Job Title:
Senior Director, Medical Communications
Location:
Remote
Position type:
FLSA:
Full time
Exempt
Department:
Finance ID:
Medical Affairs - 5201
2501-1Q25-50
Profoundly Improve People’s lives by Revolutionizing the Delivery of RNA Therapeutics
At Avidity Biosciences, we are passionate about the impact of every employee in realizing our vision of improving people’s lives by delivering a new class of RNA therapeutics. Avidity is revolutionizing the field of RNA with its proprietary AOCs, which are designed to combine the specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the precision of oligonucleotide therapies to address targets and diseases previously unreachable with existing RNA therapies. If you are a committed, solution-oriented thinker, join us in making a difference and become part of our growing culture that is integrated, collaborative, agile and focused on the needs of patients.
Avidity Biosciences, Inc.'s mission is to profoundly improve people's lives by delivering a new class of RNA therapeutics - Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs™). Utilizing its proprietary AOC platform, Avidity demonstrated the first-ever successful targeted delivery of RNA into muscle and is leading the field with clinical development programs for three rare muscle diseases: myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Avidity is broadening the reach of AOCs with its advancing and expanding pipeline, including programs in cardiology and immunology through internal discovery efforts and key partnerships. Avidity is headquartered in San Diego, CA.
The Opportunity
The Senior Director, Medical Communications will be responsible for leading Medical Affairs communications strategy internally and externally. This includes oversight of publications strategy, planning and execution as well as scientific messaging across all Avidity programs. The role is responsible for cultivating partnerships with cross-functional senior and executive leaders such as corporate communications, program leadership, clinical development, legal, regulatory, patient advocacy and marketing to provide leadership in support of development of a medical communications strategy that advances the awareness, understanding and credibility of Avidity science in our disease areas of focus. The role is responsible for interacting with various investigators, KOLs, HCPs and internal Avidity departments to ensure the medical and scientific merit of medical communications. This role includes direct leadership and will be responsible for leading and building a team as the pipeline and related work advances. This position will report to the VP, Global Medical Affairs.
What You Will Contribute
- Fosters collaboration with senior leadership to inform and understand corporate strategy and ensure alignment of external medical communications.
- Oversees vendor management, budget management and internal systems (e.g., Veeva CRM, Publications planning software, etc.) related to medical communications.
- Provide matrix leadership to teams that manage program publications, including management of external vendors/medical agencies assisting with medical content planning and execution.
- Manage resource development in collaboration with field medical lead.
- Build and maintain global scientific platform for each program.
- Collaborate closely with medical directors to ensure communications strategy and scientific narrative are built into medical plans.
- Partners with corporate communications lead to create tight alignment between corporate and medical communications strategy and plan.
- Leads development of scientific communication platforms and core communication objectives in collaboration with program teams.
- Establish and ensure consistent adherence to publications policies in accordance with good publication practices through oversight and leadership of publications activities.
- Lead cross functional strategic external Med Communications efforts in alignment with product development teams to ensure prioritized submission and publication of data to address unmet educational needs.
- Work with internal review committees in submission and review of all external medical communications and materials, to ensure accuracy, compliance, and consistency of materials for medical presentations and education.
- Collaborate closely with finance for budget management for all Medical Affairs contracts, and correspondence with grant recipients as applicable.
- Develop strategic medical congress plans within the broader communications plan.
- Conduct ongoing assessments of Medical Affairs capabilities, processes, and systems to identify and address gaps.
- Oversee ongoing development and evolution of Medical Affairs standard operating procedures.
- Develop onboarding and continuing training program for global medical affairs.
- Enhance organizational collaboration by encouraging dialog amongst team members to address issues, actively seeks solutions that improve the organization at the regional and national level.
- Maintains a positive attitude, anticipates and proactively adapts actions to seize opportunities during times of rapid change and/or uncertainly. Help others during change through positive, solution-oriented approach.
What We Seek
- Advanced degree required (PharmD, MD, or PhD).
- 10+ of combined industry, clinical and/or medical communications experience.
- Must possess excellent communication skills, including ability to strategically synthesize and simplify complicated scientific topics into understandable messages for broad audiences.
- Leadership and influence skills, including a passion for working within multiple teams and proven ability to achieve results in a matrix organization.
- Must be able to actively manage and track complex projects in parallel, structuring the actions of many people toward shared outcomes.
- Highly motivated, decisive, and results-oriented individual with the ability to be flexible and creative in a rapidly growing and changing environment.
- Experience working with all levels of management and consulting with key business stakeholders. An ability to positively influence stakeholders in a team environment for greater outcomes.
- Strong team player that has a customer service approach and is solution oriented.
- Attention to detail and the ability to work individually, within a multi-disciplinary team, as well as with external partners and vendors.
- Embrace Avidity’s core values.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively, as required, in a fast-paced start-up environment consisting of internal and external team members.
- Analytical thinker with excellent critical thinking skills and the ability to adapt to changing priorities and deadlines.
- Proven track record of excellent communication and collaboration skills, including recognition by cross-functional partners; work well independently while exhibiting professional maturity, confidence, and competence.
- Outstanding business acumen; knows the industry, Avidity’s value proposition, key competitors, and other marketplace factors/dynamics.
- Ability to travel up to 25%. Weekend travel may be required.
What We Will Provide To You
- The base salary range for this role is $337,250 - $372,750. The final compensation will be commensurate with such factors as relevant experience, skillset, internal equity and market factors.
- Avidity offers competitive compensation and benefits, which include the opportunity for annual and spot bonuses, stock options, and RSUs, as well as a 401(k) with an employer match. In addition, the comprehensive wellness program includes coverage for medical, dental, vision, and LTD, and four weeks of time off.
- A commitment to learning and development which includes a variety of programming internally developed by and for Avidity employees, opportunities for job-specific training offered by industry, and an education reimbursement program.
