Regional Medical Advisor

Job description

JOB DESCRIPTION:

OVERALL MISSION:

This position typically refers to any employee within the EPD Medical organization with medical/scientific qualifications and training who provides scientific/medical support to EPD in a non-sales capacity, where the provision of such scientific/medical support includes significant contact with Abbott customers in the field. This definition is not intended to apply to those employees whose primary job function relates to the monitoring or management of clinical studies.

Reporting into the Senior Manager RMA / Head RMA this position participates in the initiation, oversight and follow-up of assigned clinical studies and medical projects initiated within the EPD Medical Organization, ensuring that activities are carried out in accordance with relevant processes and procedures. The RMA interfaces with other key members of the EPD Medical Organization - for example, Medical Managers, Clinical Research Managers and Medical Advisors - relevant to the therapeutic area for which the RMA has responsibility. The RMA assists relationships and advances the scientific credibility of the Company with established and emerging Regional/National Opinion leaders, responds to requests for scientific and medical information, and provides key scientific information updates to Regional and National Opinion leaders, as appropriate. The RMA develops, and maintains, key scientific knowledge that will enable credible dissemination of scientific information and informed scientific dialogue with physicians and opinion leaders, and the development of professional working relationships.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Ensure that all activities and interactions are conducted with due regard to all applicable local, global and national laws, regulations, guidelines, codes of conduct, Company policies and accepted standards of best practice.
• Provide scientific and technical support for, and help maintain professional and credible relationships with, key opinion leaders and academic centers to ensure access to current medical and scientific information on the products and areas of therapeutic interest.
• Ideate, design, develop and deliver innovative and engaging high science activities for Physicians and Key Opinion Leaders, to help drive Therapy Shaping in the area the RMA is assigned to, in collaboration with the Medical Affairs & the Commercial team.
• Assist in the initiation, oversight and follow up of assigned clinical studies and medical projects initiated within the relevant therapeutic area for which the RMA carries responsibility (e.g. post marketing clinical activities such as registry/database projects, epidemiological surveys, post-authorization studies (phase IV), IIS projects, etc.): all activities to comply with applicable local laws, guidelines, codes of practice, SOPs, and , I& D * SOPs.
• Deliver high science, unbiased and accurate scientific presentations to physicians, individually or in groups (meetings, clinical sessions, etc.), when requested.
• Participate in the selection process to identify appropriately qualified physicians the Company would wish to engage in collaborative efforts – such as potential research collaborations, or lecture/meeting support (Round Tables, Congresses, Symposia, etc.); and to ensure a high level of scientific or educational integrity in these collaborative efforts.
• Develop awareness and understanding of competitor issues/intelligence – for example, product strategies, studies, commercial messages, positioning, etc – and communicate, where appropriate, within the Company.
• Continuous and consistent support to the Medical / Marketing teams in gathering Insights and feedbacks from HCPs and Patients for more impactful brand plans / New products
• Attend relevant Scientific Societies meetings and Conferences, and develop summaries of key messages for use within the Company – such as key areas of scientific/company interest, new trends in diagnosis, monitoring and treatments in the therapeutic area, etc.
• Upon request, assist physicians to appropriately direct requests for access to Company products on a named patient or compassionate use basis, subject to all applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
• Support sales/marketing/internal team areas to develop their scientific and technical expertise through the delivery of scientific update presentations.
• Ensure up to date knowledge of products uses and external data.
• Provide key opinion leaders and internal medical and clinical teams with scientific and technical support for publications of scientific or medical interest.
• Support in Digital engagement of HCPs & patients through specific programmes as and when required
• Participate along with Medical Affairs & Clinical Operations team in real world data collection programmes

TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES:

• Therapeutic Area Expertise
• Management Skills
• Communication Skills
• Compliance & Process Improvement Skills
• Problem/Conflict Solving Ability
• Priority Setting
• Relationship Building

REQUIRED CORE COMPETENCIES / ATTRIBUTES:

• Adaptability:
  Maintain effectiveness when experiencing major changes in work tasks or the work environment; adjust effectively to work within new work structures, processes, requirements, or cultures. Consider change or new situations as opportunities for learning and growth. Persevere when encountering adversity. When confronted with a problem or crisis consider alternatives and then take timely action. Effectively prioritize work tasks.
• Initiative:
  Take prompt action to accomplish objectives; is proactive. Maintain a strong focus on internal and/or external customers. Continuously monitor relevant information, key issues and/or trends. Proactively seek feedback and adapts behavior to improve performance. Demonstrate a willingness to learn new aspects of the business. Display Ownership for end to end execution of initiatives.
• Innovation:
  Generate innovative solutions in work situations; try different and novel ways to deal with work problems and opportunities. Use best practice and benchmark data to increase organizational performance. Identify opportunities to improve efficiencies and reduce costs.
• Integrity:
  Firmly adhere to codes of conduct and ethical principles. Exhibit honesty. Present information accurately and completely. Keep commitments to work colleagues and customers. Acknowledge and respond constructively to failure and mistakes.
• Teamwork & Collaboration:
  Work effectively and cooperatively with others; establish and maintain good working relationships with internal and external partners to facilitate the accomplishment of work goals. Help others achieve shared goals. Demonstrate a willingness to listen without interrupting. Open to diverse and different ideas.
  

