Medical Director, Opthalmology

The Role

We are seeking an accomplished and visionary Medical Director to lead the clinical development of our ophthalmology programs at AAVantgarde. This role is central to shaping and executing our global clinical strategy, overseeing trials from first-in-human through Phase 3, and ensuring the scientific and medical integrity of our investigational products.

As Medical Director, you will provide clinical leadership across all aspects of trial design and execution, including protocol development, feasibility assessments, site selection, and enrolment strategy. You will serve as the primary medical point of contact for internal teams, clinical sites, and external stakeholders, offering guidance on disease mechanisms, safety management, and regulatory compliance. A key part of your role will be building relationships with principal investigators and key opinion leaders, contributing to scientific dialogue and ensuring our programs remain at the forefront of innovation.

You will lead medical data reviews, oversee safety assessments, and contribute to regulatory submissions and health authority interactions. This is a highly collaborative role that requires strategic thinking, scientific depth, and a strong understanding of the competitive landscape in ophthalmology and gene therapy.

Skills and Experience Required

To succeed in this role, you will need a medical degree (MD, MD/PhD, or PhD) in life sciences, pharmacy, or a related field, with specialization in ophthalmology—particularly in retina and inherited retinal diseases—strongly preferred. You should bring experience in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, ideally in clinical development or medical affairs roles such as Clinical Scientist or Associate Medical Director.

A strong understanding of clinical trial design, regulatory requirements, and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) is essential, along with hands-on experience in medical monitoring, pharmacovigilance, or drug safety. Familiarity with ophthalmic imaging modalities such as OCT and fundus photography is desirable, as is experience in monitoring retinal trials and early-phase gene therapy studies.

You will be a confident communicator with the ability to engage cross-functional teams and external experts, and a strategic thinker who can balance scientific rigor with operational execution. A commitment to ethical standards, continuous learning, and innovation is key to thriving in this role.

Equal Opportunities

At AAVantgarde, we are committed to fostering a welcoming, collaborative, and inclusive environment. We believe in providing equal opportunities for all and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or any other legally protected characteristics. All applicants will receive equal consideration for employment.

Recruitment Policy

AAVantgarde’s HR team leads all recruitment activities for AAVantgarde globally. AAVantgarde will not recognise any notional ownership recruitment companies claim to hold over candidates they present directly to hiring managers without the AAVantgarde HR team’s consent, nor any fees the recruitment company may feel are due as a result of this. Unsolicited resumes sent to AAVantgarde from recruiters do not constitute any type of relationship between the recruiter and AAVantgarde and do not obligate AAVantgarde to pay fees should we hire from those resumes. We ask that external recruiters and/or agencies not contact or present candidates directly to our hiring managers or employees. If you are interested in becoming a recruitment partner please email the HR team at recruitment@aavantgarde.com