Director, US West Medical Science Liaison (MSL) Manager

Role Summary

The US West Medical Science Liaison Manager, Rheumatology, at Zenas is a key Medical Affairs leader responsible for hiring, developing, and managing a high-performing team of Medical Science Liaisons. This role ensures scientific excellence, compliant external engagement, strategic alignment with medical plans, and the generation of high-quality insights to advance the company’s therapeutic priorities. The ideal candidate combines strong leadership, deep scientific expertise, and operational discipline to support product launches and lifecycle management. This position reports to the Executive National Director, Medical Science Liaisons.

Responsibilities

• Field Team Leadership & Development
  • Manage (recruit, train, coach, and mentor) a team of MSLs to ensure scientific, operational, and compliance excellence.
  • Conduct regular field rides/virtual shadowing to observe skills, provide feedback, and support professional development.
  • Set clear performance expectations and conduct ongoing performance evaluations.
  • Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Scientific Strategy & Execution
  • Translate the Medical Affairs strategy into actionable field medical plans.
  • Guide the MSL team on priority scientific topics, key data updates, competitive landscape, and disease state knowledge.
  • Ensure consistent, high-quality insights-driven scientific exchange in alignment with approved materials and compliance standards.
  • Support development and delivery of scientific training for field teams and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Stakeholder Engagement
  • Oversee relationship-building with key opinion leaders (KOLs), academic investigators, and professional societies.
  • Ensure KOL identification, mapping, and engagement plans are aligned to strategic medical objectives.
  • Partner effectively with Clinical Development, Medical Directors, HEOR, and Commercial (within compliance) to ensure coordinated insights and activities.
• Insight Generation & Medical Intelligence
  • Establish processes for capturing, synthesizing, and communicating field insights to Medical Leadership and cross-functional teams.
  • Identify emerging trends, data gaps, and unmet needs that inform clinical strategy, medical education, and evidence generation plans.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Ensure appropriate collaboration with Clinical Operations (site support), Safety/Pharmacovigilance, Regulatory, and Commercial teams in alignment with policies.
  • Contribute to advisory boards, congress planning, scientific narrative development, and launch readiness.
  • Partner in the development and execution of scientific resources and medical education initiatives.
• Compliance & Operational Excellence
  • Ensure all field medical activities adhere to regulatory, legal, medical, and company policies.
  • Oversee activity reporting, CRM documentation, territory planning, and field metrics.
  • Manage MSL budgets (travel, training, congresses) responsibly and transparently.
  • Support the Medical-Legal-Regulatory (MLR) process as needed for field materials.
• Travel
  • Approximately 50–60% travel for KOL engagements, field rides, meetings, and conferences.

Qualifications

• Advanced clinical/science degree or health care professional credentials required (MD, PhD, PharmD, NP, PA, with significant scientific experience).
• 5+ years MSL or field medical experience.
• Therapeutic area experience preferred.
• Strong scientific and clinical acumen with the ability to simplify complex data.
• Exceptional leadership, coaching, and talent development capabilities.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to analyze insights, identify trends, and translate them into strategy.
• Discipline in planning, organization, compliance adherence, and documentation.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth biotech environment.
• Proven track record of building external relationships and driving scientific strategy in the field.
• Experience supporting product launch is highly desirable.
• Proven track record of success.
• Current knowledge & full understanding of all relevant industry, legal, and regulatory compliance guidelines
• Commitment to the highest ethical, legal, regulatory, and scientific standards