Director/Senior Medical Director, Clinical Development

Oruka Therapeutics • Waltham, MA

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

Oruka Therapeutics (Nasdaq: ORKA) is developing novel biologics designed to set a new standard for the treatment of chronic skin diseases. Oruka’s mission is to offer patients suffering from chronic skin diseases like plaque psoriasis the greatest possible freedom from their condition by achieving high rates of complete disease clearance with dosing as infrequently as once or twice per year. Oruka is advancing a proprietary portfolio of potentially best-in-class antibodies that were engineered by Paragon Therapeutics and target the core mechanisms underlying plaque psoriasis and other dermatologic and inflammatory diseases. For more information, visit www.orukatx.com As we build our core team, we're seeking top talent in different functional areas who are not just looking for a job, but an opportunity to be part of something bigger. Someone who is passionate about making a difference and eager to contribute to establishing an engaged, inclusive, and positive company culture.
The Medical/Senior Medical Director of Clinical Development plays a key role in the execution and operational oversight of clinical trials, ensuring high-quality data generation to support the safety and efficacy of our pipeline products. This role involves supporting clinical study design, implementation, and data interpretation while working cross-functionally to align clinical activities with overall development plans. The Medical Director collaborates closely with internal and external stakeholders to ensure trial execution meets regulatory, scientific, and business objectives.

Requirements

• Medical degree (MD) with board certification in a relevant specialty
• Extensive experience in clinical research and development, ideally within the pharmaceutical industry
• Strong understanding of clinical trial design, GCP guidelines, and regulatory requirements
• Excellent communication, leadership, and analytical skills

Responsibilities

• Supports the development of clinical trial protocols, including patient selection criteria, study endpoints, and data collection methods
• Oversees the conduct of clinical trials at study sites, ensuring adherence to protocols and good clinical practice (GCP) guidelines
• Reviews and interprets clinical data to assess the safety and efficacy of the investigational drug
• Authors and contributes to clinical and non-clinical documents required during the clinical development process (including but not limited to: Clinical Study Protocols, Investigator Brochures, Clinical Study Reports)
• Provides medical expertise of the therapeutic area, disease state, and potential drug effects
• Reviews clinical data to identify and analyze safety concerns and adverse events, and makes appropriate recommendations to the team
• Stays current with relevant medical literature and clinical trial methodologies
• Contributes medical expertise to external interactions with collaborators throughout the clinical development cycle
• Works closely with other functions including clinical operations, regulatory affairs, medical affairs, biometrics, pre-clinical and project management teams to help ensure optimization of the clinical development process
• Presents clinical data to internal and external stakeholders
• Contributes to the overall clinical development strategy
• Helps to identify critical clinical development milestones and helps the team to drive toward meeting or exceeding timelines
• Leads the clinical contribution for clinical study reports, clinical documents and regulatory submissions
• May oversee the work of Clinical Scientists working on the same or other programs

Benefits

• A chance to be part of a vibrant startup culture where your work can directly impact bringing new medicines to patients.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• A supportive and inclusive team environment where everyone is encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree