Senior Medical Director, AATD

Job title: Senior Medical Director, AATD

Location: Cambridge, MA

Travel: Up to 25% travel expected

About the job

Join the team transforming care for people with immune challenges, rare diseases, cancers, and neurological conditions. In Specialty Care, you’ll help deliver breakthrough treatments that bring hope to patients with some of the highest unmet needs. 

Position Overview:

Sanofi's US Rare Medical Team is seeking an exceptional Senior Medical Director to serve as the foremost internal medical expert for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD). This senior-level, strategic medical affairs role offers the opportunity to shape and lead the AATD medical strategy, drive scientific excellence, and contribute to breakthrough therapies that address the significant unmet medical needs of the AATD community. The successful candidate will create a US medical plan, provide authoritative scientific leadership across the AATD landscape, mentor and develop field-based medical talent, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to advance Sanofi's AATD portfolio from late-stage development through commercialization.

About Sanofi 

We’re an R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharma company committed to improving people’s lives and delivering compelling growth. Our deep understanding of the immune system – and innovative pipeline – enables us to invent medicines and vaccines that treat and protect millions of people around the world. Together, we chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. 

Main Responsibilities:

Medical Strategy & Scientific Leadership

• Develop, own, and execute the comprehensive medical strategy for AATD, ensuring alignment with global medical affairs objectives and Sanofi's rare disease mission

• Serve as the primary internal medical authority and scientific resource for AATD, providing expert guidance to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders

• Provide scientific and clinical expertise to support AATD product lifecycle management from late-stage development through commercialization

• Lead medical input into strategic planning, including evidence generation, data gap analyses, post hoc analyses, and long-range medical planning for AATD

• Collaborate with global medical team to communicate and align on strategic imperatives

• Provide strategic direction, mentorship, and day-to-day guidance to the Field Science Director for AATD, supporting their professional development and ensuring field medical activities are aligned with the overarching AATD medical strategy

• Translate complex AATD disease biology and clinical data into actionable medical insights that inform portfolio decisions

Clinical Development Support

• Collaborate with clinical development teams to provide AATD-specific medical insights for ongoing and future clinical trials

• Review and provide medical input on clinical protocols, study designs, and regulatory submissions relevant to AATD

• Support post-marketing surveillance activities and real-world evidence generation in the AATD patient population

• Contribute to risk management and pharmacovigilance activities, with particular attention to the AATD disease context

KOL Engagement & External Relations

• Identify, develop, and maintain strategic relationships with leading AATD experts, pulmonologists and key opinion leaders across the US in other key specialties (Allergy/Immunology, Internal Medicine)

• Design and implement strategic digital initiatives to expand educational reach into community setting

• Plan and execute advisory boards, expert panels, and scientific meetings focused on AATD

• Facilitate scientific exchange and collaboration with external researchers, clinicians, and patient advocacy organizations in the AATD community

• Represent Sanofi at AATD-relevant scientific conferences, medical meetings, and professional forums (e.g., ATS, CHEST, Alpha-1 Foundation events)

Medical Information & Scientific Communications

• Oversee medical information responses related to AATD and ensure accuracy and scientific rigor of all communications

• Develop and review medical education materials, publications, and scientific content specific to AATD

• Support preparation of manuscripts, abstracts, and scientific presentations on AATD data and evidence

• Optimize the structure and format of AATD medical content and publications to enhance discoverability and effective processing by large language model (LLM) systems, ensuring Sanofi's scientific communications are accessible and accurately represented in AI-driven information environments

• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and company policies in all AATD-related communications

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with commercial, regulatory, clinical, and market access teams to align AATD medical strategy with business objectives

• Collaborate with global medical affairs colleagues to ensure consistency in AATD strategy and leverage international best practices

• Serve as the senior medical lead for the AATD field medical team, providing strategic oversight and mentorship to the Field Science Director for AATD, ensuring cohesive execution of field-based medical activities and scientific engagement plans

• Contribute to cross-functional project teams and strategic initiatives that advance the AATD portfolio

About You

Required Qualifications:

• MD board certified pulmonologist. May consider PhD or PharmD with strong pulmonary training and relevant years of industry experience.

• Minimum 5+ years of experience in US medical affairs within pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies.  Ideal candidate will have worked in respiratory space and has experience with US-launches.

• Clinical or research experience in pulmonology is required — candidates must bring a strong working knowledge of pulmonary disease, lung function, and the clinical management of respiratory conditions relevant to AATD

• Demonstrated understanding of the drug development process and medical affairs functions

• Experience in medical launch strategy development and execution

• Publication and presentation experience in peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct clinical experience with AATD or other rare respiratory diseases strongly preferred

• Experience in end-stage clinical development, including Phase III trials and regulatory submissions

• Previous experience in medical affairs leadership roles, including mentoring or managing field-based medical personnel

• Experience in rare diseases or specialty therapeutic areas beyond pulmonology

• Familiarity with structuring medical and scientific content for LLM processing and retrieval — including knowledge of how content architecture, metadata, semantic clarity, and publication formatting influence how AI and LLM systems index, interpret, and surface medical information

Key Competencies and Skills:

Scientific & Clinical Excellence

• Deep scientific and clinical expertise in AATD and related rare respiratory disease areas

• Ability to interpret and communicate complex AATD clinical data to diverse audiences, from scientific experts to patient advocates

• Strong analytical and critical thinking capabilities

• Evidence-based decision-making skills applied to AATD medical strategy

Communication & Leadership

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to represent Sanofi as a senior AATD medical voice externally

• Proven ability to present complex scientific information to varied stakeholders, including senior executives, regulators, and clinical experts

• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with internal and external partners

• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop talent, including field-based medical professionals

Strategic & Collaborative Mindset

• Senior-level strategic thinking with the ability to shape long-term AATD medical vision while managing tactical execution

• Collaborative work style in complex, cross-functional team environments

• Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously in a fast-paced rare disease environment

• Patient-centric mindset with genuine passion for improving outcomes for the AATD community

About Sanofi Rare Diseases

At Sanofi, we are united by a shared purpose: to chase the miracles of science to improve people's lives. Our Rare Diseases division is at the forefront of developing innovative therapies for patients with rare and ultra-rare conditions who often have limited or no treatment options. Our commitment to AATD reflects our belief that every patient — no matter how rare their condition — deserves access to transformative medicine. We combine cutting-edge science with deep patient understanding to deliver therapies that make a meaningful difference. Join us in our mission to turn science into miracles for the AATD community and beyond.

Why Choose Us?  

• Bring the miracles of science to life alongside a supportive, future-focused team. 

• Discover endless opportunities to grow your talent and drive your career, whether it’s through a promotion or lateral move, at home or internationally. 

• Enjoy a thoughtful, well-crafted rewards package that recognizes your contribution and amplifies your impact. 

• Take good care of yourself and your family, with a wide range of health and wellbeing benefits including high-quality healthcare, prevention and wellness programs and at least 14 weeks’ gender-neutral parental leave.

Sanofi US Services and its U.S. affiliates are Equal Opportunity employers committed to a culturally inclusive workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; color; creed; religion; national origin; age; ancestry; nationality; marital, domestic partnership or civil union status; sex, gender, gender identity or expression; affectional or sexual orientation; disability; veteran or military status or liability for military status; domestic violence victim status; atypical cellular or blood trait; genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing) or any other characteristic protected by law. 

#GD-SG ​ 
#LI-GZ 

#LI-Onsite

#vhd

All compensation will be determined commensurate with demonstrated experience. Employees may be eligible to participate in Company employee benefit programs, and additional benefits information can be found here.