Medical Affairs — P6
MEDICA.MEDICALA8D2F.P6
Field-based and strategic medical affairs: building trusted scientific relationships with KOLs, investigators, and HCPs; delivering non-promotional scientific exchange on products and pipeline; collecting field medical insights; and shaping integrated evidence generation (RWE, HEOR, investigator-sponsored studies) across the product lifecycle. Distinct from Medical Writing/Documentation (publication authoring, regulatory document drafting) and from Medical Information (inquiry response/call-center operations) — this focus centers on Medical Science Liaison (MSL) and Medical Affairs strategy roles.
Field-based and strategic medical affairs: building trusted scientific relationships with KOLs, investigators, and HCPs; delivering non-promotional scientific exchange on products and pipeline; collecting field medical insights; and shaping integrated evidence generation (RWE, HEOR, investigator-sponsored studies) across the product lifecycle. Distinct from Medical Writing/Documentation (publication authoring, regulatory document drafting) and from Medical Information (inquiry response/call-center operations) — this focus centers on Medical Science Liaison (MSL) and Medical Affairs strategy roles.
Focus — Medical Affairs
Field-based and strategic medical affairs: building trusted scientific relationships with KOLs, investigators, and HCPs; delivering non-promotional scientific exchange on products and pipeline; collecting field medical insights; and shaping integrated evidence generation (RWE, HEOR, investigator-sponsored studies) across the product lifecycle. Distinct from Medical Writing/Documentation (publication authoring, regulatory document drafting) and from Medical Information (inquiry response/call-center operations) — this focus centers on Medical Science Liaison (MSL) and Medical Affairs strategy roles.
Material SKILL differential vs the function baseline.
Responsibilities by level
What this person actually does at each level on the professional track — escalating scope, not one generic blob. Your level is highlighted.
- Learns and accurately communicates key clinical data and product information within the assigned therapeutic area, following defined scientific exchange procedures
- Attends initial scientific conferences and begins building KOL relationships under senior MSL guidance
- Supports internal training, literature review, and competitor analysis using PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov
- Shadows senior MSLs during field visits and assists in gathering medical insights for reporting to internal stakeholders via Veeva Medical Insights
- Completes onboarding programs focused on therapeutic area knowledge and non-promotional compliance standards
- Develops and independently maintains relationships with KOLs, investigators, and HCPs across an assigned territory, logging engagements in Veeva Vault CRM for Medical
- Delivers non-promotional scientific information on company products and pipeline through balanced, evidence-based exchange
- Collects field-based insights and reports them to inform clinical and strategic planning
- Attends major medical congresses and supports clinical trials through investigator site training
- Plans day-to-day territory activities and coordinates logistics for advisory boards and investigator meetings
- Owns territory relationships and strategy, managing key accounts and engaging high-priority KOLs on complex scientific topics
- Facilitates medical education programs, advisory boards, and investigator meetings, selecting engagement methods to address therapeutic-area needs
- Validates promotional materials and ensures product claims rest on solid clinical and scientific foundations during regulatory audits
- Provides scientific training for sales representatives and manages health compliance files
- Mentors junior MSLs and provides scientific and strategic input across the product lifecycle
- Acts independently on broad medical affairs assignments, serving as an external scientific spokesperson and building influential KOL and investigator networks
- Shapes field insight strategy across a therapeutic area, translating aggregated insights into clinical and commercial strategic recommendations
- Leads design and execution of integrated medical education and advisory programs that advance the evidence agenda
- Provides high-level scientific input on evidence generation, including investigator-sponsored studies and pre/post-approval data needs
- Coaches MSLs on advanced KOL engagement and represents medical affairs in cross-functional strategic forums
- Provides strategic direction and scientific expertise for all medical affairs activities within a region or business unit
- Owns integrated evidence planning, identifies critical data gaps, and directs use of Real-World Evidence alongside HEOR to support value-based decisions
- Manages and develops field medical teams while contributing to organization-wide strategic decision-making
- Works closely with senior stakeholders across clinical, regulatory, and commercial functions to align medical activities with enterprise objectives
- Demonstrates and articulates the broader business impact of medical affairs to executive leadership
- Sets the long-term medical affairs roadmap and integrated evidence strategy spanning multiple therapeutic areas or the enterprise
- Defines novel approaches to evidence generation (RWE, HEOR, ISS frameworks) that influence industry medical affairs practice
- Networks with executives, regulators, and global industry leaders to shape scientific and value-demonstration strategy
- Anticipates emerging scientific and regulatory challenges and positions the organization's medical affairs capability ahead of them
- Provides high-level mentorship to senior medical directors and shapes company-wide medical affairs capability without requiring direct reports
Level guidelines
The universal leveling rubric applied to this function — how scope, complexity, collaboration, and experience step up across levels.
