Senior Director, Medical Science Liaison (MSL)

The Senior Director, Medical Science Liaison (MSL) is a member of the Medical Affairs team. This role is responsible for all field-based medical affairs activities across the United States and leads a team of regional Medical Science Liaisons.

The role reports to the VP of Medical Affairs, Americas, in Global Medical Affairs.

This role is responsible for significant business impact, including continued support of clinical data generation to support the entire product portfolio, data dissemination, and high scientific presence at major customer-facing congresses. It also provides scientific support to all key surgical customers across the nation. Additionally, the role is responsible for effective customer-facing communication, medical presentations, and dissemination of scientific materials across the entire country.

Further, the role is directly responsible for business performance elements of the Executive Leadership Team, such as scientific share of voice and competitive clinical evidence generation.

This individual serves as a field coach and lead, achieving results and Alcon’s key performance indicators while maintaining an enterprise mindset, strategic agility, and business acumen, with the highest integrity. The role is adept at managing internal and external cross-functional collaboration and requires executive presence.

Accountabilities:

• Lead and manage a team of regional Medical Science Liaisons across the United States and Canada.
• Maintain deep scientific/clinical knowledge of the Alcon Surgical portfolio.
• Develop complex Key Opinion Leader mapping and development strategy and execution plan.
• Lead Alcon's data generation activities through MSL execution. 
• Ensure close alignment between global franchise and regional business priorities in the context of scientific customer interactions.
• Lead and manage the data dissemination/medical presentations execution plan for the MSLs.
• Support the collection of scientific field insights and advice-seeking surveys by MSLs and lead reporting findings to CRD, Marketing, and commercial leadership.
• Perform field management visits with individual MSLs to support territory development and promptly address field challenges or issues; the frequency of these meetings will depend on operational loads for specific projects.

Competency Profile:

• Executive Presence
• Coaching for Results: Leading MSL team with industry benchmarks
• Operational Rigor: Ability to maintain budgets, timelines, and key deliverables across multiple states and regions
• Managing through Change
• Strategic Agility: Ability to prioritize and build region strategy in alignment with changing business needs
• Enterprise Mindset: Approaching the Alcon portfolio with scientific excellence
• Business Acumen: Financial and budget management
• Corporate Integrity
• Self-Awareness: Manages emotion so that a balanced objectivity is exercised in business situations
• Empathy: An awareness of others’ feelings, needs, and concerns
• Social Skills: Adeptness at inducing desirable responses in others; manages conflict; inspires collaboration and teamwork
• Drive and Initiative: Establishes aggressive goals and drives for results
• Thinks Creatively: Approaches problems with curiosity and open-mindedness; creatively integrates different ideas and perspectives; stimulates creative thinking in others; generates innovative ideas and solutions to problems
• Establishes Relationships: Relates to people in an open, friendly, and accepting manner; develops relationships with key people in other functions and at other levels; expresses disagreement tactfully and sensitively
• Experience in a customer-facing role
• Working knowledge of the Healthcare System and of the research procedures as well as the ICH guidelines, GCP, and other ethical guidelines
• Experience designing and executing clinical trials, particularly in the post-market phase
• Experience in scientific presentations and basic experience in medical writing and biostatistics
• Broad knowledge of product development, clinical trial design, regulatory requirements, payer landscape, and life cycle management
• Proven ability and experience to develop and foster peer-to-peer, credible relationships with Medical/Surgical Experts/decision makers

Key Performance Indicators:

• Number and quality of support for Investigator Initiated Trials, with documentation
• Number and quality of team medical presentations
• Number and quality of insights recorded presentations for the region
• Deliver comprehensive quarterly reports on MSL activities to support regional business
• Customer Support: Ability to effectively address MSL team deliverables
• Number and quality of events supported (congresses, symposia, customer training events)
• Number and content of monthly KOL interactions
• KOL Identification/Support: Support of KOLs presenting on Alcon products and identification of qualified KOLs for Medical Affairs and R&D activities (e.g., Advisory Boards and other non-promotional meetings)

Qualifications:

• Education: Require MD/OD/PhD/PharmD/Advanced Degree in Ophthalmology or Optometry
• Minimum of 8-10 years of experience in an ophthalmology or optometry field (academia, industry, practice), with at least 3 of those in the surgical ophthalmic industry or clinical practice
• Minimum of 7-10 years in a people management role and MSL/industry experience highly preferred
• Language: The ability to fluently read, write, understand, and communicate in English
• Position located in FTW and travel 70%
• Territory: United States