Director - Medical Affairs - Gastroenterology & Rheumatology, Gulf

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us. As a Clinical Research Physician (CRP), you will be the therapeutically aligned scientist playing a key role within the Gulf Medical Affairs organization. The primary focus of the CRP is to use knowledge of immunology — with a focus on gastroenterology and rheumatology — available treatments, and investigational compounds to deliver strategic and tactical medical planning. The CRP presents at meetings with Gulf health authorities and other government regulatory agencies, provides medical guidance on pricing, reimbursement and access (PRA), and leads local scientific data dissemination — including presenting at conferences and advisory boards, and overseeing the scientific content of educational programs. The CRP is a key cross-functional partner to the brand team, helping to meet both external customer and internal business needs across the Gulf markets. The CRP is aware of and ensures that all activities follow current local and international regulations, laws and guidance (for example, DOH, MOH), Good Clinical Practices (GCPs), company standards, Lilly policies and procedures, global quality standards and the Principles of Medical Research, and are aligned with the medical vision. Qualification & Experience Medical Doctor degree preferred, plus ≥ 6 years of relevant clinical or therapeutic experience, with clinical and/or research experience in gastroenterology and/or rheumatology required (broader immunology experience a plus) Fluent in English (verbal and written) required; fluent Arabic a strong plus; additional regional languages an advantage Knowledge of drug development process relevant to the Gulf region preferred, including regulatory and market access requirements Advanced interpersonal, communication, project management, negotiation and presentation skills Previous therapeutic area leadership across geographies Effective, strong leadership with the ability to influence others, provide clear direction to internal and external teams and foster a positive working environment Strong planning, execution and managing of the therapeutic area medical budget Able to interpret technical/scientific data and translate it into meaningful, clear and compliant content for customer communications and engagement Strong track record of teamwork in a cross-functional environment Commercial/business acumen and contribution Knowledge and experience at the customer interface High workload capacity, including the ability to manage and prioritize broad deliverables of a complex nature Demonstrated ability to balance scientific priorities with business priorities Key Responsibilities: Primary Responsibilities: Business/Customer Support Understand and anticipate the scientific information needs of local/regional customers (payers, patients, gastroenterologists, rheumatologists and other healthcare providers) Contribute to medical strategies supporting brand commercialization, working with global Medical Affairs, brand teams, Patient Outcomes/Real World Evidence, PRA, and clinical teams during local business plan development Provide clinical input to PRA activities, including payer partnership programs, product value defense and engagement with Gulf health authorities and government payers Support business-to-business and business-to-government activities as medical expert Serve as a key medical point of contact for the brand team, providing clinical, scientific and strategic input to the cross-functional team Take a medical leadership role in product launches, including pre- and post-launch support and medical activities in support of demand realization Take a leadership role in Medical, partnering with other Medical Affairs roles to create a seamless team that delivers exceptional customer experiences Contribute scientific and creative input to the development and approval of promotional materials Support training of sales representatives and medical personnel Apply knowledge of market archetypes and customer insights to all customer-related activities Oversee the collation and analysis of customer information to drive understanding and insights Collaborate cross-functionally to drive improvement in customer engagement through digital innovation Scientific Data Dissemination/Exchange Establish and maintain relationships with external scientific experts, thought leaders, and the medical community locally, nationally, and internationally Serve as the scientific expert on Lilly’s immunology (gastroenterology and rheumatology) compounds, sharing knowledge across internal teams Support medical information associates in preparing and reviewing medical letters and materials Ensure compliance with local laws, global policies, and guidelines on data dissemination and HCP interactions Support Scientific Data Disclosure (SDD) plans Address unsolicited scientific information needs from external HCPs, including escalations from medical information and sales, per compliance guidelines Support planning of speaker training, advisory boards, and other HCP meetings Prepare or review scientific information in response to customer or media questions, with timely follow-up per global SOPs Support data analysis, slide set development, and publications (abstracts, posters, manuscripts) Deliver scientific, educational and promotional presentations internally and to customers Maintain relationships with relevant professional societies Provide congress support (exhibits, presentations, medical booth staffing, thought leader engagement) Clinical Planning & Trial Execution/Support Represent country/region clinical needs to business unit medical leadership in developing clinical strategies, development plans, and protocol design Review and approve local informed consent documents and risk profiles Collaborate with clinical research staff on local trial design, conduct, and reporting (sample size, timelines, grants, governance) Review investigator-initiated trial (IIT) proposals and publications as requested Contribute to global alignment of Phase 3b/4 studies Address the scientific information needs of investigators and study personnel Review protocols, study reports, grant submissions and contracts for local studies Support global Development studies conducted in the affiliate/country, if assigned Report adverse events as mandated by corporate patient safety Regulatory Support Participate in development and review of local labeling, in collaboration with global Development, brand, regulatory, and legal teams Provide medical expertise to regulatory scientists and advisory committees, including interactions with regulatory authorities Scientific Technical Expertise Stay current on clinical practice and access trends in gastroenterology and rheumatology, near-term (1-2 years) and longer-term (3-5 years) Critically evaluate relevant medical literature and competitive produ