Medical Science Liaison

Tocagen is a clinical-stage, cancer-selective gene therapy company developing first-in-class, broadly applicable product candidates designed to activate a patient's immune system against their own cancer. Tocagen's lead investigational product candidate, Toca 511 & Toca FC, is under evaluation in a pivotal Phase 3 trial (Toca 5) for recurrent high grade glioma (HGG), a disease with significant unmet medical need. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration awarded Tocagen an orphan drug grant for the Toca 5 trial and has granted Toca 511 & Toca FC Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of recurrent HGG. The European Medicines Agency has granted Toca 511 PRIME (PRIority MEdicines) designation for the treatment of glioma. For more information about Tocagen, visit www.tocagen.com.

As the company prepares for the approval and launch of Toca 511 and Toca FC, field based medical affairs activities will be critical to meet the needs of the medical community. To this end, we plan to hire Medical Science Liaison (MSL) position to start building the medical affairs organization.

MSL position will report into the Head of Medical Science Liaison.

The primary responsibility of the field Medical Science Liaison (MSL) will be to provide support for the Medical Affairs activities and field related clinical  development for Toca 511 & Toca FC and other pipeline products. Initial responsibilities will involve prioritized national activities and then transition to regional responsibilities as the broader MSL organization forms in 2019.  The MSL will assist in the development and maintenance of “peer to peer” scientific relationships with critical stakeholder but not limited to key opinion leaders (KOLs) in health care, research, academia, community and payer & managed care organizations. Importantly the MSL will assist in planning for and onsite conference coverage. In addition the MSL will liaise with investigators to discuss IST strategy and process for the development and execution of the investigator-sponsored trials (IST) as well as compassionate use/expanded access and named patient protocols. MSLs will provide relevant disease state, study information and research findings regarding Company pipeline products, as well as current and expanding treatment in the area of oncology. The MSL will play a critical role to support company sponsored trials including pivotal studies.

The MSL will assist in the development of and delivery of clinical presentations to these stakeholders in a timely, ethical and customer-focused manner.  In addition, the MSL will implement medical and educational strategies in collaboration with internal stakeholders; pairing educational and research needs with available resources and providing data in response to specific inquiries. The MSL will support the commercial organization as the business needs arise in the field.

Duties and Responsibilities Include but are not limited to:

• Identify, develop and establish professional relationships via scientific exchange with local, regional, and national KOLs in the assigned region consistent with the strategy and objectives of the Company.
• In conjunction with the medical affairs team and patient support/liaison develop professional relationships with patient advocacy groups and other patient foundations in the brain tumor and in solid tumor settings as the development plan evolves.
• Support product launch activities, market access through payer interaction and communication plans; develop and implement regional strategy and tactical plans.
• Support the development and implementation of the publication plan providing insight into regional publication needs and publication needs for health care providers including neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, medical oncologist, nurses and pharmacists.
• Provides strategic and operational support to all conference activities including receptions, Investigator meetings (with clinical operations), booth development and booth staffing, and 1:1 KOL meetings.
• Provide continuing field scientific support and training for Marketing, Sales and Market Access team members once the product is approved
• Actively participate in advisory boards, speaker training events, clinical investigator meetings, regional, national and international meetings as needed
• In conjunction with Market Access and Health-Economics/Outcomes Research (HEOR), develop and deliver scientific presentations to guidelines/P&T committees, formulary/pathway decision makers and related stakeholders
• MSL will support successful implementation of all activities at the highest priority clinical & scientific conferences for the company. Present data on products; represent the company at specific continuing medical educational events, programs, medical meetings, cooperative group meetings and scientific conventions held in the US
• Partner with Clinical Development/Medical Affairs and Drug Safety to ensure accurate delivery of medical and scientific information, as needed.
• Assists in the facilitation of other externally-sponsored clinical trials.
• Implement clinical trial tactics as outlined by the Company and in collaboration with other field medical team members.
• Support enrollment goals for clinical trials including site visits and outreach to the site to proactively determine tactics acceptable to the sites to assist with referral and later consent.
• Establish and maintain contact with relevant medical, research and educational societies. 
•  Identify educational gaps and opportunities within local, regional and national organizations.
• Provide appropriate scientific, clinical, and educational support for external customers Support in processing of field request for medical education funding
• Coordinate scientific activities with medical affairs, clinical development, and other internal/external clients, as needed. 
• Upon request identify and train contracted speakers or internal team members in alignment with medical plan and product life cycle needs.
• Collect, analyze and report competitive intelligence in a manner compliant with all applicable rules and regulations
• Lead/participate on special project teams as necessary.
• Performs other duties as required.

  Desired Knowledge and Abilities:

• Demonstrates ability to develop and maintain credible and scientific relationships with top experts in oncology.

• Excellent interpersonal communication and presentation skills are required; including ability to effectively communicate medical data/concepts.
• Highly developed interpersonal skills and ability to function on a cross-functional team.
• Must be able to prioritize and work effectively in a constantly changing environment.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Leadership skills to assist in the development of the field-based MSL program.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements for clinical studies and post-marketing activities for the U.S. and Canada.
• Field based position with ability to travel ~ 50-60% of time.

  Education and Experience:

• Advanced degree (PharmD, MD, nursing or PhD preferred).
• Minimum 2-3 years of MSL experience required or 2-3 years of work experience at Tocagen leading to scientific knowledge regarding the Toca 511/Toca FC program. 
• 3 years clinical experience with direct patient care an asset.
• Experience with biological products ideally cancer immuno-therapeutics or gene therapy is an asset
• Oncology clinical experience specifically neuro-oncology or neuro-surgery and/or cancer immunotherapy an asset.
• Solid understanding of today’s US Oncology environment (Medical, Clinical, Regulatory, Health-Economic/Outcomes Research, Health Policy, HIPAA and other guidelines)
• Self-starter with organizational savvy, able to work with minimal direction and comfortable with ambiguity
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite applications with proficiency in Microsoft Project an asset.