Medical Science Liaison, CNS - Great Lakes

Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. is transforming customer engagement to better serve patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers in an evolving healthcare environment. This model focuses on local ecosystems, uniting 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. Responsibilities include customizing regional business strategies, addressing medical and educational needs, and covering multiple CNS therapeutic products. The role also involves broad clinical discussions, gathering customer insights, and collaborating across internal teams to ensure a unified, patient-centric approach.

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 Medical Affairs organization beyond the assigned territory.
• 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 broader region.
• Build and cultivate internal working relationships across the matrix team to ensure an enterprise-wide 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 in the field based on priorities.
• Provide clinical and data-focused training for promotional and disease state speakers; may serve as part of Otsuka’s speaker bureau for product educational needs.
• Collect and submit medical insights that drive decision-making, prioritize evidence generation efforts, and share 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 operational management to ensure optimal site selection and performance.
• Participate as a mentor in peer functional and therapeutic development, including onboarding new hires.
• Support other organizational areas, including Safety & Pharmacovigilance for investigating safety-related issues, Sales Training for medical education, and the Field Medical Center of Excellence for mentoring and sharing best practices.

Requirements

• MD/DO, PharmD, or PhD in life sciences required.
• Understanding of the interconnectivity of health systems, overall delivery of patient care, and experience working with healthcare professionals and decision-makers.
• Minimum 2 years of relevant experience in pharmaceutical industry Medical Affairs or comparable clinical/research experience.
• Previous training or experience in CNS disease is preferred.
• Strong business acumen, including knowledge of the industry, Otsuka’s business model, value proposition, key competitors, and marketplace dynamics.
• Ability to identify solutions with the goal of improving patient outcomes.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills; exhibits professional maturity, confidence, and competence.
• Strong conflict resolution skills: proven ability to achieve resolution effectively and quickly with affected parties and work in a cross-functional environment.
• Ability to lead others and project teams strategically.
• Ability to summarize and communicate complex information and business objectives concisely and effectively during presentations and interactions.
• Strong understanding of industry legal, regulatory, and compliance landscape.
• Ability to work in an ambiguous environment undergoing transformation.
• 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 assigned territory.

Skills

• Accountability for Results: Stay focused on key strategic objectives, maintain high performance standards, and lead change.
• Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving: Make decisions considering long-term impact on customers, patients, employees, and the business.
• Patient & Customer Centricity: Maintain an ongoing focus on the needs of customers and key stakeholders.
• Impactful Communication: Communicate with logic, clarity, and respect to influence at all levels and achieve the best results for Otsuka.
• Respectful Collaboration: Seek and value others’ perspectives, striving for diverse partnerships to enhance common goals.
• 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 a typical pay range for individuals hired in the United States. Actual pay may vary based on job experience, specific skills, and comparison to internal incumbents. Typically, pay will be 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.