What are the responsibilities and job description for the Vice President, Global Medical Affairs, Innovative Medicines, Orion Pharma position at Orion Pharma?
Job Description
The Vice President (VP) Medical Affairs is a pivotal, hands ‑ on medical leadership role responsible for driving the global medical strategy for Orion Innovative Medicines. Operating in a fast ‑ paced biotech-like environment, this role combines deep scientific expertise with strong executional ownership, shaping how innovative therapies are positioned, understood, and discussed within the medical community.
The role leads and line ‑ manages a multidisciplinary global Medical Affairs team, including:
The purpose of the role is to ensure that medical, scientific and patient expertise meaningfully shape the success of Innovative Medicines assets, bridging development and commercialization by embedding medical leadership within the Innovative Medicines commercial organisation, enabling asset ‑ focused Global Medical Leads to deliver high ‑ impact medical strategies, ensuring consistent scientific excellence, patient centricity and ethical engagement across the portfolio, and acting as Orion’s senior medical authority for Innovative Medicines both externally and internally.
As a core member of the iMEDS leadership team, the VP Medical Affairs works within a lean, highly collaborative organization—partnering closely with Clinical Development, Regulatory, Market Access and Commercial—to ensure science ‑ driven, patient ‑ focused decisions across the pipeline and pre ‑ launch phases.
Key Responsibilities
Medical Strategy & Ownership
What We Offer
Our Expectations
If this role aligns with your interests and aspirations, we encourage you to apply no later than June 6th, 2026.
This recruitment process is conducted in collaboration with an external recruitment partner, and by submitting your application to Orion Pharma, you consent to your personal data being processed by the appointed recruitment agency for the purposes of this hiring process. Please note that only candidates whose background and experience are considered suitable will be contacted.
The Innovative Medicines business division is responsible for the strategic leadership of Orion’s business in core therapy areas, Pain and Oncology, covering all activities from pipeline and portfolio building to commercialization. Innovative Medicines Business Division, where patients’ unmet needs meet innovation, bringing new treatments to promote health and well-being in society.
Orion’s pharmaceutical innovations are created within its R&D organization. We employ top professionals in the field of drug discovery and development. We work globally: in Espoo and Turku in Finland, in Cambridge and Nottingham in England and in Cambridge, USA. Orion R&D and the Innovative Medicines business division are dedicated to becoming a global player in oncology and pain therapy areas.
About Us
Orion Pharma is a globally operating Nordic pharmaceutical company – a builder of well-being for over a hundred years.
We’re home to more than 4,000 Orionees around the world, and we’re proud to be known as a responsible employer and a great place to work. At Orion Pharma, people are truly valued and trusted, encouraged to grow, and supported by a culture where every voice is heard. We appreciate each other, strive for excellence, and build the future.
Together we develop, manufacture, and market human and veterinary pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Our extensive portfolio includes proprietary and generic medicines as well as consumer health products. The core therapy areas of our pharmaceutical R&D are oncology and pain. Proprietary products developed by Orion Pharma are used to treat cancer, neurological diseases, respiratory diseases, and more.
We offer careers with a clear purpose: empowering people to live their lives to the fullest.
The Vice President (VP) Medical Affairs is a pivotal, hands ‑ on medical leadership role responsible for driving the global medical strategy for Orion Innovative Medicines. Operating in a fast ‑ paced biotech-like environment, this role combines deep scientific expertise with strong executional ownership, shaping how innovative therapies are positioned, understood, and discussed within the medical community.
The role leads and line ‑ manages a multidisciplinary global Medical Affairs team, including:
- Field Medical Organisations
- Medical Advisory including Evidence Generation and Information
- Patient Advocacy roles
The purpose of the role is to ensure that medical, scientific and patient expertise meaningfully shape the success of Innovative Medicines assets, bridging development and commercialization by embedding medical leadership within the Innovative Medicines commercial organisation, enabling asset ‑ focused Global Medical Leads to deliver high ‑ impact medical strategies, ensuring consistent scientific excellence, patient centricity and ethical engagement across the portfolio, and acting as Orion’s senior medical authority for Innovative Medicines both externally and internally.
As a core member of the iMEDS leadership team, the VP Medical Affairs works within a lean, highly collaborative organization—partnering closely with Clinical Development, Regulatory, Market Access and Commercial—to ensure science ‑ driven, patient ‑ focused decisions across the pipeline and pre ‑ launch phases.
Key Responsibilities
Medical Strategy & Ownership
- Serve as the global medical lead and scientific owner for oncology assets from Phase I/III through pre ‑ launch.
- Define and continuously refine the global medical strategy aligned with development milestones and corporate objectives.
- Translate emerging clinical data into a clear, differentiated scientific narrative grounded in unmet medical need and evolving standards of care.
