Careers
Associate Director / Director, Medical Operations
Operations
Lexington, MA, USA
USD 161k-275k / year + Equity
Posted on Jul 30, 2026
Wave Life Sciences is a biotechnology company focused on unlocking the broad potential of RNA medicines to transform human health. Our RNA medicines platform, PRISM, combines multiple modalities, chemistry innovation and deep insights in human genetics to deliver scientific breakthroughs that treat both rare and prevalent disorders. Our toolkit of RNA-targeting modalities including RNAi silencing and RNA editing provides us with unmatched capabilities for designing and sustainably delivering candidates that optimally address disease biology. Our diversified pipeline is focused on our obesity, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and PNPLA3 I148M liver disease programs and includes clinical programs for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and Huntington’s disease, as well as several preclinical programs utilizing our versatile RNA medicines platform. Driven by the calling to “Reimagine Possible”, we are leading the charge toward a world in which human potential is no longer hindered by the burden of disease.
Description
The Associate Director/Director, Medical Operations is responsible for leading the strategic planning, execution, and continuous improvement of operational processes that enable an effective and compliant Medical Affairs function. This role partners closely with Medical Affairs leadership, Finance, Clinical Development/Operations, Regulatory, Patient Advocacy, and external vendors to optimize workflows, manage key systems and vendors, and ensure high-quality execution of medical activities (e.g., publications, medical information, advisory boards, and investigator-initiated studies, where applicable). This role is ideal for a proactive and adaptable leader who thrives in a fast-paced, evolving biotech environment. Success requires balancing strategy and execution, strong stakeholder management, and the ability to build scalable, compliant operational solutions. This role will be based in our Lexington, MA office with a hybrid work arrangement.
Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in life sciences or related field required; post-baccalaureate degree preferred
- Associate Director: 8–10+ years of experience, including Medical Affairs/Operations, or Director: 10–15+ years of experience with leadership responsibility
- Experience in small to mid-size biotech environment preferred
- Global Medical Affairs exposure
- Experience in scaling operations in growing biotech environments
- Launch experience and Medical Affairs build-out preferred
- Vendor RFP and management experience
Responsibilities
- Design, implement, and optimize operational processes supporting Medical Affairs activities (e.g., publications, medical communications, field medical operations, medical information)
- Oversee execution and tracking of key deliverables, ensuring timelines, budgets, and quality standards are met
- Establish and manage Medical Affairs KPIs, dashboards, and reporting
- Lead vendor selection, onboarding, and oversight, and manage budgets and forecasts
- Serve as business owner for Medical Affairs systems and tools
- Partner cross-functionally with Clinical, Regulatory, Legal, Compliance, Patient Advocacy, and IT
- Ensure compliance with GxP and company SOPs; support audits and inspections
- Support strategic planning and continuous improvement initiatives
Key Skills
- Strong knowledge of Medical Affairs activities and compliance requirements
- Experience with systems such as Veeva CRM and Medical Information platforms
- Excellent project management and organizational skills
- Data-driven mindset with reporting and analytics experience
- Strong cross-functional leadership and communication skills
- Ability to operate strategically and execute tactically
Pay Range External Disclosure Statement
The annual base salary range for this position is $161,000 - $275,000.
The range provided is based on what we believe is a reasonable estimate for the annual base salary pay range for this position at the time of posting. Actual annual base salary will vary based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant skills, experience, qualifications, position criticality, and internal equity. This position is eligible for a discretionary annual bonus and discretionary stock-based long-term incentives. In addition to compensation, Wave offers a comprehensive and competitive range of benefits designed to support our employees’ and their families physical and financial health and overall well-being. These include, but are not limited to, company-sponsored medical, dental, vision, life, long and short-term disability insurances, generous paid time off (including a week-long company shutdown in the Summer and the Winter), 401K participation with matching contributions, and Employee Stock Purchase Program.
Wave Life Sciences provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Wave Life Sciences complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
Wave Life Sciences expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Wave Life Sciences’ employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.
We value our relationships with professional recruitment firms. To protect the interests of all parties, and given the large volume of inquiries received from third-party placement agencies, we are not able to respond to all agency inquiries. We do not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates for current or future positions. Submission of unsolicited resumes in advance of a signed agreement between our company and a placement agency does not create an implied obligation and, if an unsolicited candidate represented by a placement agency is hired, we are not obligated to pay a fee. Only approved recruitment firms will be allowed to provide services to Wave Life Sciences, USA.