Director - Medical Affairs - Gastroenterology & Rheumatology, Gulf

Eli Lilly and CompanyDubai, DubaiOn-siteFull-timePrincipal, 12–15+ yearsListed 6 hours ago

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About this role

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us.

As a Clinical Research Physician (CRP), you will be the therapeutically aligned scientist playing a key role within the Gulf Medical Affairs organization. The primary focus of the CRP is to use knowledge of immunology — with a focus on gastroenterology and rheumatology — available treatments, and investigational compounds to deliver strategic and tactical medical planning. The CRP presents at meetings with Gulf health authorities and other government regulatory agencies, provides medical guidance on pricing, reimbursement and access (PRA), and leads local scientific data dissemination — including presenting at conferences and advisory boards, and overseeing the scientific content of educational programs.

The CRP is a key cross-functional partner to the brand team, helping to meet both external customer and internal business needs across the Gulf markets. The CRP is aware of and ensures that all activities follow current local and international regulations, laws and guidance (for example, DOH, MOH), Good Clinical Practices (GCPs), company standards, Lilly policies and procedures, global quality standards and the Principles of Medical Research, and are aligned with the medical vision.

Qualification & Experience

Medical Doctor degree preferred, plus ≥ 6 years of relevant clinical or therapeutic experience, with clinical and/or research experience in gastroenterology and/or rheumatology required (broader immunology experience a plus)

Fluent in English (verbal and written) required; fluent Arabic a strong plus; additional regional languages an advantage

Knowledge of drug development process relevant to the Gulf region preferred, including regulatory and market access requirements

Advanced interpersonal, communication, project management, negotiation and presentation skills

Previous therapeutic area leadership across geographies

Effective, strong leadership with the ability to influence others, provide clear direction to internal and external teams and foster a positive working environment

Strong planning, execution and managing of the therapeutic area medical budget

Able to interpret technical/scientific data and translate it into meaningful, clear and compliant content for customer communications and engagement

Strong track record of teamwork in a cross-functional environment

Commercial/business acumen and contribution

Knowledge and experience at the customer interface

High workload capacity, including the ability to manage and prioritize broad deliverables of a complex nature

Demonstrated ability to balance scientific priorities with business priorities

Key Responsibilities:

Primary Responsibilities:

Business/Customer Support

Understand and anticipate the scientific information needs of local/regional customers (payers, patients, gastroenterologists, rheumatologists and other healthcare providers)

Contribute to medical strategies supporting brand commercialization, working with global Medical Affairs, brand teams, Patient Outcomes/Real World Evidence, PRA, and clinical teams during local business plan development

Provide clinical input to PRA activities, including payer partnership programs, product value defense and engagement with Gulf health authorities and government payers

Support business-to-business and business-to-government activities as medical expert

Serve as a key medical point of contact for the brand team, providing clinical, scientific and strategic input to the cross-functional team

Take a medical leadership role in product launches, including pre- and post-launch support and medical activities in support of demand realization

Take a leadership role in Medical, partnering with other Medical Affairs roles to create a seamless team that delivers exceptional customer experiences

Contribute scientific and creative input to the development and approval of promotional materials

Support training of sales representatives and medical personnel

Apply knowledge of market archetypes and customer insights to all customer-related activities

Oversee the collation and analysis of customer information to drive understanding and insights

Collaborate cross-functionally to drive improvement in customer engagement through digital innovation

Scientific Data Dissemination/Exchange

Establish and maintain relationships with external scientific experts, thought leaders, and the medical community locally, nationally, and internationally

Serve as the scientific expert on Lilly’s immunology (gastroenterology and rheumatology) compounds, sharing knowledge across internal teams

Support medical information associates in preparing and reviewing medical letters and materials

Ensure compliance with local laws, global policies, and guidelines on data dissemination and HCP interactions

Support Scientific Data Disclosure (SDD) plans

Address unsolicited scientific information needs from external HCPs, including escalations from medical information and sales, per compliance guidelines

Support planning of speaker training, advisory boards, and other HCP meetings

Prepare or review scientific information in response to customer or media questions, with timely follow-up per global SOPs

Support data analysis, slide set development, and publications (abstracts, posters, manuscripts)

Deliver scientific, educational and promotional presentations internally and to customers

Maintain relationships with relevant professional societies

Provide congress support (exhibits, presentations, medical booth staffing, thought leader engagement)

Clinical Planning & Trial Execution/Support

Represent country/region clinical needs to business unit medical leadership in developing clinical strategies, development plans, and protocol design

Review and approve local informed consent documents and risk profiles

Collaborate with clinical research staff on local trial design, conduct, and reporting (sample size, timelines, grants, governance)

Review investigator-initiated trial (IIT) proposals and publications as requested

Contribute to global alignment of Phase 3b/4 studies

Address the scientific information needs of investigators and study personnel

Review protocols, study reports, grant submissions and contracts for local studies

Support global Development studies conducted in the affiliate/country, if assigned

Report adverse events as mandated by corporate patient safety

Regulatory Support

Participate in development and review of local labeling, in collaboration with global Development, brand, regulatory, and legal teams

Provide medical expertise to regulatory scientists and advisory committees, including interactions with regulatory authorities

Scientific Technical Expertise

Stay current on clinical practice and access trends in gastroenterology and rheumatology, near-term (1-2 years) and longer-term (3-5 years)

Critically evaluate relevant medical literature and competitive product data

Act as scientific consultant and protocol expert for clinical study teams

May serve as the affiliate medical/scientific leader, including research and regulatory deliverables

Ensure activities are aligned with the strategic priorities of the global Medical Affairs, brand and development teams

Continue to develop scientific and technical expertise in the therapeutic area

Other Role Requirements:

Willingness to travel to customers, meetings, and congresses across the Gulf markets and internationally (30%+ travel may be required)

Role is based in the Gulf region (Dubai, UAE preferred), aligned with Gulf operating hours

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 does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

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