Medical Director / Senior Medical Director, Clinical Development

Meet Life Sciences is representing a neurology-focused biotech advancing innovative therapies for patients with serious central nervous system disorders. Our client is a clinically driven, early-stage organization focused on translating cutting-edge science into meaningful therapies, with a strong emphasis on rigorous development strategy and cross-functional collaboration.

Position Summary

We are seeking a Medical Director or Senior Medical Director, Clinical Development to play a key role in shaping and advancing early-stage clinical development programs in neurology. This individual will provide medical and scientific leadership across clinical strategy, study design, protocol development, medical monitoring, and cross-functional execution. The ideal candidate is a physician with biotech or pharmaceutical industry experience in early clinical development and a strong understanding of CNS drug development.

This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on clinical development physician who thrives in a fast-paced biotech environment and wants to help build programs from an early stage.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to the clinical development strategy for early-stage neurology programs, including first-in-human and early proof-of-concept studies
• Provide medical leadership for assigned clinical trials, including protocol development, eligibility criteria, endpoint selection, and safety monitoring plans
• Serve as a medical monitor for ongoing studies and support review of safety data, medical data trends, and emerging benefit-risk profiles
• Partner cross-functionally with Clinical Operations, Regulatory, Biometrics, Translational Sciences, Medical Writing, and other teams to support study execution
• Author and review key clinical and regulatory documents, including protocols, investigator brochures, clinical study reports, safety narratives, and regulatory briefing materials
• Support interactions with regulatory authorities, investigators, key opinion leaders, and external advisors
• Provide clinical input into program strategy, target product profiles, and development planning
• Help identify and address clinical development risks, protocol issues, enrollment considerations, and operational challenges
• Contribute to clinical and scientific communications, including publications, presentations, and internal development updates
• Support due diligence and broader portfolio discussions as needed

Qualifications

• MD or DO required
• Medical Director: typically 3 years of industry clinical development experience
• Senior Medical Director: typically 5 years of industry clinical development experience with increasing strategic responsibility
• Experience in biotech, pharma, or a similarly innovative clinical-stage environment
• Prior experience supporting early-stage clinical development, ideally including Phase 1 and/or Phase 2 studies
• Background in neurology, neuroscience, or CNS-focused drug development strongly preferred
• Experience with protocol design, medical monitoring, data review, and authoring clinical/regulatory documents
• Strong understanding of clinical trial design, drug development processes, and regulatory requirements
• Excellent cross-functional communication and leadership skills
• Ability to operate effectively in a lean, collaborative biotech environment

Preferred Qualifications

• US board-certified physician in Neurology or another relevant specialty strongly preferred
• Prior experience in neurology clinical development within a biotech setting
• Experience working on programs for neurodegenerative, neuroinflammatory, neuromuscular, psychiatric, or other CNS disorders
• Familiarity with translational medicine and biomarker-driven development approaches
• Local to the San Diego area or open to being based locally

What Success Looks Like

• Provides strong medical leadership across early clinical programs
• Helps design thoughtful, efficient studies that support key development decisions
• Serves as a credible scientific and clinical voice internally and externally
• Operates as a collaborative partner across functions while maintaining strategic focus on program advancement