Opportunity

Oncology Medical Affairs Director Role - $270K in Columbus

Location Columbus
Company Natera
Source jobicy
Posted 2026-10-19 11:45:26

Career & Market Insight

This Associate Area Medical Director role at Natera is a structured entry point into pharmaceutical/biotech medical affairs leadership for board-certified oncologists transitioning out of clinical practice. It sits at HM4 level, with a clear progression pathway toward full AMD autonomy and eventual cross-functional leadership.

Compensation benchmarking: The $180K–$270K range is competitive for a field medical affairs physician role. Market data for Associate Medical Directors in oncology biotech typically runs $180K–$240K base, so the upper end of this range reflects strong market alignment, especially for candidates with MSL or cfDNA/MRD experience.

Skills developed in this role:

  • Field medical affairs execution and KOL engagement in oncology
  • Scientific communication and data presentation to physician audiences
  • Cross-functional collaboration (medical, commercial, MSL)
  • cfDNA/MRD diagnostics — a rapidly growing, highly specialized knowledge domain
  • CRM/Salesforce documentation and compliance practices

Green flags: Natera is a recognized leader in cfDNA testing with a clear mission, strong product pipeline, and industry credibility. The role offers genuine mentorship through AMD oversight and defined metrics that make performance visible and career progression legible.

Watch points: The >50% travel requirement and evening event obligations signal a demanding schedule. The role is explicitly developmental — candidates seeking immediate full autonomy may find the structured parameters limiting. However, for physicians building a pharma/biotech career track, this is a high-quality stepping stone.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Associate Area Medical Director (Associate AMD) is a physician contributor operating within a defined regional geography under the guidance of an Area Medical Director or Medical Affairs leadership. This role is designed for a clinically credentialed oncologist who is building field medical affairs expertise and developing the cross-functional, commercial, and scientific capabilities required for full AMD-level autonomy.

The Associate AMD executes field engagement activities, supports MSL partnership, and delivers scientific education within established frameworks and account priorities. The role contributes to insight generation and escalation management, but does not yet carry independent ownership of area strategy or cross-functional leadership. This is a 50% field-based role requiring strong clinical foundations, a bias for action, and the capacity to develop rapidly in a high-autonomy environment.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

MD-Level Field Engagement

  • Execute 8–12 MD-level engagements per quarter within defined geography, with at least 50% in pre-identified top strategic community accounts.
  • Maintain at least 3 field ride days per month alongside MSL counterparts, targeting accounts designated by area leadership.
  • Establish contact with medical leads in assigned top accounts; engage 100% of flagged accounts within 10 business days of assignment.
  • Share responsibility for implementation and execution of "platinum-glove" provider engagement activities with area AMD lead.

Scientific Communication and Education

  • Attend, support, or present at regional educational programs as directed; develop toward independent program leadership over time.
  • Complete annual recurrent speaker training; maintain working proficiency across assigned tumor histologies and the MRD diagnostic landscape.
  • Document scientific exchange summaries and objection-handling themes in Salesforce following each engagement.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Participate in bi-weekly 1:1s with MSL manager and attend monthly MSL team meetings; support area planning sessions as directed.
  • Respond to escalated area medical inquiries within 48 hours with 100% closed-loop documentation; triage complex inquiries to the AMD or histology-specific Medical Directors.
  • Generate at least 2 actionable regional insights per quarter; contribute to quarterly written insight report submitted to AMD or manager.
  • Identify, triage, and resolve operational issues coming from area accounts through cross-functional coordination and ownership.

Clinical Development Support

  • Identify and document field-driven evidence generation opportunities; escalate to AMD for evaluation and submission to histology lifecycle teams.
  • Support AMD-led clinical trial concept development; participate in one histology-specific program identification per year.

Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

  • M.D. or D.O. with board certification or active board eligibility in medical oncology, medical oncology/hematology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, or a directly related clinical specialty.
  • Minimum 2–5 years of clinical practice or medical affairs experience following training (HM4 level; equivalent field experience accepted).
  • Clinical knowledge across at least one or more tumor histologies and foundational understanding of molecular diagnostic testing in oncology.
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate clinical data and engage physician audiences in a professional setting.

