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Pfizer
San Diego, California

Medical Director, Sickle Cell Disease, non-MD

Medical AffairsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$177k-$294k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 1 day ago · Verified live

Job Description

Role Summary

Reporting to the US Medical Affairs (USMA) Hematology-Endocrine Lead, the Medical Director will provide leadership and expertise in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) contributing to the planning and execution of medical strategies, technical expertise and an in-depth understanding of medicine development and lifecycle to bear on all US Medical SCD-related activities. The Director will be an integral member of the US Medical Affairs-Hematology-Endocrine team, leading the sickle cell disease therapeutic area which includes a compound in clinical development.

The Medical Director will support key internal and external medical initiatives such as establishing and maintaining thought leader relationships in the field of SCD, understanding and identifying clinical care gaps, and facilitate the development of customer-focused communication and resources.

He/she will provide therapeutic area/product expertise in SCD and understand patients and physicians’point of view. He/she will work closely with Global Medical Affairs and cross-functional colleagues to support and execute upon the US Medical Affairs plan.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES (Include, But Not Limited To)

  • Supports the development and execution of US medical strategies and tactics in support of the SCD portfolio.
  • Participate in reviewing & approving promotional and nonpromotional materials ensuring fair balance
  • Collaborate with cross functional constituents from Commercial, Organized Customer, Field Medical, HEOR and relevant internal stakeholders to drive US strategic direction for brand
  • Ability to plan and lead successful advisory boards, congress-related symposia & congress planning

Ability to contribute to Publication planning, data generation activities and other medical/scientific activities related to informing HCPs on appropriate use of Pfizer medicines

Serve as a reliable, trusted source of accurate and scientific knowledge for the data, disease state, product label and competitive data sets for clinical trials

  • Participate in developing and maintaining HCP engagement plans for HQ Medical Affairs
  • Congress support in collaboration with US and Global colleagues
  • Support evidence dissemination and education activities including scientific publications and scientific exchange
  • Support internal medical training curriculum in collaboration with the medical affairs capabilities group
  • Support training needs through partnership in developing materials and provide expert medical presentations and education

Support Development of Training Modules

Partner with MI colleagues to provide expert input into Medical Letters and ensure updates as needed

Basic Qualifications

Candidate demonstrates a breadth of diverse leadership experiences and capabilities including: the ability to influence and collaborate with peers, develop and coach others, oversee and guide the work of other colleagues to achieve meaningful outcomes and create business impact.

Terminal doctorate (eg. PhD, PharmD) professional degrees with 5+ years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, clinical/medical practice, or combination of these

  • Knowledge and experience in SCD and Experience in Medical Affairs preferred
  • Relationship builder within and outside of Pfizer
  • Excellent presentation and communication skills

Team Oriented for Success

Proven ability to facilitate open discussion and debate among key stakeholders and build internal and external relationships

Well-organized with the ability to be flexible, prioritize multiple demands, and effectively lead in a matrix organization

Creativity, resourcefulness, high energy and flexibility

NON-Standard Work Schedule, Travel or Environment Requirements

Ability to travel up to 25%

Other Job Details

  • Relocation assistance available: NO
  • Work location: Onsite (at any Pfizer site)
  • Last date to apply: 10/31/2026

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $176,600.00 to $294,300.00. In addition, this position is eligible for participation in Pfizer’s Global Performance Plan with a bonus target of 20.0% of the base salary and eligibility to participate in our share based long term incentive program.

We offer comprehensive and generous benefits and programs to help our colleagues lead healthy lives and to support each of life’s moments.

Benefits offered include a 401(k) plan with Pfizer Matching Contributions and an additional Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution, paid vacation, holiday and personal days, paid caregiver/parental and medical leave, and health benefits to include medical, prescription drug, dental and vision coverage.

Learn more at Pfizer Candidate Site – U.S. Benefits | (uscandidates.mypfizerbenefits.com). Pfizer compensation structures and benefit packages are aligned based on the location of hire. The United States salary range provided does not apply to Tampa, FL or any location outside of the United States.

This role is posted in multiple locations. If you are applying for the role in an secondary job posting location where pay transparency regulations apply, your Talent Advisor will share the local pay information with you during the first interview.

Relocation assistance may be available based on business needs and/or eligibility.

Candidates must be authorized to be employed in the U.S. by any employer.

U.S. work visa sponsorship (such as TN, O-1, H-1B, etc.) is not available for this role now or in the future.

Sunshine Act

Pfizer reports payments and other transfers of value to health care providers as required by federal and state transparency laws and implementing regulations.

These laws and regulations require Pfizer to provide government agencies with information such as a health care provider’s name, address and the type of payments or other value received, generally for public disclosure.

Subject to further legal review and statutory or regulatory clarification, which Pfizer intends to pursue, reimbursement of recruiting expenses for licensed physicians may constitute a reportable transfer of value under the federal transparency law commonly known as the Sunshine Act.

Therefore, if you are a licensed physician who incurs recruiting expenses as a result of interviewing with Pfizer that we pay or reimburse, your name, address and the amount of payments made currently will be reported to the government.

If you have questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact your Talent Acquisition representative.

EEO & Employment Eligibility

Pfizer is committed to equal opportunity in the terms and conditions of employment for all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, gender identity or gender expression, national origin, disability or veteran status.

Pfizer also complies with all applicable national, state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act and IRCA. Pfizer is an E-Verify employer. This position requires permanent work authorization in the United States.

Pfizer endeavors to make pfizer.com accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process and/or interviewing, please email disabilityrecruitment@pfizer.com. This is to be used solely for accommodation requests with respect to the accessibility of our website, online application process and/or interviewing. Requests for any other reason will not be returned.

To learn more about acceptable and prohibited uses of AI during the recruitment process, please review our candidate AI-use guidelines available on Pfizer Careers.

Medical

Key Responsibilities

The Medical Director will lead US Medical Affairs activities for Sickle Cell Disease, including strategy development and execution for the portfolio. They will collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive brand strategy, manage thought leader relationships, and oversee scientific communication and training initiatives.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a terminal doctorate degree (PhD or PharmD) with at least 5 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry or clinical practice. Strong expertise in Sickle Cell Disease and Medical Affairs is required, along with excellent communication and leadership capabilities.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Strategic planningThought leader engagementCross-functional collaborationRelationship buildingPresentation skillsProject managementMatrix organization leadership

Medical Affairs — Physician Career Context

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$235k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $213k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Medical Affairs pay on WeekdayDoc is down 2.5% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

What does the Medical Affairs market look like in California?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$177k–$294kMedical Affairs median $306k (middle half $285k–$338k)17 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$213k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Medical Affairs listings in California42 active278 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Medical Affairs pay trend−2.5% vs prior quarter—through Sep 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Medical Affairs Jobs

1 matches · ranked by pay
#1

Sr. Medical Director (Neurologist)

Allucent · Remote - Nationwide

Work-life snapshot

median 3.9this job 1.5
Below most Medical Affairs listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 277 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
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About Pfizer

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
New York, New York
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

401(k) with Pfizer Matching Contributions
Pfizer Retirement Savings Contribution
Paid vacation
Holidays
Personal days
Paid caregiver/parental leave
Medical leave
Health benefits (medical, prescription drug, dental, vision)

Living in San Diego

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.01M≈ 5.7× annual pay
Typical market rent
$3,036/mo≈ 21% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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