Job Description

Do you have a passion for launching new products to market and do you want to be part of our mission to deliver breakthrough innovations that extend and improve the lives of patients?

We have an exciting opportunity for a Medical Advisor Opthalmology/Pipeline products at our Medical Affairs Department in Brussels.

Purpose of the position

As a Medical Advisor in Ophthalmology, you will be responsible for working with the company’s breakthrough innovations in Ophthalmology in Belgium. Your initial focus will be on vascular retinal diseases, including diabetic macular edema and neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Over time your responsibilities may expand to other therapeutic areas where innovative molecules and new indications require medical pre-launch/launch support, such as cardiovascular and immunology pipeline assets.

This is an office-based, field directed position. You will use medical knowledge and customer insights to develop the country medical affairs plan and engage in non-promotional peer to peer communication. You will focus on education, sharing, generating data and implementing programs that provide the most balanced data to our external stakeholders, scientific leaders, key decision makers and the medical community at large with the patient as the ultimate beneficiary. In this role you will report into the Therapeutic Area Lead for General & Specialty Medicine and will become part of a team of 3 medical advisors & 1 Study & Quality Coordinator.

Welcome to our team

Our Medical Affairs team advances patient care by engaging in scientific exchange with external medical experts and industry leaders ensuring the scientific value of our products is understood. We connect, communicate and train internal employees to ensure a thorough understanding of the science behind the medicine and review further unmet medical needs to support collaboration to further differentiate our portfolio.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop the country Medical Affairs Plan (cMAP) and execute strategically aligned tactics & activities;

• Collect, collate and analyze insights from external stakeholders and use this for external communication and provide medical advice to commercial, market access, clinical and regulatory stakeholders;

• Ensure scientifically balanced medical education pertaining to the therapeutic area through appropriate non-promotional efforts;

• Implement investigator initiated & local epidemiologic and (non-) interventional data-generating opportunities, which are of benefit to the medical community or help to highlight/address unmet medical needs and data gaps:

• Collaborate with local Global Clinical Trial Operations (GCTO) management and investigators to identify opportunities to implement new phase 1, 2 and 3 studies in the country;

• Work closely with relevant internal stakeholders (Market Access, External Affairs and Marketing) to ensure timely and appropriate access as well as launch readiness for the Immunology pipeline.

• Represent the Medical Department at local or regional Medical Congresses & Symposia;

Your profile

• MD, PharmD or PhD degree in Life Sciences is required;

• At least 2-3 years of experience in medical affairs in the pharmaceutical industry; scientific knowledge in Ophthalmology is a plus; Other pharma industry roles with significant experience (2-3 years) in Ophthalmology can be considered;

• Understanding of clinical trial methods, implementation and interpretation of clinical data;

• Sound scientific and clinical judgment and eagerness to continue to learn more;

• Team player and action-oriented matrix networker across different departments and corporate cultures;

• A proactive "can do" attitude and passion for the therapeutic areas of interest;

• Strong customer facing, listening, and probing skills; profound experience with Scientific Leader (SL) & stakeholder management;

• Able to simultaneously handle multiple tasks and working under pressure;

• Strong, confident and engaging presentation and communication skills;

• Strong oral and written communication skills in English and Dutch/French; Strong preference for candidates with ability to speak and write in all three languages;

Required Skills:

Clinical Research Methods, Cross-Functional Planning, KOL Engagement, Media Strategies, Medical Affairs, Professional Presentation, Sales

Preferred Skills:

Dutch Language, Ophthalmology, Real World Evidence (RWE)

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

Yes

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

10/31/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.