Agios Pharmaceuticals logo
Agios Pharmaceuticals
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Medical Director/Senior Medical Director, Clinical Development

Medical AffairsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$222k-$462k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about call expectations, weekend coverage, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 56m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Medical Director/Senior Medical Director, Clinical Development

Who We Are

At Agios, we are fueled by connections to transform rare diseases. We foster an inclusive, collaborative culture – one that sparks bold thinking and strengthens our connections with each other and with the rare disease communities we serve.

We embrace diverse backgrounds with respect, active listening, and a commitment to inclusion – because our differences shape how we hire, collaborate, and innovate.

Our team’s proven track record of executional excellence, combined with our depth of expertise and dedication, enables us to develop innovative medicines that reflect the priorities of rare disease communities.

Our commitment is more than scientific – it’s deeply personal, grounded in the meaningful connections we have built. To learn more, visit agios.com and follow Agios on LinkedIn and X.

The Impact You Will Make

Agios Pharmaceuticals is searching for a dynamic Medical Director / Senior Medical Director to join our clinical development team. We want someone who cares about this important work, and who’s driven to connect to our mission of helping these patient communities.

The Medical Director/Senior Medical Director is responsible for the development and execution of clinical research and development programs for Agios including the leadership of the pivotal trials, NDA and/or filing activities. This role gives strategic medical and tactical input to the Business Development team.

This position serves as a key liaison between company and clinical investigators and establishes credible relationships with opinion leaders, and regulatory officials.

What You Will Do

  • Direct involvement in trial design of Phase I/II/III targeting rare or orphan diseases.
  • Provide on-going support for open-label extension periods and life cycle management of a product.

Directly supervise and monitor trial conduct as well as work closely with external medical monitor physicians to assure consistency of conduct across trials. Work closely with all functions of the organization and external partners to manage trial execution.

Provide medical input to global regulatory plans and regulatory meetings in partnership with regulatory affairs.

Provide medical input to global safety leads and at safety meetings in partnership with safety and medical safety and risk management teams.

Follow important developments and relevant trends in scientific literature and develop/maintain contracts with external experts to support understanding of the candidate drug effects and to gain strategic insights to the further development and placement of study and overall program.

Develop effective relationships with clinical research organizations to ensure successful medical oversight of outsourced studies.

Provide clinical assessments during disease/target evaluation, prioritization and selection, identifying novel therapeutics opportunities as well as critical study design and execution challenges.

  • Support qualifications of pharmacodynamic/disease markers of assessment of efficacy.
  • Work closely with the project management representative(s) to track trial status.

Work closely with study physicians, as well as other project team members/functional areas to ensure regulatory compliance.

Author and review clinical study reports, manuscripts, regulatory documents and other written material related to clinical study.

Be responsible for the scientific quality of all clinical work.

Ensure consistent practices with the highest ethical standards in compliance with internal SOPs, local regulations and laws.

What You Bring

  • M.D. or equivalent degree
  • Board Certification, Board Eligibility or specialist accreditation in internal medicine or pediatrics; specific experience with classical hematologic diseases is desirable.
  • 3-10 years in industry (biotech/pharma) specifically within Clinical Development or closely related functions
  • Clinical and managerial experience within pharmaceutical trial design and conduct (POC through Phase 3 experience) within the pharmaceutical industry CRO or Academia is required. Experience with trials though NDA preferred, but not required
  • Excellent interpersonal and public speaking skills are required for this high visibility position.

Concerned that you don’t check off every box in the requirements listed above? Please apply anyway! At Agios, we value each other’s differences and recognize that teams thrive when everyone brings their unique experiences to the table.

We are dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible environment where all employees can bring their whole selves to work. If you’re excited about this role but your previous experience doesn’t align perfectly with the job description, we still encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another opening!

Work Location

Location Agnostic: Work location for this role is based on employee's individual preference. This role can be either remote in the US or hybrid in our Cambridge Headquarters.

Hybrid schedules vary but are generally less than 3 days per week onsite and hybrid employees are expected to live within commutable distance of our Cambridge Headquarters. Remote employees work entirely from home except for attending Company sponsored events/ meetings.

For employees who choose to work remotely, travel may be required for certain company events commensurate with the above job description.

What We Will Give You

Deliberate Development. Your professional growth is one of our top priorities.

Flexibility. We’re all about individual needs. We embrace different perspectives, work styles, health and wellness approaches, care of families and productivity. When you’re at your best, we’re at our best.

Premium benefits package. We invest in the health, well-being, and security of our people with a premium benefits package that is well-rounded and flexible to help meet the varied personal and professional needs of every member of our team. For more detail on the benefits we offer at Agios, visit the Inside Agios section of our website.

Competitive and equitable performance-based compensation. This includes base salary and both short- and long-term incentives that are connected to our business strategy and vary based on individual and company performance.

The current base salary range for this position at the Medical Director is expected to be between $221,600 and $369,333 annualized and the current base salary range for this position at the Senior Medical Director is expected to be between $277,140 and $461,900 annualized; final salary will be determined based on various factors including, but not limited to, years of relevant experience, job knowledge, skills and proficiency, degree/education, and internal comparators.

Psychological safety. We support an environment of fearlessness. We want you to share your ideas, speak candidly and take data-informed risks to help push the boundaries.

Commitment to diversity. We strive to foster a welcoming workplace where everyone can thrive. We’re continuously looking to improve the inclusivity of our workforce.

Commitment to community. We’re an active participant in the communities that surround us – the communities where we live, and the community of people and their loved ones in need of better treatment options for conditions that are often overlooked.

Interested in learning more about what makes our culture unique? Visit the Inside Agios section of our website.

Key Responsibilities

The Medical Director leads the development and execution of clinical research programs, including pivotal trials and regulatory filing activities. They serve as a key liaison between the company, clinical investigators, and regulatory officials to ensure successful trial conduct and medical oversight.

Requirements

Candidates must hold an M.D. or equivalent degree with board certification or eligibility in internal medicine or pediatrics. The role requires 3-10 years of industry experience in clinical development, specifically with pharmaceutical trial design and conduct.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
5+ years of experience

Certifications

Board Certification (preferred)

Key Skills

Medical monitoringHematologyRare disease researchPharmacodynamicsMedical writingStrategic planningInterpersonal skills

Medical Affairs — Physician Career Context

The cost-of-living index for Massachusetts is 105.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$342k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $323k in an average-cost state. 63.2% of Massachusetts clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Medical Affairs pay on WeekdayDoc is down 1.0% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

Top Medical Affairs Jobs

1 matches · ranked by pay
#1

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$207k-$296k

Work-life snapshot

median 4.2this job 4.8
Better work-life than 60% of Medical Affairs listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 251 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site

Living in Cambridge

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.39M≈ 6.3× annual pay
Typical market rent
$3,476/mo≈ 19% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
26 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
108.3
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

Agios Pharmaceuticals logo

About Agios Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Cambridge, MA
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Premium benefits package
Competitive and equitable performance-based compensation
Short- and long-term incentives
Flexibility
Deliberate Development