[Hiring] Senior Director, Scientific Affairs & Medical Education @Achieve Life Sciences

Role Description

Set the scientific standard for what comes next. At Achieve Life Sciences, you’ll help advance a promising new treatment option for people living with nicotine dependence. As we prepare for the potential commercial launch of cytisinicline, we’re building the scientific strategy, medical education, and dissemination capabilities needed to support credible, balanced, and compliant scientific engagement.

Reporting to the SVP, Medical Affairs, with a dotted line to the Chief Medical Officer, the Senior Director, Scientific Affairs & Medical Education will own scientific integrity across Medical Affairs materials and programs. This role leads medical review, defines medical education and dissemination strategy, and ensures consistent scientific positioning across the Clinical Council while serving as the formal Medical Affairs liaison to Commercial on scientific messaging. The role sets direction and standards; content production and day-to-day hub operations remain with their respective leads.

What You’ll Do

• Lead Medical Review: Serve as the Medical Affairs lead reviewer within the Medical, Legal, and Regulatory (MLR) process for promotional and non-promotional materials, including scientific exchange, medical education, and launch materials.
• Establish Scientific Standards: Own scientific substantiation requirements, claims matrices, references, annotations, and alignment with approved prescribing information and the scientific platform.
• Build Review Processes: Develop MLR SOPs, review timelines, and reviewer training in partnership with Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance.
• Set Medical Education Strategy: Determine which educational materials are needed, for which audiences, and in what sequence, ensuring content development aligns with medical priorities.
• Develop Education Programs: Establish strategy for residency curricula and education across primary care, internal medicine, family medicine, hospital medicine, pulmonary, and other priority specialties.
• Oversee Independent Medical Education: Guide grant strategy and review while maintaining appropriate independence and compliance with ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence.
• Integrate Scientific Positioning: Maintain consistency across the scientific platform and Clinical Council subdomain hubs, partnering with the Council Chair, hub Chairs, and internal hub leads on cross-hub priorities and program-level positioning.
• Partner with Commercial: Serve as the formal Medical Affairs interface with Commercial leadership on cytisinicline scientific messaging, supporting business needs without compromising scientific integrity.
• Lead Dissemination Partnerships: Develop and execute partnerships with specialty societies, continuing education platforms, EHR integration partners, quit lines, and public health organizations.
• Ensure Compliance: Apply FDA requirements for promotion and scientific exchange, the PhRMA Code, and applicable pre-approval communication standards to medical strategy and materials.

Qualifications

• MD, PhD, PharmD, or another advanced scientific or clinical degree appropriate to the role.
• 10+ years of experience in Medical Affairs, medical communications, or agency-side medical strategy, including direct experience as an MLR medical reviewer.
• Deep working knowledge of FDA promotional requirements, scientific exchange, the PhRMA Code, and ACCME standards.
• Demonstrated success developing medical education strategies and multichannel scientific dissemination programs.
• Ability to balance commercial priorities with scientific rigor and communicate boundaries constructively.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience building processes and capabilities in a growing organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting a pharmaceutical product launch.
• Background in substance use disorder, addiction medicine, tobacco treatment, or a related therapeutic area.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k)-retirement plan.
• Participation in the Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• Company-paid life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Paid time off and paid company holidays.

Compensation

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $290,000–$310,000 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.

Location & Travel

This is a remote position, and candidates may reside anywhere in the continental United States. This role may require travel of up to 25% for conferences, medical education programs, company meetings, and other business needs.

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 [email protected].