Medical Science Liaison Hiring Reveals Pharma Pipeline Strategy

While the summer hiring slump (and other bad news for the pharma industry) continues, today I’m zooming in on a specific role, the Medical Science Liaison (MSL). I’ll discuss what MSL hiring patterns can reveal about strategic moves inside pharma companies.

MSLs act as field-based scientific experts, educating physicians and other stakeholders about a company’s products. The role often requires a PhD, involves heavy travel, and is widely seen as one of the more lucrative positions for life science professionals.

Who is hiring MSLs? ¶

Over the past six months, 33 of the 59 companies I’m tracking have posted Medical Science Liaison positions, totaling 897 roles. The top companies hiring MSLs are:

• Takeda (156)
• GSK (141)
• Johnson & Johnson (88)
• Novartis (84)
• Sanofi (68)

Takeda leads the pack, with a sharp burst of postings between May and June. These roles are concentrated in Dermatology (105), followed by Gastroenterology (26), Oncology/Hematology (17), and general roles (8).

This surge aligns with Takeda’s December 2024 announcement that it expects six Phase 3 readouts and three NDA filings in 2025–2026. The hiring pattern suggests they’re preparing to launch zasocitinib (for psoriasis) and rusfertide (for polycythemia vera), among other pipeline assets, a strong signal that medical affairs is ramping up to support commercialization.

Salary Distributions ¶

MSL salaries remain high across the board. Based on the midpoints of posted salary ranges, the median is $193K.

The top salary ranges were posted by Pfizer for an “Advanced Medical Engagement Lead” role, which ranged from $204K–$341K and $242K–$403K across postings. The lowest came from Takeda, with a broad range between $108K–$170K.

Companies offering median salaries above $200K include Merck, Novartis, Neurocrine Biosciences, Genentech, and Gilead.

This was a different kind of post than usual.

Want more like this? I can dig into other roles (like HEOR, clinical development, or regulatory affairs), highlight specific companies, or explore how hiring maps to product pipelines.

Email me at [email protected].

Data from PharmaPayWatch.com | US jobs only | Questions? Reply to this email or reach out to [email protected]