Clinical Development Physician, Late Phase Oncology

Do you want to be part of an inclusive team that works to develop innovative therapies for patients? Every day, we are driven to develop and deliver innovative and effective new medicines to patients and physicians.  If you want to be part of this exciting work, you belong at Astellas!

Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are committed to turning innovative science into medical solutions that bring value and hope to patients and their families. Keeping our focus on addressing unmet medical needs and conducting our business with ethics and integrity enables us to improve the health of people throughout the world. For more information on Astellas, please visit our website at www.astellas.com.

This position is based in Northbrook, Illinois. Remote work from certain states may be permitted in accordance with Astellas’ Responsible Flexibility Guidelines. Candidates interested in remote work are encouraged to apply.

Purpose and Scope:

• Responsible for overseeing the design and delivery of trials within a given late phase program or multiple early-phase programs in the Immuno-Oncology group.
• Reports to the Medical Lead/disease area strategy head for the given program(s) and is accountable for defining the strategy and execution of assigned trials.
• Clinical team leader with clear understanding of areas of responsibilities and accountabilities of the role. Team player who is comfortable in situations where the role serves as a consultant and support to other functions and particularly the asset area. Understands the criticality of information and knowledge management, partnership and collaboration required in drug development.

Essential Job Responsibilities:

• Collaborates effectively with key internal and external stakeholders as a member of the asset team and leader of the clinical study team to advance one or more clinical trials. Serves as Medical Monitor w/ responsibility for safety monitoring.
• Ensures patient safety on clinical study is maintained. Generates safety related documents, such as medical monitoring reports and the safety database, to ensure that the reporting of SAEs is current and complete.
• Collaborates closely with safety officer in writing and/or reviewing Safety Narratives, Investigator Letters, and other safety documentation for site-reported safety events.
• Coordinates with Safety Officer on program for appropriate benefit-risk assessments, planning FIH study dose selection and escalation path for early-phase programs, safety management on trials, provides clinical input and review of clinical documents, statistical analysis plans, interim and final analyses on trials, publications, CSRs, DSURs and other critical documents.
• Able to assimilate Research, Clinical Pharmacology, Biomarker, medical safety, Toxicology (early phase programs) regulatory, biostatistics, medical affairs, Health Economics, commercial perspectives into clinical development strategies and trial designs.
• Responsible for managing the process of development of protocol and necessary regulatory documents.
• Accountable and responsible for development and implementation, and execution of clinical trials as part of a large complex late phase (post POC, established market) program or a group of earlier stage programs, in alignment with Asset and overall clinical strategy.
• In late phase program serves as the Lead for an indication specific clinical development team and is responsible and accountable for both strategy and execution of the clinical development plan for that indication or line of therapy.
• In earlier phases, serves as the clinical lead for the entire clinical development strategy and execution for a given program.
• Acquires public knowledge regarding therapeutic landscape, potential competitor products and serves as clinical voice regarding the potential for impact on planned clinical, medical affairs and commercial strategies.
• Creates and maintains scientific/clinical networks and seeks external opinion leader as appropriate. Serve as the clinical interface during clinical advisory boards, investigator meetings, and interactions with opinion leaders.  Serves as the clinical interface in regulatory authority interactions.
• Accountable for clinical development milestones for their given trials. Supports Medical lead and Asset team at governance meetings and can present the clinical development plan in a succinct and clear manner at such meetings.
• Works with Development Scientists and Clinical Operation Leads to ensure efficient and streamlined execution of clinical trials and acquisition and interpretation of high-quality clinical data to inform program-level decision making and overall development strategies.
• Designs scientifically rigorous, cost-effective, and patient-centric clinical trials in accordance with the Clinical development Plan. Accountable for Clinical trial scope development and authoring of the protocol, IB, ICF as appropriate, in coordination with development scientists, clinical operations, medical writing and regulatory.
• Responsible for keeping medical lead, asset lead and Development Head informed on progress of trials, risks, planned/required mitigations, and changes to timelines and budgets.
• Supports clinical development related initiatives as needed. Leads and/or participates in scientific and medical training to other team members and external clients, investigators, and other site staff as it pertains to assigned studies.

Qualifications:

Required

• MD or MD/PhD with oncology fellowship complete. Board certified with patient treatment experience beyond fellowship preferred.
• Must have 5 years of pharmaceutical industry or academia experience specifically in clinical trial design and execution in a bio-pharmaceutical development organization or a balance of experience at an academic institution and a pharmaceutical company.
• Proven record of designing clinical trials that can produce high quality data in a timely manner for decision making.
• Documented experience planning and managing clinical trials, serving as medical monitor, managing trial execution in coordination with clinical operations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Experience working in global teams and a global matrixed, remote working environment.
• Aware of cultural diversity and how to influence and manage in a multi-cultural organization.
• Highest level of scientific integrity and impeccable work ethics

Preferred:

• Extensive experience in gastroesophageal or thoracic oncology or immuno-oncology in solid tumors
• Prior clinical research experience in an academic setting
• Experience in all phases of Clinical Development and interfaces with Drug Discovery through Marketing.
• Direct experience leading global regulatory marketing authorization submissions and defense of those submissions

Salary Range

$215,600– $308,000 (Final compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to skills, experience and organizational equity considerations)

Benefits: 

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance 
• Generous Paid Time Off options, including Vacation and Sick time, plus national holidays including year-end shut down 
• 401(k) match and annual company contribution 
• Company paid life insurance 
• Annual Corporate Bonus and Quarterly Sales Incentive for eligible positions 
• Long Term Incentive Plan for eligible positions 
• Company fleet vehicle for eligible positions 
• Referral bonus program 

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