Medical Science Liaison, Mid-West Region

Company Description

Deciphera, a member of ONO, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing important new medicines to improve the lives of people with cancer. We are leveraging our proprietary switch-control kinase inhibitor platform and deep expertise in kinase biology to develop a broad portfolio of innovative medicines.

Enabled by our proprietary drug discovery platform, Deciphera has developed a diverse pipeline of wholly-owned drug candidates. QINLOCK® (ripretinib) is Deciphera’s switch control inhibitor developed for the treatment of fourth-line GIST. QINLOCK is approved in Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United States, and the United Kingdom.  We wholly own QINLOCK and all of our drug candidates with the exception of a development and commercialization out-license agreement for QINLOCK in Greater China. In addition to QINLOCK, we have identified and advanced multiple product candidates from our platform into clinical studies, including vimseltinib and DCC-3116.  

See here for more details on our portfolio.

We offer an outstanding culture and opportunity for personal and professional growth guided by our “PATHS” Core Values and how we work together. We are proud to be Great Place to Work Certified 2023 and rank #25 on Fortune’s Best Places to Work Small and Midsized Biotech Companies in 2023. Find more details about our award-winning culture here. 

Job Description

The Role:

We are seeking a Medical Science Liaison (MSL), field-based scientific/clinical expert that will report to the Senior Director, MSLs within the Medical Affairs (MA) department. The MSL is a highly trained professional with strong pharmaceutical, clinical or scientific backgrounds who must have excellent communication skills. The MSL is responsible for identifying, developing, and managing relationships with current and future Healthcare Providers(HCPs) in academic and community practices.

This position is a remote, field-based position with significant travel required across assigned region.

What You’ll Do:

• Exchange complex medical & scientific information with the oncology community.
• Develop valued and productive scientific relationships with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and other disease experts.
• Provide medical/scientific presentations to internal & external groups.
• Provide internal Medical stakeholders with feedback and insights from interactions and discussions with HCPs. Deciphera prefers the majority of HCP interactions take place face-to-face with some virtual interaction component as well.
• Assist with awareness of company-sponsored clinical trials and investigator-initiated trials (ISTs).
• Provide support at professional meetings, including staffing exhibits, collecting competitive intelligence and developing tools that support the function.
• Adhere to corporate and healthcare compliance guidance in all activities, including those related to clinical trials, scientific interactions with internal and external groups, and responses to unsolicited requests for medical/scientific information.
• Maintain clinical, scientific, and technical expertise in specific therapeutic areas; review scientific journals, attend scientific and key technical meetings.
• Represent the company and Medical Affairs during exchanges with the medical/scientific community.
• Establish and maintain ongoing long-term collaborative peer-to-peer relationships with Oncologists, and other relevant HCPs within their assigned territory.
• Respond to and document unsolicited requests for scientific information for Deciphera’s programs and other products, including those in development.
• Engage with assigned Medical Groups to support their scientific and research needs as consistent with Deciphera’s Medical Affairs strategy.
• Facilitate investigator interactions with Medical Directors and other internal stakeholders.

Qualifications

What You’ll Bring:

• Advanced degree preferred with PharmD, PhD, MD, RN/NP, or PA-C  highly preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in oncological malignancies or other rare disease therapeutic area, preferred.
• 5+ years of experience as field based MSL, preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in industry (e.g., biotech/pharmaceutical/medical device company, Contract Research Organization), academic research, or public health preferred. Clinical experience would be considered in lieu of industry experience.
• Experience with clinical research, publication activities, congress/conference and presenting scientific data.
• Experience functioning as a field-based employee preferred.
• Ability to effectively build relationships and work with KOLs. Significant face to face interactions will be required.
• Think strategically; apply knowledge and analytical skills in a highly regulated environment; and align medical and commercial strategies
• Ability to summarize complex information and present in a clear, concise, and scientifically accurate manner to a range of audiences
• Knowledge of ICH guidelines, FDA Drug Regulations with respect to DDMAC, PhRMA Principles on Conduct of Clinical Trials and Communication of Clinical Trial Results, and OIG Compliance Program Guidance for Pharmaceutical Manufacturers.
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong problem solving, decision-making, influencing, and negotiation skills.
• Able to travel up to 70% (including some weekends and overnight)
• Must live within assigned territory

Additional Information

Deciphera offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package that includes the following:

• Non-accrual paid time off
• Summer vacation bonus
• Global, company-wide summer and winter shutdowns
• An annual lifestyle allowance
• Monthly cell phone stipend
• Internal rewards and recognition program
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Life and Supplemental life insurance for family 
• Short- and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Health savings account
• Flexible spending account for either health care and/or dependent care
• Family Planning benefit

Deciphera, a member of ONO, is a company headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Our state-of-the-art research facility is located in Lawrence, Kansas and our European operations are run out of Switzerland.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION

Deciphera is committed to equal employment opportunity and values diversity. To ensure that we comply with reporting requirements and to learn more about how we can increase diversity in our candidate pool, we invite you to voluntarily provide demographic information in a confidential survey at the end of this application. Providing this information is optional. It will not be accessible or used in the hiring process, and has no effect on your opportunity for employment. This information will also be treated confidentially.  Our commitment to increasing diversity in our candidate pool does not affect our commitment to equal employment opportunity, including our ongoing commitment to make all hiring and other employment decisions solely on a nondiscriminatory basis.