Job Description

Everyone at Kite is grounded by one common goal – curing cancer. We are at the forefront of immunotherapy and engineered T-cell therapy. Our personalized approach is what sets us apart. Unlike traditional pharmaceutical manufacturing, our therapies are not created on an assembly line. With CAR-T cell therapy, we are reengineering a patient’s own immune cells to fight cancer — one patient at a time. We also are entering a pivotal time in our history with multiple planned launches and evolving competitive dynamics on a global scale. That means a fast moving, constantly changing environment and innovative culture, where we make discoveries every day – discoveries that include our own capabilities and our individual potential.

The Sr Director,  Global Medical Affairs, Head of Opinion Leader Medical Strategy  is responsible for developing and executing an overarching medical opinion leader (OL) interaction, advisory and medical congress engagement to support Kite CAR-T and cell therapy product portfolio.

This position reports to the VP, Head of Global Medical Affairs Franchise Strategy and is preferentially based in Santa Monica, CA. Remote/hybrid work options may be possible.

Responsibilities

In partnership with regional and local medical and cross-functional partners, this role is responsible for defining Kite’s overarching medical global interaction strategy with opinion leaders in the heme, Hem/Onc and CAR-T treatment. Significant travel ( 50%). Within that scope, specific job duties include:

Medical OL Interaction Strategy

In alignment and collaboration with the Commercial Global Head of OL Strategy lead the development of global opinion leader mapping (identification, profiling and segmentation) across pipeline disease areas and indications working in close collaboration with the global medical strategy teams, regional leads, and local country medical teams

Support local country medical teams with identification and mapping of global thought leaders for key disease areas, deferring to local country marketing team as the primary points of contact for these thought leader relationships and interactions

Partner with global medical strategy asset leads to build advocacy for Kite and its cell therapy products

Work in close collaboration with local country medical and cross-functional partners to ensure thought leader engagement strategy, positioning and educational initiatives are consistently aligned with the global medical strategy and OL knowledge needs

Partner with local country medical to identify key thought leaders for strategic advisory/council engagement and work in close collaboration to design, develop and implement productive council meetings

Align thought leaders to key areas of expertise, working in close collaboration with global and local medical, clinical and research colleagues as appropriate

In partnership with country medical teams, gain ongoing insight into key thought leader needs and Kite experience, identifying and aligning on plans to identify and manage key issues and opportunities with cross-functional partners. Develop Kite positions and determine communication, education and advisory role opportunities

Guide budget, staff, vendor partners and cross-functional teams to achieve goals

Basic Qualifications

Doctorate Degree and 10+ years of medical affairs or oncology experience

OR

Master’s Degree and 12+ years of medical affairs or oncology experience

OR

Bachelor’s Degree and 14+ years of medical affairs or oncology experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced healthcare/scientific degree (Pharm D, Ph.D., MD.)
• 12+ years biotechnology / pharmaceutical industry experience that may include prior medical communications, MSL, brand marketing or field sales experience in hematology / oncology
• Thorough understanding/prior experience in the hematology / oncology clinical landscape and the business of cell therapy and demonstrated ability to cultivate relationships with oncology and cell therapy opinion leaders
• Prior experience leading KOL strategy engagement efforts, including global advisory board and congress presence strategies for a biopharmaceutical or pharmaceutical company with high innovation products in a specialty area – prior cell or gene therapy and/or Hem/Onc experience
• Product launch experience with paradigm changing biopharmaceutical products
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a demonstrated ability to independently lead high visibility strategic projects and translate strategies into defined resource needs, tactics, and metrics to achieve results
• Demonstrated ability to lead with tact and impact in a productive, matrixed global biopharmaceutical or pharmaceutical organization. Strategic, a thorough planner and a motivator of collaboration and implementation by the team.
• Excellent verbal / written communication skills. Experience working with senior/executive stakeholders to clearly and concisely present strategies and plans for endorsement

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