---
title: 'Medical Science Liaison (MSL) - North Central at Tarsus Pharmaceuticals'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/medical-science-liaison-msl-north-central-tarsus-pharmaceuticals-chicago-w6wa5e6e7ebs'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-08'
---

# Medical Science Liaison (MSL) - North Central at Tarsus Pharmaceuticals

- **Company:** Tarsus Pharmaceuticals
- **Location:** Chicago Illinois, United States / Detroit Michigan, United States / Indianapolis Indiana, United States / Milwaukee Wisconsin, United States
- **Posted:** 2026-09-01
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08
- **Apply:** https://tarsusrx.com/careers/apply/?gh_jid=6160735004

## Job description

## About the Role

The Medical Science Liaison (MSL) reports to our National Director of Field Medical. MSLs are field-based healthcare professionals to our customers. They will engage in compliant scientific exchange and provide whole practice education on disease state and respond to inquiries related to our products.

Let’s talk about some of the key responsibilities of the role:

- Manage key opinion leader (KOL) optometrists and ophthalmologists in a designated region, ensuring compliant conduct per PhRMA and Tarsus guidelines.
- Be the primary medical affairs KOL point of contact for day-to-day needs and peer-based scientific exchange, adhering to our Tarsus scientific platform; engagements may include both virtual and live interactions.
- Collect actionable insights from field scientific exchange, prioritize and collate these insights to shape medical strategy.
- Provide whole practice education to optometric and ophthalmic centers.
- Provide resources to facilitate disease state education in Optometry schools and Ophthalmology residency programs.
- Instruct customers (upon request) on investigator initiated trial and medical information procedures.
- Compliantly identify and recommend KOLs for a variety of projects (including advisory boards, medical education initiatives, training, publications, special projects, clinical trials, business development evaluations) based on expertise, interests, and competencies.
- Plan KOL engagements and schedule and attend scientific sessions at local, regional and national medical meetings as needed.
- Liaise with local and regional optometric and ophthalmic medical societies
- Present scientific evidence to the payer community.
- Provide leadership and expertise on medical affairs projects and initiatives.
- Participate in continual optimization of training, insights gathering and field medical processes.
- Host local disease state scientific exchanges and “lid+lash labs.”
- Participate in compliant and collaborative engagements with cross-functional team members including training and KOL meetings.
- Provide clinical trial support as needed and determine by the clinical development team.
- Manage territory budget, metrics, KOL mapping and CRM entries.

Factors to Success

- Doctorate of optometry, or MD, PharmD, PhD with eye care expertise required.
- 3+ years of experience as a medical science liaison in eye care is preferred; or 3+ years of clinical experience in eyecare with at least one year of industry experience or 7+ years of clinical practice in eyecare. Senior level exists for those with 4+ years of previous MSL experience.
- Strong emotional intelligence and presentation skills.
- Ability to plan, organize, manage, and prioritize workload proactively in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to navigate systems and processes including Microsoft Office and customer relationship management software, work independently, and be self-motivated.
- Ability to collect actionable insights and critically analyze data.
- Ability to influence and collaborate with peers.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills to convey technical and clinical information.
- Decision Making - Demonstrates strong decision-making by applying structured analysis to complex challenges, balancing competing priorities and long-term impacts while engaging stakeholders and driving solutions aligned with organizational goals.
- Collaboration and Team Building - Promotes collaboration by aligning diverse teams around shared goals, fostering healthy debate to advance outcomes, and building strong networks that strengthen organizational effectiveness and cross-team learning.
- Outcome Driven - Demonstrates strong outcomes focus by aligning teams around shared priorities, proactively addressing risks and dependencies, and driving cross-functional accountability to sustain progress and deliver results.

A Few Other Details Worth Mentioning:

- The position is field based and requires travel 60-80% of the time.
- Territory includes: Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Northeast Michigan with candidates ideally located in: Chicago, IL; Indianapolis, IN, Milwaukee, WI; or Detroit, MI.
- The candidates must live in their assigned territory, preference will be given to candidates who reside within 45 minutes of a major airport / major metropolitan area.
- We are passionate about our culture! Our Tarsans live our values of commitment to patients, empowerment to champion innovation, and teamwork to amplify impact!
- This position reports directly to our National Director of Field Medical.