- Provide strong medical and scientific leadership to clinical and translational teams, ensuring medical perspectives are incorporated into asset decisions.
- Design and execute focused, high ‑ impact pre ‑ launch medical plans suited to a resource ‑ conscious biotech setting.
- Lead development of core medical assets, including disease education approaches, scientific platforms, and launch ‑ critical medical materials.
- Drive medical launch readiness by identifying and addressing gaps in scientific understanding, external awareness, and internal alignment.
- Balance strategic planning with hands ‑ on delivery, adapting rapidly as data and priorities evolve.
- Provide medical input into late ‑ stage clinical program strategy, including protocol reviews, endpoint relevance, and interpretation of oncology data.
- Synthesize complex clinical and translational data into scientifically credible, externally relevant messaging.
- Partner with internal teams to prepare medical content aligned with regulatory and clinical milestones.
- Ensure scientific accuracy, consistency, and credibility across all global medical materials.
- Define and drive the global KOL engagement strategy for oncology pipeline assets.
- Participate directly in select high ‑ value scientific discussions with leading oncology experts.
- Synthesize insights from KOL and field interactions to inform medical and asset strategy.
- Build and maintain strong scientific relationships with key oncology investigators, academic networks, and medical societies.
- Represent the company at major oncology congresses, advisory boards, and external scientific meetings.
- Lead global advisory boards focused on clinical data interpretation, unmet need, and pre ‑ launch medical positioning.
- Provide clear, concise medical input to senior leadership to support timely, high ‑ quality decision ‑ making.
- Ensure alignment between global medical strategy and regional medical needs as launch approaches.
- Ensure all medical activities comply with applicable regulations, company policies, and industry codes of practice.
- Maintain scientific independence and ethical standards in all external interactions.
What We Offer
- At Orion Pharma, your work contributes to improving health and well-being for patients and society. We foster a culture of respect, diversity, and collaboration, offering: Inclusive work environment
- Opportunities for professional growth and development
- A chance to be part of a mission-driven organization
Our Expectations
- MD, PharmD, PhD, or equivalent advanced degree in medicine or life sciences.
- Strong oncology background required; clinical or translational experience preferred.
- 10 years of experience in Medical Affairs within biotech or pharmaceutical organizations.
- Demonstrated leadership of global medical strategy for oncology pipeline or pre ‑ launch assets.
- Experience working in biotech, emerging, or high ‑ growth organizations strongly preferred.
- Deep understanding of oncology science, clinical development, and therapeutic landscapes.
- Ability to operate strategically while remaining highly execution ‑ focused.
- Strong scientific communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
- Comfort working in ambiguity with evolving data and priorities.
- Ability to influence cross ‑ functionally without formal authority.
- Strong sense of ownership and accountability.
- Patient ‑ centric and innovation ‑ driven mindset.
- Scientifically curious, analytical, and confident in complex discussions.
- Agile, collaborative, and resilient in a fast ‑ changing organization.
- High integrity and commitment to ethical scientific engagement.
If this role aligns with your interests and aspirations, we encourage you to apply no later than June 6th, 2026.
This recruitment process is conducted in collaboration with an external recruitment partner, and by submitting your application to Orion Pharma, you consent to your personal data being processed by the appointed recruitment agency for the purposes of this hiring process. Please note that only candidates whose background and experience are considered suitable will be contacted.
The Innovative Medicines business division is responsible for the strategic leadership of Orion’s business in core therapy areas, Pain and Oncology, covering all activities from pipeline and portfolio building to commercialization. Innovative Medicines Business Division, where patients’ unmet needs meet innovation, bringing new treatments to promote health and well-being in society.
Orion’s pharmaceutical innovations are created within its R&D organization. We employ top professionals in the field of drug discovery and development. We work globally: in Espoo and Turku in Finland, in Cambridge and Nottingham in England and in Cambridge, USA. Orion R&D and the Innovative Medicines business division are dedicated to becoming a global player in oncology and pain therapy areas.
About Us
Orion Pharma is a globally operating Nordic pharmaceutical company – a builder of well-being for over a hundred years.
We’re home to more than 4,000 Orionees around the world, and we’re proud to be known as a responsible employer and a great place to work. At Orion Pharma, people are truly valued and trusted, encouraged to grow, and supported by a culture where every voice is heard. We appreciate each other, strive for excellence, and build the future.
Together we develop, manufacture, and market human and veterinary pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Our extensive portfolio includes proprietary and generic medicines as well as consumer health products. The core therapy areas of our pharmaceutical R&D are oncology and pain. Proprietary products developed by Orion Pharma are used to treat cancer, neurological diseases, respiratory diseases, and more.
We offer careers with a clear purpose: empowering people to live their lives to the fullest.