More than one million people in the United States today are fighting blood cancer. While a traditional allogeneic stem cell transplant has been the best hope for many, the transplant itself can prove fatal or lead to serious conditions, such as graft vs. host disease. Orca Bio is a commercial-stage biotechnology company redefining the transplant process by developing next-generation cell therapies with the goal of providing significantly better survival rates with dramatically fewer risks. With our purified, high-precision cell therapies we hope to not only replace patients' blood and immune systems with healthy ones, but also restore their lives.
Position Summary:  The Medical Science Liaison reports to the Sr. Director, National Field Medical Affairs and will be responsible for fostering strong relationships with key opinion leaders (KOLs) and supporting the scientific and clinical strategy of Orca Bio's next generation allogeneic cell therapies. The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), cellular therapy, and the evolving cell therapy landscape, including clinical, operational, regulatory and market access considerations. The MSL will serve as trusted scientific partner between Orca Bio and external healthcare providers (HCPs) establishing strong professional collaborations with investigators and other HCPs within the designated territory. Additionally, you will serve as an active leader and contributor on projects in support of the Medical Affairs Strategic Objectives.

Location: Candidate must reside within the GREAT LAKES territory (IL, MI, MN, WI, IN, IA, ND, SD).

Responsibilities

• Serve as a subject matter expert in stem cell transplantation, cell therapy, and the evolving cellular immunotherapy landscape, providing scientific insights regarding current treatment paradigms, clinical operations, patient access and emerging competitive landscape
• Identify, develop, and maintain deep scientific, peer-to-peer relationships with academic stem cell therapy experts as well as thought leaders, appropriate HCPs, and access stakeholders, within a given geography to answer scientific and product related questions, to ensure their safe and appropriate use of Orca Bio products through peer-to-peer discussions aligned with medical strategies and needs expressed by external stakeholders
• Prepare and maintain a territory management plan that will be shared with Medical Leadership and other internal stakeholders
• Engage with Orca “Pod” field team members to provide appropriate medical support for all onboarding activities in relation to authorizing treatment centers, adverse event reporting, handling out of spec products, as well as partnering with regional Market Access colleagues to provide medical education and support to local payers in alignment with Market Access tactical plan and individual patient needs
• Develop and maintain a deep and current understanding of hematologic malignancies, stem cell transplantation, cell therapy, cellular immunotherapy and competitive developments to facilitate high level scientific exchange with health care professional and key opinion leaders
• Actively assess the transplant and cell therapy landscape through ongoing engagement with key opinion leaders, investigators, and academic research centers to identify emerging scientific trends, evidence gaps, and novel research opportunities relevant to Orca Bio's therapies. Serve as the primary liaison for Orca Bio's Investigator-Sponsored Trial (IST) program, partnering with investigators to develop and refine research concepts, evaluate scientific merit and strategic alignment, support proposal and protocol development, present qualified concepts to review committees, communicate governance decisions, and provide scientific oversight throughout study start-up, conduct, publication planning, and dissemination of results
• Gather and communicate actionable scientific insights and stakeholder feedback to Orca Bio leadership and cross-functional partners to inform medical strategy, evidence generation priorities, and lifecycle planning
• Provide scientific and clinical expertise to support internal and external stakeholders, through participation in advisory board meetings, clinical investigator meetings, roundtable discussions, educational meetings, interactions with professional organizations/societies, advocacy groups, GPOs, and large networked practices as needed, including speaker bureaus
• Support clinical trial activities to enhance patient recruitment, enrollment and/or discussions around the safe and effective use of Orca Bio investigational products, leveraging clinical trial experience and knowledge of Good Clinical Practice (GCP) to ensure adherence to ethical and regulatory standards
• Lead the collection, analysis, synthesis and dissemination of scientific information presented at congresses and during scientific exchange. Translate emerging clinical trial data, competitive intelligence and external stakeholder feedback into actional recommendations for Orca Bio leadership and cross functional teams. When assigned, coordinate the efforts of other MSLs to provide coverage for a specific congress to maximize organizational impact
• Provide medical and scientific support of the strategy of health outcomes, real-world evidence, and payer/provider engagements
• Initiate and autonomously execute projects that align with Orca Bio’s scientific, clinical and business operations partnering with research, clinical development, commercial, market access, regulatory, and quality functions to drive company strategy
• Provide education and training to commercial marketing and sales teams on therapies and disease states

Required Qualifications

• Advanced clinical degree in a life-science or basic-science discipline (MD, DO, PharmD, NP, PA, DNP, M.Sc, or Ph.D.) and industry experience as an MSL
• Significant clinical and/or industry experience in malignant hematology, hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), cellular therapy, CAR-T, immune effector cell therapies, and/or other advanced therapy modalities
• Strong understanding of cell therapy ecosystem, including transplant center operations, apheresis and cell processing workflows, treatment center authorization, patient referral pathways and competitive cell therapy products
• Strong understanding of clinical development, regulatory requirements, and commercial strategies; experience with HEOR data is a plus
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence a wide range of stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and present complex scientific data to diverse audiences
• Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, and solution-oriented mindset
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with cross-functional colleagues to best serve the needs of internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

Preferred Experience

• 5+ years of industry experience as an MSL
• Demonstrated experience with field medical launch planning, execution, and post-launch support
• Direct experience supporting cell therapy, stem cell transplantation, CAR-T or other advanced therapeutic platforms
• Experience working in a small biotech company or start-up environment

The anticipated annual salary range (listed above) for this job is based on prior experience in the role/industry, education, location, internal equity, and other job-related factors as permitted by law. For remote-based positions, this range may vary based on your local market. Full-time employment positions will also be eligible to receive pre-IPO equity and annual bonus, in addition to competitive medical, dental, and vision benefits, PTO, 401(k) plan, life and accidental death and disability coverage, and parental leave benefits. Other perks include subsidized daily lunches and snacks at our on-site locations.   Who we are   We are driven by a passion for science and compassion for patients. We act with urgency to ensure our treatments are one day accessible to all who need them.   We live by our core values of passion, courage, and integrity. Excellence in our work means the chance to unlock a better quality of life for our patients, and with that comes tremendous responsibility.   We innovate on a path that hasn’t been paved. We embrace an entrepreneurial spirit and take calculated risks to achieve our mission. We aren’t afraid to ask “why not” and challenge the status quo.   We maintain a start-up culture of camaraderie and leadership by example, regardless of title.   We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and recognize that celebrating our differences creates stronger, lasting solutions that better serve our team, our patients and their healthcare providers.   Notice to staffing firms   Orca Bio does not accept resumes from staffing agencies with which we do not have a written agreement and specific engagement for a particular opening. Our employment activities, inquiries and offers are managed through our HR/Talent team, and all candidates are presented through this channel only. We do not accept unsolicited resumes, and we rarely outsource recruitment.