(Associate) Director, Medical Liaison - North Central USA

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Overview

Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, is a clinical-stage company developing orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonists as a new class of medicines for the treatment of narcolepsy and potentially other sleep-wake disorders. Centessa’s lead investigational candidate – cleminorexton (formerly ORX750) – is being developed for narcolepsy type 1, narcolepsy type 2, and idiopathic hypersomnia. Centessa's OX2R agonist portfolio includes additional clinical and preclinical-stage assets with potential utility across a broader range of neurological, neurodegenerative, and neuropsychiatric conditions. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Centessa was recognized as a Great Place to Work® in 2026.

The MSL will serve as a field-based scientific expert responsible for engaging with healthcare professionals (HCPs), supporting clinical development, and ensuring alignment with Centessa’s strategic medical objectives. This role is critical in translating complex scientific data into meaningful clinical insights and fostering compliant, evidence-based dialogue with thought leaders.

Responsibilities

Scientific Expertise & Thought Leader Engagement

• Maintain a high level of therapeutic area expertise and scientific knowledge relevant to Centessa’s pipeline and marketed products in alignment with Medical Affairs strategic objectives

• Engage in compliant, non-promotional scientific exchange with key opinion leaders (KOLs), investigators, and other HCPs

• Serve as a trusted scientific resource to external stakeholders, providing accurate and balanced medical information

• Deliver company-approved, high-quality medical/scientific presentations to a variety of audiences including formulary committees and healthcare professionals.

• Provide medical/scientific support for critical Centessa activities including speaker training, advisory boards, and sales training as appropriate

• Ensure accurate, timely, and compliant documentation of field-based activities in accordance with MSL organization guidelines

Clinical Trials Support

• Collaborate with Clinical Operations to identify and evaluate potential clinical trial sites and investigators based on scientific expertise, patient population, and alignment with study objectives

• Provide scientific education and protocol-specific training to investigators and site staff during site initiation visits, ensuring thorough understanding of study rationale and endpoints

• Maintain ongoing engagement with trial sites and investigators to facilitate successful execution of clinical trial objectives, provide ongoing scientific support, address protocol-related inquiries, and ensure high-quality data generation

Medical Conference Attendance & Coverage

• Attend relevant scientific and medical congresses to stay current with emerging data and trends

• Provide real-time insights and post-conference reports to internal teams

• Support Centessa’s presence at congresses through development of pre-conference plans, booth coverage, symposia participation, and KOL engagement

Scientific Materials Development

• Contribute to the development of scientific slide decks, FAQs, and educational materials

• Writing and editing Medical Information response letters

• Ensure all materials are medically accurate, evidence-based, and compliant with regulatory standards

• Collaborate with Medical Affairs and Legal teams to ensure scientific content meets internal and external guidelines

Additional responsibilities may include but are not limited to:

• Leading MSL strategic initiatives/projects aligned with Medical Affairs and MSL organization strategy

• Develop and implement scientific training plans for the MSL team

• Mentorship of MSL peers

Basic Qualifications

• Advanced degree (PhD, PharmD, MD) in life sciences or a related field (from An Accredited College or University).

• Minimum of 2 years of experience in a Medical Affairs or MSL role within the pharmaceutical or biotech industry

• Excellent understanding of sleep medicine and associated therapeutic areas strongly preferred

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; ability to tailor scientific messages to diverse audiences and ability to interpret and communicate complex scientific data

• Proven ability to build and maintain strong relationships with KOLs, investigators, and internal stakeholders

• Strong understanding of clinical trial design, regulatory requirements, and therapeutic area landscape

• Skilled in developing and delivering scientific presentations in various settings

• Strong understanding of industry regulations and guidelines governing medical interactions

• Ability to align field activities with broader medical and corporate strategies

• Must have a valid driver’s license with a driving record that meets company requirements

• Willing and able to travel frequently throughout the North Central territory, including Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Wyoming, with primary coverage of major metropolitan and academic medical center markets across the region.

• Must reside in the Chicago metropolitan area or, alternatively, in a major metropolitan area within the North Central territory with convenient access to a major commercial airport to support frequent travel throughout the region.

Additional Information

The Medical Science Liaison, North Central is a remote role based in the US, with up to 60-70% travel and occasional weekends.

Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) for further assistance. Please note this is for individuals to request an accommodation as part of the application process and any other correspondence will not receive a response.

Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL).

Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is $156,000 - $275,000

Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities).Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.

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