Preferred:

  • Prior medical affairs, MSL, or field-based clinical role in oncology diagnostics, pharma, or biotech.
  • Familiarity with cfDNA-based testing, MRD assays, or molecular residual disease concepts.
  • Experience presenting at scientific or clinical educational forums.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Technical:

  • Clinical knowledge across oncology histologies relevant to the assigned geography; capacity to develop proficiency in Natera's full product portfolio.
  • Working proficiency in Salesforce or equivalent CRM for documentation and compliance adherence.
  • Ability to interpret and communicate clinical data and study results to physician audiences.

Behavioral:

  • Developing autonomy. Executes within defined parameters; proactively seeks guidance when needed and builds toward independent problem-solving.
  • Bias for action. Does not wait to be directed on routine field activities; moves on assigned priorities without prompting.
  • Scientific curiosity. Asks questions, reads the data, and actively builds proficiency across the MRD landscape and Natera product evidence.
  • Cross-functional awareness. Understands how medical affairs, MSL, commercial, and marketing functions interrelate and engages accordingly.
  • Clear communicator. Can simplify complex clinical concepts for diverse physician audiences and internal stakeholders.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

This is a field-based role with approximately 50% of time spent in regional travel. The Associate AMD attends in-person customer meetings, educational programs, and internal team meetings, which may require extended hours and evening events. Remote home-office work constitutes the remaining time and requires reliable high-speed internet access. Physical demands are consistent with standard office and field-based activities.

Travel required for this position: Yes — Anticipated travel: >50% within Natera-defined area geography

Compensation: $180,000–$270,000 USD (Remote USA). Actual compensation packages are based on a wide array of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, years & depth of experience, certifications, and specific office location. This may differ in other locations due to cost of labor considerations.

OUR OPPORTUNITY

Natera™ is a global leader in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing, dedicated to oncology, women's health, and organ health. Our aim is to make personalized genetic testing and diagnostics part of the standard of care to protect health and enable earlier and more targeted interventions that lead to longer, healthier lives.

The Natera team consists of highly dedicated statisticians, geneticists, doctors, laboratory scientists, business professionals, software engineers, and many other professionals from world-class institutions who care deeply for their work and each other. When you join Natera, you'll work hard and grow quickly. Working alongside the elite of the industry, you'll be stretched and challenged, and take pride in being part of a company that is changing the landscape of genetic disease management.

WHAT WE OFFER

Competitive Benefits — Employee benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life, and disability plans for eligible employees and their dependents. Additionally, Natera employees and their immediate families receive free genetic testing in addition to fertility care benefits. Other benefits include pregnancy and baby bonding leave, 401(k) benefits, commuter benefits, and much more. We also offer a generous employee referral program!

For more information, visit www.natera.com.

Natera is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace environment, and welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives. Inclusive collaboration benefits our employees, our community and our patients, and is critical to our mission of changing the management of disease worldwide.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply, and will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, age, veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with applicable laws.

If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents.
Link: https://www.natera.com/notice-of-data-collection-california-residents/

Please be advised that Natera will reach out to candidates with a @natera.com email domain ONLY. Email communications from all other domain names are not from Natera or its employees and are fraudulent. Natera does not request interviews via text messages and does not ask for personal information until a candidate has engaged with the company and has spoken to a recruiter and the hiring team. Natera takes cyber crimes seriously, and will collaborate with law enforcement authorities to prosecute any related cyber crimes.

For more information:
- BBB announcement on job scams
- FBI Cyber Crime resource page

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this role fully remote or does it require being in an office?
The role is approximately 50% home-office based and 50% field-based, with more than 50% of time spent in regional travel within a Natera-defined US geography. Candidates must have reliable high-speed internet for remote work.
What is the salary range for the Associate Area Medical Director position?
The pay range is $180,000–$270,000 USD annually. Actual compensation depends on skill set, years of experience, certifications, and location.
Do I need to be a licensed physician to apply?
Yes. The role requires an M.D. or D.O. with board certification or active board eligibility in medical oncology, hematology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology, or a directly related specialty.
How much travel is expected in this role?
The posting anticipates more than 50% travel within the Natera-defined area geography, including at least 3 field ride days per month with MSL counterparts and attendance at regional educational events, which may include evenings.
Is prior medical affairs or MSL experience required?
It is preferred but not strictly required. The role requires a minimum of 2–5 years of clinical practice or medical affairs experience post-training; prior MSL or field-based pharma/biotech experience is listed as a preferred qualification.
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