Associate Director - Medical Science Liaison - Gastroenterology (Southern California)

At Lilly, we unite caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We are a global healthcare leader headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our employees around the world work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to our communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. We give our best effort to our work, and we put people first. We’re looking for people who are determined to make life better for people around the world.

Eli Lilly and Company is continuing the expansion of our Gastroenterology MSL team.  This is an exciting chance to help build an MSL team in a new therapeutic area for Lilly, while working for a company with well-established MSL teams across multiple other therapeutic areas in Immunology.

The GI MSLs build new relationships with external experts as our GI development program continues to progress.  The MSLs work closely with the global and U.S. development teams as well as our Medical Affairs team in support of Lilly’s development activities.

This is a dynamic role and will continue to evolve. We are looking for someone with expertise in Gastroenterology/Immunology, passionate about delivering on our company purpose of making life better for people, eager to be a part of a growing new therapeutic MSL team from the ground up and motivated to work in a fast-paced environment.

Purpose:

Scientific Experts (SEs) are individuals who are noted for their expertise in a therapeutic area and as a result have special needs for in-depth and cutting-edge information, because they design and implement novel research and educate colleagues and students. The Medical Science Liaison (MSL) program is specifically designed to meet these needs through a field-based group of medical professionals with deep content knowledge about specific disease states, Lilly and competitor compounds and current issues in the therapeutic areas they represent. MSLs recognize and communicate feedback and insights of strategic importance from their interactions with SEs, to better inform Lilly’s strategic direction for research and commercialization. By facilitating scientific exchange between industry and the scientific community, MSLs have the opportunity to shape the future of healthcare by providing needed information that addresses important clinical and scientific questions.

Primary Responsibilities:

This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the job requirements at the time it was prepared. The job requirements of any position may change over time and may include additional responsibilities not specifically described in the job description. Consult with your supervision regarding your actual job responsibilities and any related duties that may be required for the position.

Maintain and effectively communicate deep scientific knowledge

MSLs will be required to engage in continuous learning to maintain the highest level of technical expertise within the therapeutic area they represent. This will enable the MSL to answer deep scientific questions and be sought after by their customers based on peer-credible knowledge and expertise. As a result, the MSL will establish themself as a reliable, trusted, resource of unbiased, accurate, up-to-date, medical and scientific knowledge requested and desired by their customers.

Excel at customer engagement and support medical/scientific information needs of scientific experts

MSLs will spend the majority of their time field based and customer facing engaging in mutually beneficial 2-way dialogues with SEs. Through the application of emotional intelligence and a deep understanding of their customers, MSLs will act as one of the primary interfaces between Lilly medical and scientific experts to deliver the best-in-class customer experiences. Core to the role is to answer customer questions by providing deep and advanced disease state and product information. Additionally, MSLs connect SEs with other Lilly resources or internal business partners as appropriate and identify possible collaborative research or external collaborations.

Strategic vision and leadership

MSLs synthesize complex data and effectively communicate meaningful clinical insights and unanswered customer questions they receive from SEs to Lilly medical and cross functional teams. They use creative problem-solving skills and utilize internal resources effectively to execute upon solutions. MSLs use a principle-based decision-making approach to make decisions independently or escalate them appropriately. They cultivate internal networks and collaborate effectively across functions with an active contribution to medical planning and strategy in the affiliate

Territory ownership

MSLs will be expected to demonstrate strategic analysis, planning, and prioritization to maximize efficiency. They will implement and evaluate a strategic territory plan prioritizing core ML activity and take personal accountability for results. The MSL will execute the role in a compliant manner, adhering to all governing internal and external requirements, procedures, and laws, demonstrating good judgement at all times.

Minimum Qualification Requirements:

• Advanced degree in health sciences (e.g., PharmD, MD, PhD in a medically related field) required with 2-3 years of clinically relevant experience. 

• Masters or bachelor's level degree in health sciences (e.g. BSN, RPh, PA, NP) considered if 5 or more years clinical, research or industry experience (medical or scientific role) in relevant therapeutic area is present.  

• Qualified candidates must be legally authorized to be employed in the United States. Lilly does not anticipate sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B or TN status) for this employment position.

• Must have valid U.S. driver's license.

Other Information/Additional Preferences:

• Preference to live within the geography of Southern California (Los Angeles or San Diego preferred) and within 30 minutes of major airport
• Field based position requires ability to travel up to 80% and work up to 4 to 6 weekends a year.    
• Intellectual curiosity about the field of science/medicine for which they are responsible. 
• Learning agility to comprehend and effectively communicate large amounts of complex scientific content in a clear and concise fashion. 
• Self-directed and able to work alone in the field effectively managing multiple priorities and projects.   
• Advanced presentation and computer skills with expertise in literature identification.  
• Demonstrated experience in effective strategic and critical thinking in order to analyze, assess and evaluate information and interpret impact or relevance to future states. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.   
• Ability to use field-based electronic or other communication tools for all aspects of job is critical. 
• Resiliency in managing complex challenges. 
• Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills, including high emotional intelligence and the ability to engage in professional relationship building and networking. 
• Experience in servicing customer needs for complex information. 
• Significant experience in professional networking with mutually beneficial outcomes. 
• Experience in field-based working environment highly valued. 
• Familiarity with health systems, academic communities, medical research, and medical education process highly valued. 

Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia Network, Black Employees at Lilly, Chinese Culture Network, Japanese International Leadership Network (JILN), Lilly India Network, Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), PRIDE (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN), Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL), enAble (for people with disabilities). Learn more about all of our groups.

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location.  The anticipated wage for this position is

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.

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