VP, Medical Science & Strategy - Rare Disease

At Thermo Fisher Scientific, you’ll discover meaningful work that makes a positive impact on a global scale. Join our colleagues in bringing our Mission to life—enabling our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We provide our teams with the resources needed to achieve individual career goals while taking science a step beyond through research, development and delivery of life-changing therapies.

About the role

This position plays a key part in the future success of the clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific, as it seeks to continue its track record of successful growth and expand its industry-leading position in Rare Disease. Strategic Scientific Solutions (S3) physicians are subject matter experts who support sales for proposals and bid defenses, engaging clients' senior medical/scientific leadership in discussions and training internal staff on medical and therapeutic requirements of the proposals.

Responsibilities

• Define and govern rare disease portfolio strategy, translating market needs and client pipelines into growth priorities, service differentiation, and investment choices.
• Lead the most strategic, highest-value executive client engagements, governance forums, advisory boards, and bid defenses where enterprise-level influence is required.
• Set standards for medical/scientific quality across proposals, development plans, protocol strategy, regulatory positioning, and trial support; ensure consistency across teams and regions.
• Shape strategic alliances and external thought leadership to strengthen Thermo Fisher’s clinical research business positioning in the rare disease field.
• Partner with commercial, consulting, operations, regulatory, feasibility, and clinical leadership to convert scientific strategy into measurable revenue, win-rate, quality, and delivery outcomes.
• Build organizational capability by mentoring physicians/scientists.
• Sponsor innovation and cross-functional initiatives that expand offerings, improve decision quality, and advance the industry-leading position of the business.

Requirements

• MD required; board certification preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry leading Rare Disease clinical development programs, including advancement of at least one asset from discovery through registration.
• Active medical license preferred but not required.
• Demonstrated track record as a recognized therapeutic expert and peer to pharmaceutical-industry medical/scientific counterparts.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship.
• Must be able to pass a comprehensive background check, which includes a drug screening.

Skills

• Enterprise-level therapeutic strategy, portfolio judgment, and business acumen; able to connect scientific choices to commercial, operational, and growth outcomes.
• Executive presence and credibility with pharmaceutical/biotech senior medical, scientific, and business leaders.
• Able to establish standards, governance, and scalable ways of working across geographies, functions, and client portfolios.
• Exceptional influence in complex matrix environments, including senior cross-functional and external stakeholders.
• Strong talent developer; builds senior capability, succession, and communities of practice.
• Leads through ambiguity, manages significant risk, and makes trade-off decisions with enterprise impact.
• Drives innovation, continuous improvement, and market differentiation.
• Proficient spoken and written English; flexibility for domestic and international travel.

Schedule

Standard (Mon-Fri)

Environmental Conditions

Office

About PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific: Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. As one team of 100,000+ colleagues, we share a common set of values—Integrity, Intensity, Innovation and Involvement—working together to accelerate research, solve complex scientific challenges, drive technological innovation and support patients in need.