Medical Director Nephrology Biotech - $270K–$300K in Columbus
Career & Market Insight
This Medical Director, Clinical Development role at Jade Biosciences represents a high-impact, senior physician-scientist opportunity within a lean, clinical-stage biotech — a very different career trajectory than a comparable title at a large pharma company.
Compensation benchmark: The $270,000–$300,000 salary range is competitive for a Medical Director at a small biotech. Industry benchmarks for this level at similarly staged companies typically range from $250,000–$320,000 base, plus equity — though equity is not explicitly mentioned here, it is standard at this stage and should be negotiated.
Career development signals:
- Direct exposure to IND/NDA regulatory submissions, FDA interactions, and rare disease drug development — highly valued experience in biopharma.
- Nephrology + autoimmune expertise is a hot therapeutic area, with APRIL and BAFF pathway programs gaining significant traction post-sparsentan and iptacopan approvals in IgAN.
- As a newly created role in a small company, you will have outsized visibility to the CMO and CEO, accelerating career advancement potential.
- Building KOL networks and representing the company at advisory boards develops skills transferable to VP-level roles.
Green flags: Fully remote, mission-driven, early pipeline with lead asset in a validated indication. Watch for: No explicit equity/bonus mention, typical early-stage funding risk, and the high travel component that could affect work-life balance. Overall, an excellent opportunity for a nephrologist MD ready to transition fully into industry leadership.
About Jade Biosciences
Jade Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing best-in-class therapies that address critical unmet needs in autoimmune diseases. Jade's lead candidate, JADE101, targets the cytokine APRIL, and is currently being evaluated for the treatment of immunoglobulin A nephropathy. Jade's pipeline also includes JADE201, an afucosylated anti-BAFF-R monoclonal antibody, as well as JADE301, an anti-IFN-β monoclonal antibody. Jade was launched based on assets licensed from Paragon Therapeutics, an antibody discovery engine founded by Fairmount. For more information, visit JadeBiosciences.com and follow the Company on LinkedIn.
Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced and mission-driven Medical Director in Clinical Development to lead and support clinical programs in nephrology, with a focus on rare or immune-mediated kidney diseases. This role is ideal for a physician-scientist who thrives in a small biotech environment where agility, cross-functional collaboration, and scientific leadership are essential. The Medical Director will play a key role in advancing Jade's pipeline through clinical development. This newly created position will report to the Executive Medical Director of Clinical Development. This is a fully remote role and will require some travel.
Key Responsibilities
Clinical Development
- Lead the design, execution, and oversight of clinical trials in nephrology, including protocol development, study monitoring, and data interpretation.
- Serve as Medical Monitor for ongoing trials, ensuring patient safety and scientific integrity.
- Collaborate with clinical operations, regulatory, and biometrics teams to ensure trial success and compliance.
- Educate and advise clinical sites/investigators to support enrollment and optimal study conduct, including presenting at investigator meetings and/or site initiation visits, and serving as the medical point of contact for site staff questions about patient eligibility, and providing input into patient safety assessment and management.
- Provide medical expertise and support to external partners, vendors, and contractors as required to ensure smooth program execution.
- Communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with internal and external stakeholders regarding the assigned clinical program, including the CMO, CEO, external medical experts, and others.
Regulatory and Scientific Contributions
- Contribute to the preparation of regulatory documents (INDs, NDAs, briefing documents, etc.).
- Support interactions with regulatory authorities and ethics committees.
- Stay current with scientific literature and competitive landscape in nephrology and related fields.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with translational science, biomarker, and commercial teams to align clinical strategy with broader company goals.
- Provide medical input into lifecycle planning and early market preparation.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Begin building relationships with key opinion leaders (KOLs), investigators, and advocacy groups in nephrology.
- Represent the company at scientific meetings, advisory boards, and industry events.
Qualifications
- MD (or equivalent medical degree); board certification in nephrology strongly preferred.
- 3+ years of experience as a nephrologist in academia or industry, and/or experience in nephrology clinical trials or rare disease programs.
- Experience in clinical trial design, execution, and medical monitoring.
- Strong clinical judgment, scientific rigor, and regulatory knowledge.
- Ability to work independently and thrive in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize effectively in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and motivate cross-functional teams, manage a diverse set of stakeholders, and work closely with team leaders.
- High ethical standards and impeccable integrity.
- Exercise sound judgment in managing complex, confidential, and regulated information.
Position Location
This is a remote role; periodic travel to team and company events is required.
The anticipated salary range for candidates for this role is $270,000 - $300,000. The final salary offered will depend on several factors, which may include, but not limited to, relevant years of experience, educational background, and geography.
As part of the I-9 verification of authorization to work in the United States, Jade Biosciences participates in E-Verify. To learn more about E-Verify please review this poster.
Jade Biosciences is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is an MD required, and is nephrology board certification mandatory?
