Medical Affairs Director, Multiple Sclerosis

About Octave:

Octave is a pioneering organization at the forefront of advancing precision medicine for neurodegenerative diseases through innovative research, development, and commercialization of medical technologies. We are committed to delivering comprehensive insights that bring scientific clarity to neurodegenerative diseases, enabling an optimal care journey for patients to live more harmonious lives.

Job Description:

Octave Bioscience is seeking a dynamic, visionary, and strategic Medical Affairs leader to spearhead the medical strategy for our Multiple Sclerosis (MS) disease program. In this high-impact role, the Medical Affairs Medical Director will leverage their deep scientific expertise and extensive relationships within the MS community to develop and execute evidence-generation plans, manage stakeholder relationships, and shape external communication strategies. You will partner closely with R&D, Data Science, Assay Development, Market Access, Commercial, and additional cross-functional teams. If you thrive in a collaborative, mission-driven environment and are eager to shape the standard of care for MS and the future delivery of personalized medicine with biomarker technologies, we want you to bring your expertise and passion to Octave Bioscience.

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership

• Lead strategic planning for MSDA and the MS pipeline to ensure launch readiness, aligning Medical Affairs objectives with broader corporate goals.
• Own the Medical Affairs strategic plan for MS and be a cross-functional partner to co-own the broader market development plan for MSDA and future commercial programs in MS to ensure that Octave receives the best possible guidance in developing our products while fostering a sense of common purpose in advancing the understanding of MS and improving patient care.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with external stakeholders in the MS community, including KOLs, healthcare providers, patient advocacy groups, and payers.
• Drive KOL engagement plan to educate KOLs and HCPs on MSDA and MS pipeline.
• Engage external scientific leaders and subject matter experts for advice and guidance as needed across multiple stages of development, validation, and commercial launch.
• Plan and execute external outreach initiatives, ensuring consistent, evidence-based communication.
• Build relationships with medical societies and industry/government coalitions, building awareness of Octave and identifying points of common interest.

Scientific Communications Strategy

• Define and further develop the medical affairs scientific communications platform for the MS program.
• Coordinate the development of manuscripts, abstracts, and posters with Octave and external authors.
• Coordinate conference strategy to maximize Octave’s scientific footprint; attend and cover conferences, present posters as needed, liaise with KOLs, and report back to Octave on key insights.

Evidence Generation & Data Interpretation

• Collaborate with the Data Science, R&D, and Market Access teams to develop and implement robust evidence generation plans, including observational research (e.g., qualitative studies, clinical utility, chart reviews, claims database studies).
• Formulate integrated evidence generation strategy: identifying evidence gaps and planning studies whose outputs would drive provider adoption and payer reimbursement of the MSDA, and have Octave biomarker tools incorporated into guidelines for clinical management of MS.
• Conduct advisory boards with KOLs to refine evidence generation strategy and plan.
• Initiate and manage external research collaborations, including study design, sample acquisition, mechanistic studies, and data analyses.

Brand Planning & Launch Readiness

• Work closely with Commercial teams to ensure MSDA strategy is informed by the latest clinical insights and medical objectives.
• Review and approve promotional and educational materials to ensure scientific accuracy and regulatory compliance.
• Develop launch preparedness plans to ensure the successful launch of the MSDP.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Lead a Medical Affairs Sub-Team, driving alignment across R&D, Data Science, Commercial, Market Access, Clinical Development, and other relevant teams.
• Serve as the Medical Affairs representative on the R&D and Assay development team, providing strategic input and scientific expertise.
• Provide ongoing clinical and medical training to sales and marketing teams.

Qualifications:

• PhD in a scientific discipline, MD, PharmD, and a background in Medical Affairs.
• Extensive experience in a CNS/neurology therapeutic area, in pharma, medical device, or diagnostics.
• Deep working knowledge of MS pathophysiology, clinical measures, and existing and emerging therapies.
• Broad knowledge of MS treatment paradigms, current unmet needs (from the standpoint of both patient and clinician), and the future therapeutic landscape with regard to disease modifying therapies (DMTs).
• Peer status and scientific credibility in the Multiple Sclerosis community, built through direct involvement in research and/or scientific exchange in a prior Medical Affairs role.
• Experience in building a scientific message platform and developing field-facing materials to guide MSL scientific exchange.
• Experience in clinical study design and protocol development; direct experience in running clinical studies and/or familiarity with real-world challenges in study execution.
• Familiarity with clinical translation of fluid biomarkers for use in clinic or to support clinical trial endpoints.
• Demonstrated success in strategic scientific communications, leading up to product launches.
• Exceptional communication skills, with a talent for simplifying complex scientific concepts (without diluting them) and making them relevant to multiple audiences.
• Willingness to travel up to 50%: For conferences, meetings at the Menlo Park office (approximately quarterly), and KOL scientific exchanges in the field.

Factors for Success in this Role:

• Intrinsically motivated—You derive satisfaction from being on the cutting edge of science, seeing big ideas through to fruition, and helping improve the lives of people living with MS and other neurodegenerative diseases.
• Steeped in biological thinking, you are able to see potential interconnections between multiple complex systems, then distill them into testable hypotheses.
• You balance a long-term strategic perspective with an ability to track incremental, day-to-day progress and see past temporary setbacks.
• Creativity and intellectual curiosity, tempered by a capacity for intense focus when needed.
• Able to cultivate strategic relationships with KOLs, while also seeing them in humanistic–and not purely transactional–terms.
• A diplomat by nature, you are able to communicate across divides—professional, scientific, or ideological—to find mutual interests and foster a sense of common purpose.
• Comfort with working both collaboratively and autonomously, taking initiative with your own ideas while also acknowledging, integrating, and implementing others’ ideas when they provide effective solutions.
• Depending on the audience, you can seamlessly transition between communicating the business rationale for longer-term scientific investments and the scientific value derived from business investments.
• Ability to balance and prioritize multiple competing demands.
• Comfort with occasional ambiguity, knowing when you are making progress toward your goals, even when it may not be measurable.
• Empathetic, with an instinctive orientation toward finding the good in people.
• Resilient, with an ability to pivot as circumstances change and business needs evolve, all while maintaining an orientation toward scientific integrity and patient benefit.

Benefits:

• Significant equity ownership
• Competitive salary and bonus structure
• Comprehensive benefits package
• Dynamic and collaborative work environment at the forefront of medical innovation