Medical Director, Ophthalmology in London

AAVantgarde is a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing best-in-class therapies for patients with inherited retinal diseases. The company’s lead programs target Stargardt disease and retinitis pigmentosa due to Usher syndrome type 1B—two severe inherited retinal diseases with no approved treatments. With a strong foundation in translational science and a commitment to clinical excellence, AAVantgarde is working to bring transformative therapies to patients.

We are looking for an ambitious, clinically grounded retina specialist to join our growing ocular gene therapy team as a Medical Director. This is a unique opportunity for an early-career retina specialist to play a visible, high-impact role in advancing transformative therapies for inherited retinal diseases (IRDs). In this role, you will help shape clinical strategy while staying close to the science and the patients. You will work at the intersection of clinical medicine, imaging, and innovative gene therapy development—contributing meaningfully to programs from early development through late-stage trials.

What makes this role compelling?

• Direct impact on cutting-edge gene therapy programs in IRDs
• High visibility across clinical, regulatory, and scientific functions
• A role that leverages your clinical and imaging expertise—not just oversight

If you are a candidate with strong hands-on experience in retinal disease management and imaging, we encourage you to apply.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to and help shape clinical development strategy across ocular gene therapy programs, from early-phase through late-stage studies
• Support the design and execution of clinical trials (Phase 1–3), including protocol development, amendments, and benefit–risk assessment
• Apply deep clinical and imaging expertise to review and interpret retinal imaging (e.g., OCT, fundus autofluorescence) for patient selection, endpoint evaluation, and data interpretation
• Lead ongoing medical data review, including eligibility assessments and continuous evaluation of aggregated safety and efficacy data during trial conduct
• Provide medical oversight of safety events, including review of serious adverse events and development of safety narratives
• Ensure compliance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and applicable regulatory requirements across all clinical activities
• Contribute to the preparation and review of key clinical and regulatory documents (e.g., protocols, CSRs, briefing books, clinical sections of submissions)
• Collaborate closely with clinical operations on feasibility, site selection, enrollment strategy, and trial execution
• Serve as a key medical partner to investigators, sites, and key opinion leaders, providing scientific guidance and clinical support
• Translate clinical and imaging insights into clinical development decisions, including endpoint selection and overall program strategy
• Work cross-functionally with translational science, regulatory, and other stakeholders to ensure high-quality, efficient study delivery

Education and Qualifications

• MD or MD/PhD with ophthalmology
• Retina subspecialty training with expertise in retinal imaging is strongly preferred
• Experience in inherited retina diseases is desirable
• Experience in translational drug development in the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry will be a plus

Skills and Capabilities

• High ethical standards and commitment to patient-centric drug development
• Strong clinical expertise in retinal diseases, with demonstrated proficiency in retinal imaging interpretation
• Outstanding attention to detail, particularly in the context of imaging review, data interpretation, and clinical trial conduct
• Willingness to learn about clinical development and broader drug development process
• Ability to collaborate across functions
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple deliverables in a dynamic environment
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships and influence cross-functional teams and external stakeholders
• High-quality presentation and publication skills demonstrated by first author scientific presentations and publications
• Sound judgment and decision-making skills, balancing scientific rigor, patient safety, and program needs
• Strong team orientation, with a collaborative and proactive mindset

We will consider applicants from Europe, USA (East Coast) and Canada.