Competencies

Links to job responsibilities

ADAPTABILITY

• Responds to changes in the business and clinical practice within the country; considers the impact of these changes on the assigned product(s) and therapeutic area(s) and recommends ways to take advantage of new opportunities or counter threats to the business.

INITIATIVE

• Develops awareness and understanding of competitor issues/intelligence and communicates this information, where appropriate, within the affiliate.
• Applies therapeutic area knowledge to recommend clinical studies and other medical projects that will strengthen the position of assigned product(s).

INNOVATION

• Helps develop EPD strategy by identifying future opportunities for the assigned product(s) and therapeutic areas(s) and works with HQ, Area and Affiliate colleagues to take advantage of those opportunities.

INTEGRITY

• Ensures that all activities and interactions are conducted in accordance with all applicable local, global and national laws, regulations, guidelines, codes of conduct, company policies and accepted standards of best practice.

TEAMWORK & COLLABORATION

• Supports sales/marketing/internal Affiliate teams to develop their scientific and technical expertise.
• Participates in the selection process to identify appropriately qualified physicians the Company would wish to engage in collaborative efforts.

Technical Competencies

Links to job responsibilities

THERAPEUTIC AREA EXPERTISE

• Maintains an up-to-date scientific knowledge of assigned product(s) uses and key external data.
• Provides scientific support for, and helps maintain professional and credible relationships with, key opinion leaders and academic centers to ensure access to current medical and scientific information on the assigned products and areas of therapeutic responsibility.
• Supports sales/marketing/internal Area teams to develop their scientific and technical expertise through the delivery of scientific update presentations, and periodic training as required.

MANAGEMENT SKILLS

• Uses resources effectively and efficiently.
• Able to plan, prioritize and delegate tasks to project team as needed to ensure timely completion of projects.
• Maintain and operate within budget.
• Capable of analyzing and investigating issues and problem solving.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

• Effectively practices listening skills before responding to issues.
• Effectively writes, presents and communicates information to internal and external clients, including divisional management.
• Effective negotiation skills.

COMPLIANCE & PROCESS IMPROVEMENT SKILLS

• Demonstrates the ability to exercise good judgment on regulatory compliance issues.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the appropriate regulatory requirements and applies this understanding to all job responsibilities.
• Able to insure compliance to regulations from direct reports and outside contractors (CRO).

PROBLEM /CONFLICT SOLVING

• Able to analyze situations and conflicts without pre-judgments and assumptions
• Listens carefully and with an open mind
• Provides direct, complete, corrective and actionable feedback
• Reads situations quickly
• Settles disputes
• Negotiates common ground for win/win solutions

PRIORITY SETTING

• Prioritizes activities and projects, in order to better spend own time and others for what would provide the optimum return to the organization.
• Quickly senses what will help or hinder accomplishing a goal
• Eliminates roadblocks

Relationship Building

• Builds credible, meaningful & deep relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Is sensitive towards unmet needs of internal and external customers

KEY INTERFACES:

• EPD medical personnel: Clinical Research Managers, Clinical Operations Managers, Medical Advisors; Medical Information team / specialists; EPD Pharmacovigilance / drug safety personnel
• Marketing department across therapeutic area
• Sales organization of the geographic area of responsibility.
• Administrative personnel of the Medical Department and of the Business Unit.
• Healthcare personnel (including; physicians, nurses, pharmacists).
• Patients (through Patient Awareness Programs)
• Participating Research Investigators
• Key Opinion leaders
• Institutions and Scientific or Medical Societies
• International Medical Development / Global Project Team (GPT) personnel?

AUTHORITY AND REPORTING LINES:

• This position reports into the medical department- - Senior Manager RMA / Head RMA

LOCATION:

This function is field based.

IDEAL CANDIDATE CRITERIA:

• Graduate or Post Graduate Medical Degree in Pharmacology (Preferable) or Allied Sciences Keen interest in developing and maintaining expert knowledge for assigned therapeutic area/product and in medical research in general.
• Knowledge of the scientific methods applied to clinical research and the current legislative/regulatorycontrols.
• Solid knowledge of the pharmaceutical environment and excellent skills to build stake-holders relationship.
• Strong commitment to compliance with the relevant rules and procedures, and to scientific quality and integrity.
• A good command over spoken and written English.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT:

Possible career development roles:

• Manager-Medical Affairs or Medical Advisor
• Head of Affiliate Medical
• Area Medical Advisor
• EPD Strategic Medical Affairs
• Clinical Development, GPRD, I & D
• Product Management

JOB FAMILY:

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LOCATION:

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