Global Medical Affairs Research Grant & Study Manager

Company Description

Santen is a specialized company with a proud 130-year heritage focused exclusively on eye health. As a Japan-originated, global company with our footprint in over 60 countries and regions, our mission is to provide essential and significant value to patients and society through our products and services created from our expertise in ophthalmology and from the patient’s perspective.

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced Global Medical Affairs Research Grant & Study Manager to join our Global Medical Affairs team.

This is a unique opportunity for a Medical Affairs or Clinical Research professional with deep expertise in Investigator-Sponsored Studies (ISS/IST) and research grants to play a pivotal role in shaping Santen's global evidence-generation strategy.

The successful candidate will take direct ownership of investigator-initiated research programs and serve as a key partner to Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, Compliance, Legal and external research stakeholders. The role focuses on generating high-quality evidence through investigator-led studies, Phase IV research, registries, observational studies, and real-world evidence initiatives while ensuring robust governance, compliance, and operational excellence.

What you will do

Lead Global ISS and Research Grant Programs

• Own and manage the end-to-end lifecycle of Investigator-Sponsored Studies (ISS/IST) and research grant programs.
• Coordinate proposal intake, scientific review, governance processes, contracting, milestone tracking, reporting requirements, and payments.
• Ensure studies are executed in compliance with company policies, ethical standards, and applicable regulations.
• Maintain inspection-ready documentation and provide oversight throughout study execution. 

Drive Medical Affairs Evidence Generation

• Lead operational support for Medical Affairs-sponsored evidence generation activities across multiple regions.
• Manage Phase IV studies, observational research, registries, post-authorization studies, and real-world evidence (RWE) initiatives.
• Monitor timelines, budgets, deliverables, risks, and study performance to ensure successful execution.
• Support dissemination of study outcomes through publications, presentations, and scientific communications.

Bridge Clinical Development and Medical Affairs

• Partner closely with Clinical Development and Clinical Operations teams to support Phase III programs and facilitate seamless transition into post-approval research.
• Contribute to evidence-generation planning, investigator engagement, and study feasibility activities.
• Ensure alignment between development-stage research and Medical Affairs evidence-generation objectives. 

Build Strong External Partnerships

• Act as a trusted partner to investigators, academic institutions, healthcare professionals, research organizations, and key opinion leaders.
• Support collaborative research initiatives that advance scientific knowledge and improve patient outcomes.
• Work with CROs and external vendors to ensure quality delivery and operational excellence.

Qualifications

What you will bring to the role

• 5+ years of experience in Medical Affairs, Clinical Research, Clinical Operations, Evidence Generation, or a related field.
• Strong experience managing Investigator-Sponsored Studies (ISS/IST) and research grant programs.
• Proven expertise in research grant governance, including review processes, contracting, milestone management, reporting, and payment oversight.
• Demonstrated experience in Medical Affairs evidence generation, including Phase IV studies, registries, observational research, and real-world evidence programs.
• Experience collaborating with Clinical Development teams and supporting the transition from Phase III clinical programs to post-approval research.
• Experience working with investigators, academic institutions, KOLs, CROs, and external research partners. 

Education & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Pharmacy, Nursing, Public Health, or another relevant scientific discipline.
• Advanced scientific degree (PhD, PharmD, MPH, MSc) preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of GCP, ICH guidelines, and clinical research regulations.
• Fluent English communication skills.

What we offer:

• Competitive Salary: A market‑aligned base salary starting from 78.863 GBP – 108.436 GBP, depending on experience and location.

Ready to make a difference?  

Apply today and help us shape the future of eye health. 

Additional Information

Grow your career at Santen
A career at Santen is an opportunity to make a difference. We aspire to contribute to the realization of “Happiness with Vision” by providing eye health products and services to patients, consumers, and medical professionals around the world. Guided by our CORE PRINCIPLE, “Tenki ni sanyo suru”, Santen is engaged in the global research & development, manufacturing, and sales and marketing of pharmaceutical products in ophthalmology. We have team members around the world using their diverse talents to unlock new modalities and drive innovations for patient outcomes, education and treatment. At Santen, we believe in empowering all our team members with flexible ways of working and a highly inclusive work environment.

The Santen Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building diverse teams and ensuring a safe and inclusive physical and virtual workplace for every one of our team members. All employment decisions are based on business needs, role requirements and individual qualifications regardless of race, color, ethnicity, national origin/ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/ expression, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you require any kind of accommodation during our recruitment process, please let the recruiter from our team know.