Associate Director, Surgical/Medical Science Liaison - Ophthalmology

The Role 

As Associate Director, Surgical/Medical Science Liaison, you will be at the forefront of AAVantgarde Bio’s clinical and medical strategy, playing a pivotal role in the execution of surgical training and monitoring programs. This position is deeply embedded in the company’s medical affairs function, supporting early-phase clinical trials and advancing our work in gene therapy and inherited retinal diseases. 

You will be responsible for ensuring surgical readiness at trial sites, offering hands-on training and support to surgical and pharmacy teams, and monitoring procedures to ensure protocol adherence. Your expertise will be critical in troubleshooting logistic challenges related to the surgical procedure and refining training materials in collaboration with the Director of Surgical Liaison. Beyond the operating room, you will coordinate medical affairs activities such as advisory boards and congress engagements, while fostering relationships with key opinion leaders, surgeons, academic institutions, and patient representatives. Your insights will help shape the strategic direction of our clinical programs and ensure alignment with regulatory and ethical standards. 

Skills and Experience Required 

We are seeking a dynamic and adaptable professional with a strong background in Ophthalmology and medical affairs. You should bring prior experience in surgical training or medical affairs within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry, ideally with exposure to Phase I/II clinical trials involving ocular surgical procedures. A medical degree (MD), PhD, PharmD, or B.Optometry is desirable. 

Success in this role requires a practical, solution-oriented mindset and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment. You should have a proven track record in delivering hands-on training—both dry and wet lab formats—to surgeons and pharmacists, and be comfortable working within an operating room setting. Strong communication and stakeholder management skills are essential, as is the ability to build lasting relationships with key opinion leaders and clinical partners. Familiarity with US regulatory frameworks and prior experience in a start-up environment will be advantageous. The role involves significant travel (>50%), so flexibility and enthusiasm for fieldwork are key. 

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