How to apply for Vice President, Medical Affairs

About Recursion

Recursion is a biotech company that describes its work as decoding biology to improve lives, combining clinical data, real-world evidence, and AI-enabled insights. The company has an advancing clinical portfolio with programs in oncology, rare disease, and immunology. This role sits at the intersection of science and strategy, translating data into impact for patients, clinicians, investigators, and health systems.

About the role

The Vice President, Medical Affairs will build and lead Medical Affairs strategy across Recursion's clinical portfolio, with an initial focus on oncology, rare disease, immunology, and other priority therapeutic areas. The role spans early development through launch readiness and includes scientific narrative, evidence generation, publication strategy, medical education, advisory boards, and field medical planning. It is a cross-functional leadership position that brings the external medical voice into portfolio decisions and builds scalable Medical Affairs capabilities.

A typical day

A typical day may include working with cross-functional asset teams on scientific narrative and evidence gaps, reviewing publication or medical education plans, and preparing for advisory boards or field medical planning. You may also spend time with HEOR/RWE, Biostatistics, and Clinical Development partners to align Medical Affairs strategy with portfolio decisions. The role is remote in the US, so much of the work happens through virtual collaboration.

Who Recursion is looking for

• Has led Medical Affairs strategy for multiple assets from early development through launch readiness, ideally in oncology, rare disease, or immunology.
• Has built or scaled Medical Affairs capabilities such as scientific engagement, evidence generation, medical communications, and field medical teams.
• Can work cross-functionally with Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Development Sciences, HEOR/RWE, Biostatistics, Clinical Operations, and Portfolio Strategy.
• Is comfortable operating in a data-driven, AI-enabled environment and can translate clinical data and real-world evidence into medical strategy.

Tips for this application

• Name specific assets or programs you have supported from early development through launch, including therapeutic area and phase.
• Show how you have built Medical Affairs capabilities, not just run them. Give examples of processes, teams, or systems you created.
• Connect your experience to Recursion's focus areas: oncology, rare disease, immunology, and other priority therapeutic areas.
• Address how you have used real-world evidence, clinical data, or AI-enabled insights in Medical Affairs decisions.
• Explain how you bring the external medical voice into cross-functional portfolio decisions with Clinical Development, Regulatory, HEOR/RWE, and Biostatistics.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your track record leading integrated Medical Affairs strategies across a clinical portfolio, from early development to launch readiness.', 'Specific examples of building scalable Medical Affairs capabilities in scientific engagement, evidence generation, medical communications, or field medical.', 'How you have partnered with cross-functional teams such as Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, HEOR/RWE, Biostatistics, and Clinical Operations.', "Why Recursion's approach to decoding biology with clinical data and AI-enabled insights fits your experience and the impact you want to have."]

Research before applying

• Recursion's clinical portfolio: which assets are in which phases and which therapeutic areas are priority.
• Recursion's approach to combining clinical data, real-world evidence, and AI-enabled insights, and how that differs from traditional biotech.
• Recent publications, press releases, or pipeline updates that show where Medical Affairs would have the most impact.
• The backgrounds of Recursion's clinical development and executive leadership to understand how Medical Affairs fits into decision-making.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you would build a Medical Affairs strategy for a priority asset from early development through launch readiness.
• How you have identified and closed evidence gaps using clinical data, real-world evidence, or AI-enabled insights.
• How you have structured and scaled field medical, medical communications, and advisory board programs.
• How you bring the external medical voice into cross-functional portfolio decisions and manage competing priorities.
• How you would prioritize across oncology, rare disease, immunology, and other therapeutic areas in a growing portfolio.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Describing Medical Affairs experience in general terms without naming assets, phases, or therapeutic areas.
• Focusing only on launch execution and ignoring early development through launch readiness, which this role explicitly covers.
• Ignoring the AI-enabled and real-world evidence aspects of Recursion's approach, which are central to the job description.