🌟 Job Spotlight: Medical Scientific Liaison Manager — Novartis, Mumbai

Why It Matters

Novartis is recruiting for the MSL Manager role in its Mumbai hub, a key leadership position responsible for guiding field-based Medical Science Liaisons. This is an exceptional opportunity for experienced pharma professionals to contribute to scientific strategy and stakeholder engagement at a global level.

📍 Location & Company

Novartis, Mumbai (On-site)
Part of a global healthcare leader dedicated to reimagining medicine and delivering life-changing therapies.

🔧 Role Overview: MSL Manager

This leadership role involves:

• Coaching and managing performance of a team of field-based Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs), ensuring effective delivery of medical strategies.

• Coordinating scientific engagement with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), ensuring alignment with product and therapeutic area priorities.

🎯 Core Responsibilities

• Oversight & Performance: Recruit, onboard, and manage the MSL team. Conduct performance evaluations and implement individual development plans.

• Strategic Engagement: Shape and execute KOL engagement plans, ensuring impact on medical strategy, evidence generation, and clinical initiatives.

• Insights & Collaboration: Collect and analyze KOL feedback and scientific insights to guide product launches, RWE generation, and medical education efforts.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Serve as a key link between MSLs and functions like Clinical Operations, HEOR, and Market Access team.

🎓 Qualifications & Skills

• Educational Background: Postgraduate in life sciences—MD, PharmD, PhD, or similar preferred.

• Professional Experience: At least 2–3 years in a medical affairs or MSL-related role, with leadership or supervisory experience desired.

• Skill Set: Strong scientific communication, stakeholder management, data presentation, compliance adherence, and a digital/digital‑ tools mindset.

💼 Why This Role Stands Out

• High Impact: Shape omnichannel MSL strategy and oversight for medical engagement programs

• Strategic Visibility: Work directly with KOLs, internal teams, and clinical functions

• Growth & Culture: Benefit from Novartis’s supportive environment focused on diversity, learning, and career progression(Novartis)

🚀 Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you:

• Hold an advanced degree in sciences,

• Have 2–3+ years of pharma/R&D medical affairs experience (especially MSL roles),

• Are adept in stakeholder engagement, evidence generation, and data-driven strategy,

...this position is a compelling leadership track in medical affairs.

🧩 Final Thoughts

The MSL Manager role in Mumbai is ideal for professionals with advanced qualifications and a background in medical science liaison work. Novartis offers the stage to drive high-impact medical strategy and to grow within a global pharmaceutical leader.

📌 Target the following qualities when applying:

• Strategic thinking in evidence-based medical planning

• Proven scientific communication & scientific advisory experience

• Experience in team leadership and KOL engagement

• Knowledge of compliance & ethics standards in pharma

Wishing all applicants the very best—this is a role where strategic acumen, scientific passion, and field-based leadership converge!

Curious about CV tips for medical affairs or prepping for MSL interviews? Let me know—I’d be happy to help!

Lead, Therapeutic Area Specialty Medical Affairs - Benelux & Ireland

About Astellas:

At Astellas we are a progressive health partner, delivering value and outcomes where needed. 

We pursue innovative science, focussing initially on the areas of greatest potential and then developing solutions where patient need is high, often in rare or under-served disease areas and in life-threatening or life-limiting diseases and conditions. 

We work directly with patients, doctors and health care professionals on the front line to ensure patient and clinical needs are guiding our development activities at every stage. 

Our global vision for Patient Centricity is to support the development of innovative health solutions through a deep understanding of the patient experience. At Astellas, Patient Centricity isn’t a buzzword - it’s a guiding principle for action. We believe all staff have a role to play in creating a patient-centric culture and integrating an awareness of the patient into our everyday working practices, regardless of our role, team or division. 

We work closely with regulatory authorities and payers to find new ways to ensure access to new therapies. We deliver the latest insights and real-world evidence to inform the best decisions for patients and their care-givers, to ensure the medicines we develop continue to provide meaningful outcomes. 

Beyond medicines, we support our stakeholder communities to drive initiatives that improve awareness, education, access and ultimately standards of care. 

The Opportunity:

As a Lead, Therapeutic Area Specialty (TAL) Medical Affairs - Benelux & Ireland, you will be responsible for the implementation of the medical strategy (Core Medical Plan) in the designated therapeutic area of Urology at the affiliate level by coordinating and executing medical and scientific activities to understand the local external environment and data gaps.

You will also translate insights into strategies and activities ensuring the information needs of key stakeholders are fulfilled to help ensure the safe and appropriate use of Astellas products.

Hybrid Working:

At Astellas we recognise the importance of balancing your work and home life, so we offer a hybrid working solution allowing time to connect with colleagues in person at the office alongside the flexibility to work from home; optimising the most productive work environment for you to succeed and deliver.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic medical and scientific expertise in support of all affiliate’s Medical Affairs deliverables and cross-functional activities.
• Demonstrate matrix leadership by developing and maintaining integrated partnerships with key internal and external stakeholders to ensure all MA affiliate activities address local needs and advance the medical/scientific understanding of Astellas products across their lifecycle.
• Responsible for understanding and engaging external stakeholders to advance the knowledge and science behind compounds in developing, safe, and effective use of Astellas products, and disease states they treat.
• Responsible for engaging and working closely with key internal stakeholders, including the brand teams across the affiliate to achieve business objectives for the affiliate.
• Ensure all affiliate MA activities deliver value and are based on scientific validity, clinical importance, and on time & budget.

Essential Knowledge & Experience:

• Previous experience in Pharma, preferably in Medical Affairs.
• Suitable candidates from academia with strong expertise in the therapeutic area can be considered.
• Native proficiency in Dutch or French and professional working proficiency in English or others.
• Ability to travel 20-30% of the time including overnight travel.

Preferred Experience:

• Cross-collaborative mindset, pro-active in supporting or creating business initiatives, strong networker (both internally and externally).
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Proactive strategic partnering with different internal functions.
• Preferably a good understanding of the dynamics of a corporate environment and comfortable with matrix reporting lines.
• Experience in the therapeutic area of Urology.
• Knowledge and strong understanding of and ability to comply with industry laws and regulations.
• Understanding of the drug development process as well as commercialization.

Education:

• Master’s degree in health-related science or equivalent.
• Preferably with MD or PhD in health-related science, PharmD or equivalent.

Additional Information:

• This is a permanent, full-time position.
• Position is based in Belgium and the Netherlands.
• This position follows our hybrid working model. Role requires a blend of home and a minimum of 2 days per week in our Belgium or Netherlands offices. Flexibility may be required in line with business needs. Candidates must be located within a commutable distance of the office.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Apply Here