Senior director, field medical

At Achieve Life Sciences, you’ll have the opportunity to build a field medical organization from the ground up as we prepare for the potential commercial launch of cytisinicline for smoking cessation and continue development in e-cigarette (vaping) cessation. This is an opportunity to help shape how Medical Affairs engages with healthcare professionals, generates meaningful scientific insights, and supports a new treatment option for people living with nicotine dependence.

Reporting to the Head of Medical Affairs, the Senior Director, Field Medical will build, lead, and scale Achieve’s Medical Science Liaison (MSL) team. This role will own field medical strategy, team development, scientific engagement standards, and field insights, ensuring the function is positioned to support launch and future indications. This is a leadership role focused on building and managing the team, rather than carrying an individual territory, and requires someone who can move comfortably between strategic planning, hands-on execution, and cross-functional collaboration.

What You’ll Do

• Build and Lead the MSL Team: Develop the field medical organization, recruit and onboard MSLs, and establish the team structure and capabilities needed to support launch and future growth.
• Define Field Medical Strategy: Establish national field strategy, territory design, deployment models, account prioritization, and scientific engagement plans aligned with Medical Affairs priorities.
• Drive Field Excellence: Set expectations for scientific engagement, coaching, mentoring, performance management, and professional development across the MSL team.
• Enable Scientific Exchange: Ensure MSLs deliver high-quality, fair-balanced, non-promotional scientific exchange with specialists and primary care clinicians across relevant care settings, including oncology, pulmonology, cardiovascular care, perioperative care, and acute care.
• Develop KOL Engagement Strategy: Lead identification, mapping, and prioritization of key opinion leaders, academic clinicians, and influential community-based practitioners in smoking cessation and nicotine dependence.
• Translate Field Insights into Action: Establish a systematic process for capturing and synthesizing field intelligence, translating insights into recommendations for Medical Affairs strategy, evidence generation, publications, and launch planning.
• Build Launch Readiness: Develop the processes, tools, training, and infrastructure needed to support a compliant, effective field medical organization ahead of launch.
• Partner Cross-Functionally: Work closely with Medical Affairs, Clinical, Regulatory, and Commercial teams to integrate field medical insights and priorities into broader business planning while maintaining appropriate boundaries between scientific exchange and promotional activity.
• Establish Compliance Standards: Own field medical compliance expectations and ensure the team follows applicable regulatory requirements and industry standards governing scientific exchange.
• Develop Scientific Capabilities: Ensure MSLs have the scientific knowledge, approved resources, and communication skills needed to engage credibly with healthcare professionals.
• Measure Field Effectiveness: Define and monitor meaningful field medical performance indicators aligned with medical strategy, scientific engagement, insight generation, and team development.

What You’ll Bring

• PharmD, MD, or PhD in a relevant scientific discipline.
• 12+ years of Medical Affairs experience within pharmaceutical or biotechnology organizations, including meaningful field medical leadership experience.
• Demonstrated success recruiting, building, developing, and leading MSL teams.
• Strong scientific credibility and the ability to engage effectively with KOLs, academic clinicians, specialists, and community-based practitioners.
• Experience establishing field medical strategy, MSL excellence standards, compliant scientific exchange practices, and field insights processes.
• Strong people leadership, coaching, and performance management skills.
• Ability to translate field insights into actionable recommendations and communicate field medical priorities across functions.
• A collaborative, proactive leadership style and the ability to build structure and processes in a fast-moving, pre-launch environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in smoking cessation, nicotine dependence, addiction medicine, or a related therapeutic area.
• Experience engaging both specialist and primary care audiences across health systems and community settings.
• Experience building a field medical organization ahead of a commercial launch.

Who We Are

At Achieve, we are committed to bringing medicines forward that contribute to a healthier world. Achieve is a specialty pharmaceutical company committed to advancing cytisinicline as a widely available treatment option to help people battling nicotine dependence.

If you enjoy working in a dynamic team environment and are passionate about making a difference, we invite you to apply. We strive to attract, develop, and retain highly qualified individuals representing the diverse communities we serve.

Compensation

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $285,000–$300,000 USD annually. This range represents a good-faith estimate of what Achieve reasonably expects to pay for this position at the time of hire. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including relevant experience, skills, qualifications, and internal equity. This position is also eligible for an annual target bonus and equity compensation as determined by the Company’s compensation committee.

Benefits

Achieve offers a comprehensive benefits package, which currently includes medical, dental, and vision insurance; a 401(k) retirement plan; participation in the Employee Stock Purchase Plan; company-paid life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage; and paid time off and paid company holidays.

Location & Travel

This is a remote position, and candidates may reside anywhere in the continental United States. Travel of approximately 50–60% is required for field team oversight, external scientific engagement, congresses, and key meetings.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Achieve Life Sciences is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please contact hr@achievelifesciences.com.