Scientific Director, Medical Affairs

About Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc.  

Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc.  is the global leader in innovating, developing, and delivering tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapies for patients with solid tumors. Amtagvi® (lifileucel) is the first FDA-approved, one-time treatment for previously treated advanced melanoma, now approved in three global markets and available at more than 95 authorized treatment centers. The Iovance TIL platform spans registrational trials and next-generation programs in additional solid tumors, including gene-edited and IL-12 tethered TIL therapies, next-generation IL-2, and precision immuno-oncology approaches. As the first and only company to take TIL therapy from concept to a broadly accessible commercial treatment, Iovance operates as an end-to-end cell therapy company, anchored by fully owned, centralized U.S.-based manufacturing that is scaled to serve thousands of cancer patients worldwide each year. For more information, please visit www.iovance.com. 

Amtagvi® and its accompanying design marks, Proleukin^®, Iovance^®, and IovanceCares™ are trademarks and registered trademarks of Iovance Biotherapeutics, Inc. or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

Information on Iovance’s broad, industry-leading patent portfolio is available on the Intellectual Property page on www.iovance.com. 

Overview

The Senior Cellular Therapy Medical Director reports to the Executive Scientific Director, Medical Affairs, and represents Iovance Medical Affairs as needed, serving as a TIL cell therapy therapeutic area expert in educational, strategic, and tactical discussions and presentations with internal colleagues and external experts and investigators. This role requires strong clinical expertise and credibility, recent surgical and/or cell therapy experience, and the ability to partner effectively with healthcare providers to apply practical insights to patient care, including perioperative workflows and tumor procurement. The Senior Cellular Therapy Medical Director also collaborates with internal cross-functional teams to ensure territory alignment and optimization, and to support medical strategies in line with overarching corporate objectives.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities  

• Support and educate providers to optimize tumor tissue starting material for lifileucel manufacturing
• Lead engagement and best-practice discussions with surgeons on tumor tissue procurement
• Support ATC medical onboarding to prepare for direct patient care, and serve as an ongoing resource for patient- and product-specific questions
• Serve as subject matter expert and clinical support for TIL cell therapy
• Provide clinical trial support by engaging surgeons across all Iovance trials and investigator-sponsored trials (ISTs)
• Represent Iovance Medical Affairs as a TIL cell therapy expert across internal and external venues, including US and Global cross-functional teams, clinical sub-teams, external consultants, and advisory boards and steering committees.
• Work cross-functionally to support Commercial Quality, Market Access, Clinical Development, and the broader Med Affairs team.
• Participate in various Medical Affairs cross-functional working groups.
• Represent Iovance at professional meetings, congresses, and local symposia.
• Provide high-quality clinical input and review of disease strategy plans, slides, manuscripts, educational materials, IIT protocols, steering committee and advisory board meeting objectives, Standard Response Letters, and Commercial brand plans.
• Partner with Scientific Communications to develop timely publication strategies and plan, gap analysis, and key messages.
• Interact with key stakeholders as a therapeutic area medical strategy expert:
  • Internal
    • Medical Affairs partners
    • ATC Operations
    • Commercial partners
    • Clinical Science & Clinical Operations
    • Research Alliances
    • Manufacturing
    • Quality
    • Marketing
    • Market Access
    • Regulatory Affairs
    • Project Management
    • Training
  • External
    • Investigators, KOLs
    • Non-physician HCPs
    • Steering Committees
    • Advisory Boards  

Travel – 30%

Required Education, Skills, and Knowledge   

• A Physician Assistant or Nurse Practitioner with firsthand clinical or surgical experience is required; melanoma, cellular therapy, and/or surgical oncology experience is strongly preferred.
• A degree from an accredited and recognized school is required.
• A minimum of 7-10 years of academic/industry experience is strongly preferred.
• Expertise in the conduct of clinical trials in hematology/oncology is strongly preferred.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex scientific and surgical concepts to diverse audiences, including presentations to large groups, facilitation of interactive discussions, and 1:1 interaction with surgeons and other HCPs.
• Excellent analytical skills and solid experience in translating medical, clinical, and surgical information into Medical Affairs strategies that improve tumor procurement quality and manufacturing success.
• Proficiency in critical data review and interpretation, including the ability to evaluate surgical variables impacting product quality and outcomes.
• Demonstrated customer-focused orientation & credibility with customers.
• Strong strategic thinking and analytical skills, with the capacity to align scientific initiatives with organizational goals and adapt to evolving industry landscapes.
• Expertise in leading the development of effective and influential scientific content aligned with the latest advancements in the therapeutic landscape, utilizing PowerPoint for impactful presentations.
• Knowledge/application of data sources, reports, and tools for the creation of solid plans, including insights into surgical workflows and tumor procurement metrics.
• Ability and willingness to travel as needed to meet the demands of the role.

The physical demands described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodation may be made upon request to enable individuals to perform essential functions. Please contact Human Resources to request accommodation.

Physical Demands and Activities Required

• Ability to travel, usually within the US.
• Must be able to remain in a stationary position standing or sitting for prolonged periods of time.
• Must be able to move about inside an office and exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.
• Must have visual acuity to perform activities such as preparing and analyzing data and figures, viewing a computer screen, and extensive reading.
• This position requires repetitive motion, substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
• Must be able to communicate with others to exchange information.

Mental: Clear and conceptual thinking ability; excellent judgement, troubleshooting, problem-solving, analysis, and discretion; ability to handle work-related stress; ability to handle multiple priorities simultaneously; and ability to meet deadlines.

Work Environment: This job operates in a professional or remote office environment and requires operating standard office equipment and keyboards.

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