Medical Science Liaison, CNS - Great Lakes

Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. is transforming customer engagement to better meet the needs of patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers in an evolving healthcare environment. This model focuses on local ecosystems, integrating account management, medical, patient access, marketing, and market access to improve patient care through coordinated, digital-enabled support.

About the role

The Medical Science Liaison (MSL) is a field-based, integral member of Otsuka’s ecosystem team, contributing to the strategic business plan and identifying key stakeholders within the ecosystem. This role serves as a credible partner, providing clinical, scientific, and health economic information related to CNS disease states and Otsuka’s approved products. The MSL engages with Key Influencers (KIs), Local Practice Leaders (LPLs), healthcare providers, and patient groups to advance patient outcomes aligned with Otsuka’s objectives. Collaborating with ecosystem partners, the MSL customizes regional strategies to meet local needs and addresses the medical and educational requirements of customers. The role may cover multiple CNS therapeutic products and facilitate broad clinical discussions to gather and share customer insights.

Responsibilities

• Contribute a clinical and scientific perspective to the local execution plan, addressing customer challenges, issues, and opportunities to improve patient care and outcomes, including coordination of field activities.
• Build, cultivate, and leverage external relationships with key scientific and medical customers and organizations to understand evolving healthcare trends, disease states, Otsuka products, systems, and services across the ecosystem.
• Deliver on business objectives that impact the broader Medical Affairs organization.
• Develop and maintain a deep understanding of the ecosystem to align with Otsuka’s patient-centric strategy and priorities, ensuring optimal patient care.
• Serve as a credible source of evidence-based information, demonstrating the clinical, economic, and humanistic value of Otsuka and its products, and partner with stakeholders to apply real-world solutions for improved patient outcomes.
• Engage stakeholders at the local level who influence the region.
• Build and cultivate internal relationships across the matrix team to ensure an enterprise approach when working with customers.
• Shape and execute local medical strategies within planned timelines, accountable to regional Field Medical leadership.
• Disseminate disease state and healthcare landscape information to customers as defined by priorities.
• Provide clinical and data-focused training for promotional and disease state speakers; may serve as part of Otsuka’s speaker bureau for product education.
• Collect and submit medical insights to drive decision-making and prioritize evidence generation efforts and healthcare solutions, sharing insights at the local ecosystem level.
• Assist with Otsuka’s clinical trials program, including registrational, post-marketing, and Investigator-Sponsored Trials (ISTs), health economic outcomes research, and other medical collaborations; provide clinical expertise and feedback on trial operations.
• Participate as a mentor in peer functional and therapeutic development, including onboarding new hires.
• Support other organizational areas, such as Safety & Pharmacovigilance for investigating safety-related issues, Sales Training for medical education, and the Field Medical Center of Excellence for mentoring and best practices.

Requirements

• MD/DO, PharmD, or PhD in life sciences required.
• Minimum 2 years of relevant experience in pharmaceutical industry Medical Affairs or comparable clinical/research experience.
• Understanding of health system interconnectivity, patient care delivery, and experience working with healthcare professionals and decision-makers.
• Previous training or experience in CNS disease preferred.
• Strong business acumen, including knowledge of the industry, Otsuka’s business model, value proposition, competitors, and marketplace dynamics.
• Ability to identify solutions aimed at improving patient outcomes.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution skills; professional maturity and competence.
• Ability to lead strategically and summarize complex information concisely.
• Strong understanding of industry legal, regulatory, and compliance landscape.
• Ability to work in ambiguous, transforming environments.
• Demonstrates behaviors aligned with Otsuka’s Corporate Brand: Perseverance, Unconventional Thinking, and Humility.
• Business travel (by air or car) up to 70% of the time, depending on territory size; preferred living location is a key city in the territory.

Skills

• Accountability for Results: Focus on strategic objectives, high performance standards, and leading change.
• Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving: Make decisions considering long-term impact on customers, patients, employees, and the business.
• Patient & Customer Centricity: Maintain focus on the needs of customers and key stakeholders.
• Impactful Communication: Communicate with logic, clarity, and respect to influence at all levels.
• Respectful Collaboration: Seek and value diverse perspectives to enhance partnerships.
• Empowered Development: Actively engage in professional development as a business imperative.

Pay

Minimum $150,034.00 - Maximum $224,250.00, plus incentive opportunity. The range represents typical pay for individuals hired in the U.S., with actual pay determined by job experience, specific skills, and comparison to internal incumbents. Pay is typically positioned within the established range.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage.
• Company-provided basic life, accidental death & dismemberment, short-term and long-term disability insurance.
• Tuition reimbursement and student loan assistance.
• Generous 401(k) match.
• Flexible time off, paid holidays, and paid leave programs.
• Additional company-provided benefits.