Executive Director, Medical Affairs Strategy, Excellence & Operations

Overview

As a member of the Medical Affairs leadership team, the Executive Director will serve as a strategic thought partner to the Vice President of Medical Affairs and a central coordinating role across Medical Affairs functions, providing high-level guidance and operational leadership across the organization. Leveraging a deep understanding of industry trends and internal priorities, this individual will shape the development, design, and infrastructure of the Medical Affairs organization, including establishing policies/procedures, strategic plans, and operations.

The Executive Director will have responsibility for strategic planning, Medical Affairs metrics/analytics, vendor & contracts management, governance & procedures, and strategy/launch planning efforts ensuring alignment with company goals and establishing medical standards. This role will establish operational standards, foster strategic integration within Medical Affairs and across functions, and provide insights to support decision-making.

Serving as a key liaison within Medical Affairs and across Celldex functional partners, the Executive Director will play a pivotal role in advancing scientific and medical initiatives. Through thoughtful leadership and collaboration, this individual will shape and execute the global medical affairs strategy, optimize operational frameworks, and enable data-driven innovation across therapeutic areas.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership and Execution
• Drives strategic alignment and operational integration across Medical Affairs.
• Evaluates working processes and develops recommendations for Medical Affairs organizational design, ensures alignment and implementation
• Leads the development, refinement, and execution of Medical Affairs objectives, strategies and plans in alignment with corporate goals.
• Coordinates cross-functional planning, meeting cadences, budget oversight, and communication on behalf of Medical Affairs leadership.
• Collaborates with cross-functional teams to align medical affairs activities with commercial and clinical development strategies
• Leads Medical Excellence for Med Affairs Strategy and Launch Planning to ensure implementation of best practices across programs and drives consistent methods of strategic and tactical planning and execution.

• Operational Excellence and Team Management
• Lead and manage core responsibilities within Medical Affairs, including:
  • Strategy/launch planning efforts and project plans
  • Governance, policies, procedures, and IT systems
  • Metrics/analytics
  • Budget, vendor, and contracts management
• Establish and implement systems, SOPs, and governance frameworks to ensure excellence, compliance, and efficiency in Medical Affairs processes (e.g., CME, IIRs, publications, data generation, congresses)
• Provide and maintain the technological infrastructure, business tools, and data analytics, including the medical information contact center, to enable Medical Affairs teams to operate efficiently
• Oversee the department’s budget, resource allocation, and vendor contracting processes (including vendors)
• Will ensure assignment of Medical Affairs activities/projects to Celldex priorities
• Congress Strategy/prioritization, ensure aggregation of congress plans (including meetings) and awareness cross functionally
• Develop and maintain calendar of important TA meetings across programs, including congresses, advisory boards, etc. to ensure no conflicts and adequate resourcing
• Develops and manages large teams driving a high-performance culture; understands the required skillset (s) needed within the medical excellence function to deliver best results
• Supports cross-functional Medical Affairs colleagues in developing relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, including industry partners

• Performance Monitoring and Reporting
• Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure Medical Affairs impact and execution
• Deliver regular updates to Global Medical Affairs leadership and contribute to executive leadership, as needed
• Keeps abreast external environment-relevant trends and incorporates insights and best practices to inform functional decisions
• Responsible for ensuring timelines and process for cross-brand initiatives, such as annual medical strategy planning, long-term Medical Affairs plans, and SMART goals

Qualifications

• Doctorate Degree (MD (Medical Doctor), PharmD, PhD) or equivalent preferred
• Minimum of 15 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology setting within medical affairs strategy
• Senior level medical affairs strategy experience for a minimum of 7 yrs. and experience in Medical Excellence & operations
• Therapeutic area experience in Immunology required. Allergy and/or Dermatology strongly preferred.
• End‑to‑end launch experience leading Medical in highly cross‑functional environments (Clinical, Regulatory, Access, Commercial), with measurable impact on launch outcomes and scientific adoption.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire high-performing teams
• Strong strategic, operational, and leadership capabilities within a biotech or pharmaceutical setting
• Expertise in compliance within medical affairs function
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to address complex challenges within medical affairs
• Ability to influence organizational level decisions
• Experience in collaborating with Medical Affairs vendors
• Strategic thinking acumen and record of accomplishment for operational excellence
• Ability to rapidly pivot based on evolving corporate strategy and direction
• Proficiency in pharma code and all guidelines concerning medical affairs activities
• Excellent presentation skills and ability to communicate complex scientific information
• Motivated, disciplined, pro-active individual capable of effectively managing timelines
• PMP or equivalent a plus.

Compensation

The expected base salary range for this position is $233,631 to $303,417. 

We are committed to compensating employees equitably based on several factors including experience, education, licensure/certifications, skill level, location of the position, and availability of similar talent in a competitive market.

Compensation for this role includes base salary, annual discretionary bonus, long term incentive, 401(K) plan with employer contribution, health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), paid holidays, vacation, and sick days. A summary of our benefits can be found on our careers page.

Celldex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer that strives to foster a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are committed to promoting a diverse environment through development, recruiting and community outreach.

Salary : $233,631 - $303,417