Who We Are  

Zealand Pharma A/S (Zealand) is a fast-growing, Copenhagen-based biotechnology company with a highly attractive pipeline. With one product on the market, one candidate in registration, and six candidates in the clinical pipeline, Zealand has an exciting future in metabolic and gastrointestinal diseases, and other specialty or rare disease areas with significant unmet medical needs.  

At Zealand, we are committed to working together as one team to deliver life changing solutions that improve the lives of our patients. We achieve this goal by empowering all employees to be bold, trustworthy, inclusive, and innovative. 

 

Our Vision of the role  

Global Medical Affairs (GMA) provides healthcare decision-makers around the world with the evidence and confidence they need on Zealand Pharma (ZP) therapies and supports our internal stakeholders with medical insight and expertise. GMA provides medical leadership with market participation and connectivity while also impacting the life cycle planning and execution of all our products. GMA aims to lead ZP in achieving scientific leadership, being a great place to work, and keeping patients at the core of everything we do.  Reporting directly to the VP of Global Medical Affairs, The Executive Director, Head of US Medical Affairs (ED-US MA) will be responsible for building and leading the Zealand Medical team in the United States, including the Field Medical Team (FMA), with a focus on quality, compliance, and talent management.  The ED-US MA will ensure excellence in the execution of the medical strategies for the US market as well as close collaboration with the Sales, Marketing, and Market Access functions. She/he will secure appropriate and timely feedback on unmet needs from the US clinical community back to the R&D team and will contribute to the overall Medical Affairs strategy as a member of the Global Medical Affairs Leadership Team. She/he will also be a permanent member of Zealand’s US Leadership Team. 

 

Responsibilities Include  

· Direct the function to assure operational effectiveness and efficiencies through a continuous improvement approach. 

· Create an environment of strong team spirit, good communication and high motivation to enable highly inspired and effective team members to achieve company goals. 

· Ensure the highest standards of knowledge across the US Medical team on both the disease areas of focus as well as the marketed products and investigational projects (from Phase 2 onwards). 

· Encourage and foster collaboration and close coordination with Sales, Marketing and Market Access to present a coherent and consistent message to the various Zealand external stakeholders. 

· Execute medical plans, aligned with marketing strategy and clinical development plans, with focus on compliance, quality, and cost. 

· Represent Medical Affairs in Zealand’s US Leadership Team. 

· Accountable for the Medical Affairs US budget and associated due financial management. 

· Responsible for recruitment, compensation, performance management, succession management and talent management of the US Medical function. 

· Coaching and mentoring Medical Affairs Leaders to ensure they have the correct skills and capabilities to lead a cross functional GMAT effectively, as well as identifying development opportunities for direct reports. 

· Develop and evaluate appropriate and frequent reporting of quantitative and qualitative metrics for US Medical team. 

· Establish collaboration with the Clinical Operations function to identify academic centers and investigators to initiate and/or participate in clinical trials and identify key areas of future research for Zealand Pharma. 

· Provide recommendations to Marketing and Market Access for scientific experts and other external parties to serve as consultants, advisory board members, or speaker training faculty based on specific criteria. 

· Support ZP Speakers Bureau including contribution and dissemination of scientific content for peer-to-peer decks and conduct all speaker training. 

· Provide Medical Information booth support for identified meetings. 

· Assist with training sales representatives on product knowledge and understanding of disease state and technical information. 

· Secure adherence of the US Medical team to regulatory and compliance requirements, as well as to internal standard processes. 

 

What you will need to be successful 

· Advanced degree (MD, PhD or PharmD) preferred 

· 5 or more years of experience in the clinical management of diabetes and/or MSL experience in diabetes 

· Proven experience as a successful, decisive leader in a strategic multifunctional environment, matrix-management in pharmaceutical business environment, and ability to lead cross functional working groups and teams. 

· Track record of building productive relationships both within the affiliate (Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Regulatory), and with the Global R&D functions. 

· Proven results in people management and financial management. 

· Ability to influence strategically and persuade tactfully, to obtain desired outcomes while maintaining effective, positive organizational relationships 

· Has experience of challenging senior management in relation to science and data. 

· Persuasive oral and written communication skills, including the ability to develop and deliver medical presentations 

· Strong analytical mind-set, able to quickly assess large amounts of information, and to distil into key messages and actions 

· Team player, patient centered, commercially aware 

· Integrity and high ethical standards 

· Strong leader, collaborator and customer centered 

 

EEO Statement 

Zealand Pharma is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants by recruiting, hiring, training, promoting, and making other personnel decisions, without regard to race,  gender identity/expression, religion, sexual orientation, disability, military or veteran status, or any other category protected by law (“protected class status”).