At Tarsus, we understand the importance of attracting and retaining top talent. The expected base pay range for this position is $134,200 to $188,000; with a higher range of $165,000 to $231,000 for candidates hired at the Senior level, plus bonus, stock equity, and comprehensive benefits. The base pay range reflects the target range for this position, but individual pay will be determined by additional factors such as job-related skills, experience and relevant education or training. Our benefits include health, dental and vision insurance benefits to ensure your well-being. We believe in work-life balance and offer generous paid time off, including vacation, holidays, and personal days. For more details regarding Tarsus benefits, please visit: https://eb.alliant.com/26tarsusbenefitssnapshot.

#LI-Remote Tarsus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex including sexual orientation and gender identity, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

## About Tarsus Pharmaceuticals

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: A biopharmaceutical company creating novel therapies to treat the root cause of diseases, starting with eye care and expanding into dermatology and infectious disease prevention.
- **Entity Type**: Public (NASDAQ: TARS)
- **Headquarters**: Not publicly available in provided sources (inferred to be Irvine, CA, but not confirmed)
- **Founded**: 2016
- **Founders**: Bobak Azamian, MD, PhD and Michael Ackermann

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Biopharmaceuticals (eye care, dermatology, infectious disease prevention)
- **Target customers**: Patients with high unmet medical needs; prescribing eye care professionals, dermatologists, and other healthcare providers (B2B/B2C hybrid)
- **Mission or purpose**: To revolutionize treatment for patients with unmet needs by pursuing the root cause of disease, not just symptoms.

## Products & Services
- **[XDEMVY® (lotilaner ophthalmic solution) 0.25%]**: The first and only FDA-approved treatment for Demodex blepharitis, an eyelid disease affecting approximately 25 million Americans. (Product, prescription medicine)
- **[TP-03 (lotilaner ophthalmic solution)]**: Investigational treatment for Meibomian Gland Disease (MGD), currently in Phase 2a clinical trial. (Pipeline candidate)
- **[TP-04]**: Investigational treatment for Rosacea (ocular rosacea), currently in Phase 2a clinical trial. (Pipeline candidate)
- **[TP-05]**: Oral tablet for the prevention of Lyme disease, currently in Phase 2a clinical trial. (Pipeline candidate)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed in provided sources (public company, stock price available via LSEG with 15-minute delay)
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue – Not disclosed in provided sources (public company, quarterly earnings reported; Q1 2026 results mentioned but figures not included)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Initial backing from Versant Ventures and Third Rock Ventures (per founder background); global partnerships mentioned but not specified.
- **Growth Signals**: FDA approval of first product (XDEMVY); advancing three pipeline candidates into Phase 2a trials; partnership with John Cena to raise awareness of Demodex blepharitis; public listing enabling further financing.

## Competitive Advantages
- **First-mover category**: XDEMVY is the only FDA-approved treatment for Demodex blepharitis, creating a new category in eye care.
- **Root-cause approach**: Focus on treating the underlying cause of disease rather than symptoms, potentially offering more durable solutions.
- **Expanding pipeline**: Leveraging the same platform (lotilaner) to address multiple large, underserved conditions (MGD, rosacea, Lyme disease prevention).
- **Strong leadership and culture**: Experienced management team with deep biotech expertise; culture of teamwork, empowerment, and commitment.

## Strategic Focus
- **Current priorities**: Commercialize XDEMVY and expand its reach; advance Phase 2a trials for TP-03, TP-04, and TP-05; pursue new categories in eye care, dermatology, and infectious disease prevention.
- **Direction for growth**: Build on the success of XDEMVY to establish a pipeline of novel therapies addressing high unmet needs, with potential to expand beyond the eye.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Driven by core values of teamwork, empowerment, and commitment; described as nimble, differentiated, and patient-centered.
- **Work model**: Hybrid work options available; on-campus gym at headquarters.
- **Perks & benefits**: Comprehensive health & wellness program (medical, dental, vision with significant employer contribution), flexible time off, paid parental leave, sabbatical program, 401(k) match, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, gym reimbursement, Calm and LifeBalance memberships, cell phone allowance, in-office meals and snacks, family-building assistance via Carrot.
- **Growth opportunities**: Learning and career development resources; recognition programs; exposure to a fast-growing public company with a promising pipeline.

## Sources
1. [tarsusrx.com](https://tarsusrx.com/)
2. [tarsusrx.com/careers](https://tarsusrx.com/careers/)
3. [tarsusrx.com/our-story](https://tarsusrx.com/our-story/)
4. [ir.tarsusrx.com/investor-relations](https://ir.tarsusrx.com/investor-relations)
5. [tarsusrx.com/our-leadership](https://tarsusrx.com/our-leadership/)

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