Medical Affairs Director, Italy

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

• Recruit, develop, and maintain a high-performing medical affairs team (as needed)
• Identify strategic medical activities to support company goals
• Align Italy Medical Affairs and publication plans with global plans
• Plan and deliver effective medical communications, congress, and educational plans
• Deliver tactics on budget and on time
• Develop, oversee, and implement Italy scientific/clinical leaders and KOL development plans
• Support local patient advocacy group engagement as aligned with the Patient Advocacy Group Programme Manager and HQ
• Support market access projects related to local value and reimbursement dossiers
• Contribute to HQ-led Medical Affairs projects such as product/therapy training, local events, and congresses
• Ensure adherence to Santhera SOPs and Italy compliance codes of practice, developing local SOPs as necessary
• Act as Italian compliance champion, applying knowledge of country codes to optimize activities
• Support collaboration between medical affairs and commercial teams
• Contribute to high-priority EU/global projects
• Review and approve marketing and medical materials timely and compliantly
• Represent the company at global projects as the senior medical representative

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific field; licensed Doctor (MD), Pharmacist (PharmD), or equivalent advanced scientific degree
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in medical affairs, especially in product launches and lifecycle management
• Deep knowledge of regulatory and compliance requirements in Italy
• Experience in rare diseases, R&D, and clinical work within hospitals or patient associations preferred
• Experience in neuromuscular diseases or related areas preferred, with familiarity with clinical trial methodologies
• Leadership experience with team management responsibilities
• Willingness to travel up to 50%

Required Competencies & Skills

• Strong relationship-building skills with key opinion leaders and healthcare professionals
• Excellent planning and organizational skills
• Strategic vision with a business focus
• Proactive, results-oriented, and capable of driving initiatives
• Native Italian speaker with excellent communication and presentation skills
• Ability to work independently and in a matrix environment
• Resilient, adaptable, and solutions-oriented

If you are interested in a multicultural, challenging, and innovative environment, and your profile matches our requirements, we look forward to receiving your application in English via LinkedIn or email.

Note for agencies :

Recruitment agencies are kindly requested to refrain from sending unsolicited CVs to Santhera.