Vertex Australia Distribution Posted August 4, 2026

Senior Medical Science Liaison, Australia

5080, Australia Full time
Medical Affairs Senior

Vertex Australia Distribution is the source of truth for this posting and owns the application process. We surface normalized context and market comparison you won't find on the original listing.

About this opportunity

Job Description

Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Senior Medical Science Liaison, Australia

The Senior Medical Science Liaison (Sr MSL) will serve as a scientific liaison to the medical/academic community and is responsible for establishing and maintaining relationships with Health Care Providers/Professionals (HCPs) to ensure the appropriate dissemination of clinical and scientific information regarding Vertex' compounds (current focus on cystic fibrosis) in a timely, ethical and stakeholder-focused manner. The Sr MSL will contribute to shaping the medical plan by providing external stakeholders' insights and contribute to the designing and execution of the Medical Affairs strategy and plan. The Sr MSL will engage HCPs in response to scientific educational and research needs with available Vertex resources and provide the latest emerging data in response to specific inquiries, as appropriate. The Sr MSL role is highly collaborative and patient-focused, requiring impactful engagement with healthcare community, deep scientific knowledge, business acumen, and strong strategic alignment with cross-functional teams.

Key Responsibilities

Develops and fosters effective and trusting relationships with Thought Leaders and identifies and engages other appropriate HCPs resulting in scientific engagement with a large network of CF care providers and opinion leaders; understands the inter-relationships both within and between academic centres and utilizes this expertise to enhance Thought Leader and HCP engagements

Independently incorporates the medical plan into interactions and territory planning (i.e. listening priorities) and captures valuable feedback in the CRM system to inform internal stakeholders and assist in shaping the medical strategy

Discusses scientific information effectively and compliantly with external stakeholders at an advanced level of communication for both disease state and product to external stakeholders as assessed by management coaching and field observations; applies proficient knowledge of relevant disease and disease management protocols, healthcare environment and competitors to articulate the medical and scientific value of our products

Leads and supports medical education initiatives, including scientific meetings and other medical engagements

Supports the development and execution of country medical plans and develop strategic customer engagement plans

Represents Vertex at medical congresses by providing scientific session/abstract coverage, booth staffing coverage, routine TL interactions, contributing to the daily and end of congress summaries and may provide logistical guidance as the “MSL congress lead” through organizing and scheduling abstract/session coverage and preparing and delivering the conference debrief

Partners effectively and compliantly with commercial field teams in the key account management process, while enhancing cross-functional collaboration to navigate the local healthcare environment

Conducts all activities in compliance with Vertex policy and procedures and performs all administrative tasks in a timely manner such as CRM entry, vehicle mileage reporting, expense reporting, calendar entries, training assignments, etc.

Required Education Level

Advanced degree in biomedical, scientific, or medical disciplines (e.g., PhD, MD, PharmD, Nursing, or Allied Health)

Required Experience

A minimum of 5 years of experience as a MSL, or in other medical affairs roles in the pharma/biotech industry or the equivalent combination of education and experience

Previous training or experience in designated therapeutic area is helpful

Experience in pulmonary diseases, immunology, endocrinology or nephrology is highly desirable

Required Knowled​ge/Skills

Ability to complete goals within allotted timeframes, and deliver high quality results

Ability to help plan and complete projects in a constantly changing field-based environment

Ability to create solutions to identified issues

Ability to appraise and comprehend medical and scientific literature

Ability to effectively present clinical/scientific information in a credible manner in varied settings

Apply proficient knowledge of relevant disease and disease management protocols, healthcare   environment and competitors to articulate the medical and scientific value of our products

Demonstrated working understanding around the compliance and regulatory frameworks that   govern the pharmaceutical industry and conducts compliant interactions with internal and external stakeholders

In-depth knowledge of payers and unique medical information needs to support access and appropriate use of Vertex medicines

In-depth understanding of healthcare regulatory environment

Ability to use Microsoft Office programs and to work in a matrix environment

Fluent in English & Local Language (oral and written)

Other Requirements

Valid driver's license

Ability to travel as part of the MSL territory, depending on assigned geography; including occasional weekend travel

#LI-SG1

#LI-Remote

Company Information

Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation.

Vertex is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Vertex is an E-Verify Employer in the United States. Vertex will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.

Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should make a request to the recruiter or hiring manager, or contact Talent Acquisition at ApplicationAssistance@vrtx.com.

Job details

Seniority
Senior
Function
Medical Affairs
Therapeutic area
Not listed
Location
5080, Australia
Employment type
Full time

How this role compares

Computed from every other active Medical Affairs role in our database, not just this employer's listings.

We currently track 160 comparable Senior Medical Affairs roles across 51 biopharma companies.

160Comparable roles tracked
152Currently active
51Companies hiring similar roles
22Countries represented

Salary context

43 of 160 peers report a salary range (USD, annualized)

Peers share this role's job function and a matching or adjacent seniority level -- not necessarily the same therapeutic area or country.

This roleSubject Not listed on this posting
Peer group range $144,000 – $231,700 (median $197,850)

Where these roles are based

Top locations among the 160 comparable roles

United States83
India13
Taiwan11
China10
Japan9
Germany6

+ 16 more countries

Seniority mix

160 of 160 peers have a known seniority level

Senior109
Associate Director45
Principal6

Therapeutic area mix

61 of 160 peers have a known therapeutic area; the rest are genuinely unlabeled, not hidden

Oncology26
Rare Disease9
Neuroscience7
Dermatology & Aesthetics6
Cardiovascular / CVRM5
Vaccines & Infectious Disease4
Immunology3
Ophthalmology1

Similar opportunities

The closest matches from our peer group, ranked by how similar they are, not how well you'd qualify for them -- treat this as market context, not a guaranteed shortlist; a weak match is labeled as one below.

60%similar
Biogen Sydney, Australia Senior
Same function Same seniority Same country
45%similar
AbbVie Boston, MA Senior
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
AbbVie Trenton, NJ Senior
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
AbbVie Boston, MA Senior
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
AbbVie Minneapolis, MN Senior
Same function Same seniority
45%similar
AbbVie Columbus, OH Senior
Same function Same seniority

Notify me about similar jobs

Get an email when we spot other openings like this one – same job function, comparable seniority, roles you'd actually want to see.

How we calculate "similar"

No black box, no LLM guesswork: a deterministic score built from four normalized attributes. Here's this role's own peer group at different match levels, so you can see the mechanism, not just the result.

Every comparison starts from the same 100-point budget: 25 for working in the same function, 40 for the same therapeutic area, 20 for the same or adjacent seniority, 15 for the same country. A dimension we can't confirm on both sides contributes nothing, never a guess, never a free pass.

60%
Senior Medical Science Liaison (Location: Sydney or Melbourne)
Biogen · Sydney, Australia · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
45%
MSL/Sr. MSL Oncology, Multiple Myeloma (New England)
AbbVie · Boston, MA · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
45%
MSL/Sr. MSL Oncology, Multiple Myeloma (PA/MD/DC)
AbbVie · Pittsburgh, PA · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
45%
Senior MSL I – Aesthetics Portfolio
AbbVie · Bethesda, MD · Senior
Function Therapeutic area Seniority Country
Unmatched or unknown dimensions score exactly the same: 0 points, never a partial guess. A role we know almost nothing about beyond its function bottoms out at 25%; it never inflates to 100% just because there's little to compare against. Seniority uses a defined ladder (Associate → Manager → Associate Director → Senior → Principal → Director → Senior Director → Executive/VP) so "Director" and "Senior Director" count as adjacent, but "Director" and "Executive/VP" do not.