The HealthTech Signal

Careers

From the OR to the Boardroom

The clinician's route into health technology. Find the pathway that fits your constraints, see what the roles pay, and follow a twelve month plan that ends in an offer rather than another course certificate.

Find your pathwaySee live roles

Start here

Most clinicians stall because they are weighing nineteen routes at once. Narrow it to two in a minute.

Sixty second matcher

Which route fits you

Five questions. No email, nothing stored. You get the two pathways that fit your constraints today.

1. Which part of your week already feels closest to industry work?
2. How much income risk can you carry for the next two years?
3. How much clinical work do you want to keep?
4. What do you most want to be judged on?
5. Where are you in your clinical career?

0 of 5 answered. Your result appears here.

Pathways

Nineteen routes, and most of them are not startup jobs. Some are full exits into pharma, payers, consulting, policy or system leadership. Others are portfolio routes you can hold alongside a rota: advisory, board seats, writing, speaking, medico legal and paid review work. Most people end up with a hybrid of two.

Clinical Informatics

The most direct bridge out of the ward, and the one hospitals pay for.

Time
6 to 24 months part time inside your current employer
Pay
Often a protected time arrangement first, then 180k to 320k USD as a full time CMIO track
Read the pathway

Medical Affairs and Clinical Strategy

The scientific conscience of a commercial organisation.

Time
3 to 9 months of focused search
Pay
170k to 300k USD depending on stage and scope
Read the pathway

Clinical Product Management

You stop asking for the feature and start deciding whether it ships.

Time
6 to 18 months, often via an associate or clinical specialist role first
Pay
160k to 290k USD, plus equity
Read the pathway

Health AI and Data Science

The clinicians who keep models honest are scarcer than the people who build them.

Time
12 to 24 months of deliberate skill building
Pay
180k to 340k USD, higher with equity at AI first companies
Read the pathway

Founding and Early Stage

The highest variance route, and the one with the fewest safety rails.

Time
Nights and weekends until revenue or funding, then a hard cut
Pay
Near zero, then 120k to 200k USD post seed, with equity as the real compensation
Read the pathway

Regulatory, Quality and Safety

Unglamorous, permanently in demand, and impossible to fake.

Time
6 to 18 months, often via a certificate plus an internal quality role
Pay
150k to 280k USD
Read the pathway

Venture, Corporate Development and Advisory

Judgement as the product, and a very small number of seats.

Time
12 to 36 months, usually via scouting or advisory work first
Pay
Advisory in equity, principal roles 200k to 400k USD plus carry
Read the pathway

Paid Advisory and Expert Networks

The fastest way to be paid for judgement you already give away.

Time
1 to 6 months to a first paid call, 12 months to retainers
Pay
300 to 1,500 USD per hour on networks, 2k to 10k USD monthly retainers
Read the pathway

Board and Non Executive Roles

Governance seats where clinical judgement is the reason you are in the room.

Time
12 to 36 months, usually after committee or advisory work
Pay
Unpaid to 30k USD a year for charities and public bodies, 40k to 80k plus equity in companies
Read the pathway

Speaking, Media and Public Authority

The public record that makes every other route arrive by invitation.

Time
3 to 12 months to first invitations
Pay
Unpaid early, 2k to 20k USD per keynote once established
Read the pathway

Expert Witness and Medico Legal Work

Structured, well paid work that uses the clinical record you already have.

Time
6 to 18 months including training
Pay
200 to 600 USD an hour, higher for court attendance
Read the pathway

Pharma Development, Drug Safety and Trials

The largest employer of non practising doctors, and the one most clinicians overlook.

Time
6 to 18 months, often via medical monitoring or an MSL role first
Pay
180k to 300k USD for medical monitors, 250k to 440k for senior safety physicians
Read the pathway

Payer and Utilisation Review

Remote, part time friendly, and the most underrated exit in the market.

Time
3 to 6 months
Pay
180k to 290k USD base, senior roles higher with bonus
Read the pathway

Management Consulting and Strategy

A structured exit with a dedicated physician entry track and no MBA required.

Time
6 to 12 months, mostly interview preparation
Pay
190k to 250k USD at associate level plus bonus, far higher at partner
Read the pathway

Health Policy, Regulation and Public Health

Decisions that apply to populations rather than patients.

Time
6 to 18 months for staff roles, longer for senior appointments
Pay
150k to 280k USD in national agencies, lower in NGO and global health roles
Read the pathway

Medical Writing and Communications

The easiest paid route out, and it starts this month if you can write.

Time
3 to 9 months to steady freelance work
Pay
75 to 150 USD an hour freelance, 90k to 180k USD staff
Read the pathway

Health Economics and Market Access

The people who decide whether anyone will ever pay for the product.

Time
12 to 24 months, usually with added quantitative training
Pay
170k to 260k USD at director level
Read the pathway

Health System and Hospital Executive

Stay inside the system and run it instead of leaving it.

