What you should know

Job description of the Medical Science Liaison Manager: MSL, MSLM, Medical Manager

What is a Medical Science Liaison Manager (MSL, MSLM, Medical Manager)?

MSL / MSLM are the informative link on a medical-scientific level between the pharmaceutical industry, physicians and medical associations as well as between the corporate divisions Clinical Research, Regulatory Affairs, Sales and Marketing.

What does a Medical Science Liaison Manager (MSL, MSLM, Medical Manager) do?

MSL / MSLM accompany and support drug development and testing in a reflective exchange with practising physicians and medical associations. In addition, they prepare medical-scientific information and communicate it to marketing and sales.

How do you become a Medical Science Liaison Manager (MSL, MSLM, Medical Manager)?

To date, there is no prescribed qualification or training for MSL / MSLM. Within the company, employees from clinical research, regulatory affairs, marketing or sales can be trained according to the individual needs of the company. However, there are also independent training providers who have taken on this topic. Such external MSL or MSLM training can, for example, increase the chances of obtaining an MSL or MSLM position in your own or another company. Or it can help newly appointed MSLs / MSLMs to gain a broader and more in-depth knowledge base, especially when familiarising themselves with the job.

AMS Advanced Medical Services GmbH not only conducts clinical trials, marketing and sales on behalf of its clients in the pharmaceutical industry, but is also a provider of such training. The online training programme for Medical Science Liaison Managers (MSL, MSLM) is a self-study course that can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis at your own pace. The content of our online training course not only reflects our own expertise in the requirements of the job, but is also based on the results of analysing the requirements and task descriptions of numerous job advertisements for MSL / MSLM.

In this respect, the content of the Medical Science Liaison Manager (MSL, MSLM) online training programme is particularly well suited to the requirements of the market for this job profile.

What does a Medical Science Liaison Manager (MSL, MSLM, Medical Manager) earn?

There are no fixed rates for MSL / MSLM. Salaries can vary depending on the internal salary structure of the respective company, the supply and demand for such positions and profiles on the job market, the amount of professional experience already gained and whether further training has already been completed to become an MSL / MSLM. However, it can be said with some certainty that they are generally higher than those of the usually well-paid pharmaceutical sales representatives (pharmaceutical consultants, pharmaceutical sales representatives). The best place to find out about the current situation is on salary information websites such as gehalt.de, glassdoor.de or the major job exchanges. However, please also bear in mind that things may look slightly different in individual cases – upwards or downwards. Average values are only average values and therefore cannot be applied 1:1 to each individual case.

What are the requirements for Medical Science Liaison Managers (MSL, MSLM, Medical Manager)?

To date, there is no prescribed qualification or training for MSL / MSLM.

Apart from possible further training to become an MSL / MSLM, such as our online training to become a Medical Science Liaison Manager, you are generally expected to have:

• A university degree, usually in natural sciences, medicine or business administration, the latter with a focus on marketing and sales
• and/or experience in pharmaceutical field service / clinical field service, in clinical research (clinical monitor) or as an MSL / MSLM
• Good basic medical, pharmaceutical and pharmacological knowledge
• Good knowledge of the pharmaceutical market and pharmaceutical marketing
• Knowledge or experience in quality and project management
• Ability to manage relationships and network
• Good IT skills
• Very good communication and presentation skills
• Very good knowledge of German and English
• Good self-management skills
• Ability to work autonomously and independently
• High willingness to travel

Please note that there may also be company-specific differences here.

Is there further training to become a Medical Science Liaison Manager (MSL, MSLM, Medical Manager)?

Yes, this is also available here at AMS Advanced Medical Services GmbH. It is offered via our ‘1st Internet Pharma School’ division as a web-based self-study course: Online training Medical Science Liaison Manager (MSL / MSLM)