Santhera Pharmaceuticals is a Swiss specialty pharmaceutical company focused on medical science and the development and commercialization of innovative pharmaceutical products for the treatment of rare neuromuscular diseases with high unmet medical need.
Come and join our team to contribute to providing treatment options for patients with rare diseases that have a severe impact on the lives of affected children and adults. You can make a difference as :
Medical Affairs Director, Italy
Scope of Work
The Medical Affairs Director, Italy reports directly to the General Manager of Italy, with a dotted line to the Head of Medical Affairs EU & ROW. This role is part of the Italian management team and collaborates closely with all other functions based in Italy, as well as affiliated functions such as Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, Marketing, Commercial, Market Access, and others. The overall scope of the role includes :
* Providing effective strategic, scientific, and medical leadership
* Line management of the medical team (when in place)
* Developing and leading implementation of Italy Medical Affairs plans
* Engaging with scientific leaders in relevant therapy areas to raise awareness, provide relevant information, and foster scientific exchanges
* Demonstrating effective collaboration and sharing best practices between Italy, other countries, and HQ
Key Responsibilities
1. Recruiting, developing, and maintaining a high-performing medical affairs team (as needed)
2. Identifying strategic medical activities to support company goals
3. Aligning Italy Medical Affairs and publication plans to global plans
4. Planning and delivering effective medical communications, congress, and educational plans
5. Delivering tactics on budget and on time
6. Developing, overseeing, and implementing Italy scientific / clinical leaders and KOL development plans
7. Supporting local patient advocacy group engagement in alignment with the Patient Advocacy Group Programme Manager and HQ
8. Supporting market access projects related to local value and reimbursement dossiers and medical practices
9. Contributing to HQ-led Medical Affairs projects such as product / therapy training platforms, local events, and congresses
10. Ensuring adherence to Santhera SOPs and Italy compliance codes of practice, developing local SOPs as necessary
11. Acting as Italian compliance champion
12. Supporting collaboration between medical affairs and commercial colleagues
13. Contributing to high-priority EU / global projects
14. Reviewing and approving marketing and medical materials timely and compliantly
15. Representing the company at global projects
Required Qualifications & Experience
16. Bachelor’s degree in a scientific field; licensed MD, PharmD, or equivalent advanced scientific degree
17. Minimum of 10 years’ proven experience in medical affairs, especially in product launches and life cycle management
18. In-depth knowledge of regulatory and compliance requirements in Italy
19. Experience in rare diseases, R&D, or clinical work within hospitals or patient associations preferred
20. Experience in neuromuscular diseases or related therapeutic areas preferred
21. Leadership experience including team management
22. Willingness to travel up to 50%
Required Competencies & Skills
23. Strong relationship-building skills with KOLs, healthcare professionals, and internal teams
24. Excellent planning and organizational skills
25. Strategic vision with a business focus
26. Proactive, results-oriented, and capable of driving initiatives
27. Native Italian speaker with excellent communication and presentation skills
28. Ability to work independently and in a matrix environment
29. Resilient, adaptable, and solutions-oriented
If you are interested in a multicultural, challenging, and innovative working environment and your profile matches our requirements, we look forward to receiving your online application in English via LinkedIn or email.
Note for agencies : Recruitment agencies are kindly requested to refrain from sending unsolicited CVs to Santhera.
J-18808-Ljbffr
#J-18808-Ljbffr