| Level | Knowledge & Application | Complexity & Problem Solving | Collaboration & Interaction | Typical Degree & Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P2 | Applies foundational therapeutic-area and product knowledge under defined scientific exchange procedures; learns to interpret clinical trial data accurately. | Handles conventional tasks (literature review, insight capture) with moderate judgment in familiar contexts; escalates novel scientific questions. | Builds productive working relationships with internal stakeholders and begins KOL contact while shadowing senior MSLs. | ≈0–3 years; BA/MS in life sciences, or PhD/PharmD with no field experience. |
| P3 | Applies solid evidence-based medicine and clinical trial interpretation to deliver independent non-promotional scientific exchange within a territory. | Evaluates identifiable scientific and territory factors to plan engagement; resolves diverse field problems with moderate independence. | Networks directly with KOLs, investigators, and senior internal professionals; may coordinate advisory board and meeting logistics. | ≈3–6 years field medical, or PhD/PharmD with limited experience. |
| P4 | Applies in-depth therapeutic and HEOR/RWE awareness to complex scientific exchange, claims validation, and lifecycle input affecting the function. | Performs in-depth analysis of complex clinical variables; selects engagement and education methods; supports regulatory audits. | Coordinates across medical, commercial, and regulatory groups; influences territory and account decisions; mentors junior MSLs. | ≈6–8+ yrs, often with graduate/doctoral education. |
| P5 | Brings expert, field-recognized therapeutic mastery and evidence-strategy judgment to broad, high-ambiguity medical affairs assignments. | Works with intangibles to shape insight and evidence strategy with high independence; integrates clinical, economic, and competitive factors. | Builds influential external networks; acts as scientific spokesperson; coaches MSLs and represents medical affairs in strategic forums. | ≈10–12+ yrs, extensive field medical and evidence expertise. |
| P6 | Provides visionary, field-shaping scientific and evidence-planning leadership across a region, therapeutic area, or business unit. | Solves organization-wide medical strategy problems; directs integrated evidence planning and data-gap closure using RWE and HEOR. | Influences industry and company; partners with senior cross-functional and executive stakeholders; mentors and develops teams. | ≈15+ yrs; principal medical expert, often PhD/PharmD/MD with industry leadership. |
| P7 | Develops new medical affairs models and evidence frameworks that impact company-wide strategy and influence industry practice. | Solves precedent-free, ambiguous problems with broad business/industry consequences; defines long-term roadmaps and anticipates emerging challenges. | Networks with executives, boards, regulators, and industry leaders; persuades and educates senior stakeholders on strategic priorities. | ≈20+ yrs, or equivalent recognition (often PhD/MD plus significant industry contributions, publications, or recognized thought leadership). |
Skills
Focus-specific skills the role applies — the relevance layer beyond the occupational base.
- Evidence-based medicine
- Applies rigorous clinical evidence to inform medical decisions and credible scientific exchange with KOLs and HCPs.
- Clinical trial analysis
- Interprets and communicates clinical trial data and study results to internal and external scientific audiences.
- Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR)
- Evaluates the economic and health outcomes of treatments to support value-based decisions and stakeholder dialogue.
- Real-World Evidence (RWE)
- Generates and applies data about marketed and emerging treatments outside controlled trial settings to close evidence gaps.
- Scientific and technical knowledge
- Maintains deep therapeutic area and product knowledge to support credible, non-promotional scientific exchange.
- Evidence generation
- Produces new data through RWE, HEOR, investigator-sponsored studies, and pre/post-approval studies.
- Compliance, governance and ethics
- Ensures non-promotional, ethical, and regulatory-compliant conduct across all field and strategic medical activities.
- Leadership, strategic vision and professionalism
- Leads teams and sets strategic medical affairs direction with professional integrity.
- Communication and collaboration
- Communicates complex clinical data clearly and works cross-functionally across medical, commercial, and regulatory teams.
- Business acumen
- Understands the environment in which scientific activities occur to maximize strategic impact without becoming promotional.
- KOL relationship management
- Builds and maintains trusted relationships with key opinion leaders, investigators, and HCPs.
Provenance
The evidence base behind this profile — every layer is sourced; quality is scored by an adversarial review panel (1–5; passes at ≥4 on the minimum dimension).
Level — P6 — Principal Professional
Top individual contributor; recognized authority with strategic impact, equivalent to a low executive level
- Scope
- Organization-wide architecture and the hardest problems
- Autonomy
- Defines direction; minimal oversight
- Complexity
- Strategic, open-ended problems shaping the technical future
- Impact
- Organization-wide
- Decision rights
- Sets technical strategy for a major area
- Leadership
- Recognized authority; multiplies many teams
- Typical experience
- 12–18 yrs
Adjacent roles
Nearest roles by structural coordinates (level + taxonomy). Distance 0 → 1; each carries its 3-state match band. How coordinates work → · Compare side-by-side →
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O*NET / SOC
- code=19-1042source=jfm-factory.resolve