Time
2 to 5 years, usually internally
Pay
280k to 450k USD and above, scaling with system size
Read the pathway

Flexible Clinical Income and Review Work

Buy yourself time and money first, then decide what to build with it.

Time
Days to three months
Pay
75 to 250 USD an hour for review work, 1,200 to 2,500 USD a day for locum cover
Read the pathway

Roles and pay

Titles clinicians actually get hired into. Filter by pathway and level, then read the route that leads there.

RolePathwayLevelIndicative bandWho hires
Physician InformaticistAny specialty, strongest from acute careClinical InformaticsEntry to midProtected sessions to 220k USDHealth systems, EHR vendors
Chief Medical Information OfficerSenior clinician with governance recordClinical InformaticsExecutive250k to 380k USDHospitals, integrated delivery networks
Medical Science LiaisonSpecialists and pharmacists, PhDs commonMedical Affairs and Clinical StrategyEntry150k to 210k USDDiagnostics, devices, digital therapeutics
Medical DirectorBoard certified with publication recordMedical Affairs and Clinical StrategyMid to senior220k to 320k USDSeries B and later healthtech, payers
Clinical Product ManagerClinicians with systems instinctClinical Product ManagementMid160k to 240k USD plus equityCare delivery, EHR, workflow software
Clinical Solutions LeadStrong bedside credibility, customer facingClinical Product ManagementEntry to industry140k to 200k USDGrowth stage vendors
Clinical Lead, AIRadiology, pathology, critical care over indexedHealth AI and Data ScienceMid to senior200k to 340k USDAI diagnostics, model labs
Director of Clinical ValidationTrial design experience valuedHealth AI and Data ScienceSenior220k to 320k USDDiagnostics, SaMD companies
Clinical Safety OfficerRegistered clinician, often required by statuteRegulatory, Quality and SafetyMid150k to 240k USDHealth IT suppliers, NHS trusts, device firms
Regulatory Affairs DirectorClinical plus certificateRegulatory, Quality and SafetySenior200k to 280k USDDevice and diagnostics companies
Founding Clinical OfficerDomain owner with buyer accessFounding and Early StageFounderEquity heavy, low cashSeed stage startups, venture studios
Clinical Advisor or Venture ScoutAny specialty with public writingVenture, Corporate Development and AdvisorySide roleEquity, small retainersFunds, corporate venture arms
Expert Network ConsultantAny specialty with a nameable nichePaid Advisory and Expert NetworksSide role300 to 1,500 USD per hourExpert networks, funds, startups
Scientific Advisory Board MemberRecognised expertise in the company's categoryPaid Advisory and Expert NetworksSide role2k to 10k USD monthly, often part equitySeed to Series C healthtech
Non Executive DirectorSenior clinician with governance recordBoard and Non Executive RolesSeniorUnpaid to 80k USD a year plus equityHospitals, charities, regulators, companies
Trustee or Professional Body Council MemberAny specialty, committee experience helpsBoard and Non Executive RolesSide roleUsually unpaid, expenses coveredCharities, royal colleges, societies
Keynote Speaker or FacultyClear communicator with a defined laneSpeaking, Media and Public AuthoritySide role2k to 20k USD per keynote once establishedConferences, societies, education providers
Expert WitnessCurrent practice required in most jurisdictionsExpert Witness and Medico Legal WorkSide role200 to 600 USD an hourLaw firms, insurers, courts
Medical MonitorAny specialty, oncology in highest demandPharma Development, Drug Safety and TrialsEntry to industry180k to 280k USDContract research organisations, biotech
Drug Safety PhysicianBoard certified, detail drivenPharma Development, Drug Safety and TrialsMid to senior250k to 440k USDLarge pharma, biotech
Health Plan Medical DirectorBoard certification usually requiredPayer and Utilisation ReviewMid to senior180k to 290k USDInsurers, managed care organisations
Utilisation Review PhysicianAny specialty, remote friendlyPayer and Utilisation ReviewEntry, often part timePer case or 150k to 220k USDReview organisations, plans
Consulting Associate, HealthcareResidents to attendings, no MBA neededManagement Consulting and StrategyEntry to industry190k to 250k USD plus bonusStrategy firms, life science boutiques
Medical Officer, Regulator or AgencyPublic health training preferredHealth Policy, Regulation and Public HealthMid to senior150k to 280k USDRegulators, health departments
Medical WriterAny specialty, writing samples matterMedical Writing and CommunicationsSide role to full time75 to 150 USD an hour freelanceAgencies, pharma publications teams
HEOR DirectorQuantitative training expectedHealth Economics and Market AccessSenior170k to 260k USDPharma, consultancies, payers
Chief Medical Officer, Health SystemSenior clinician with governance recordHealth System and Hospital ExecutiveExecutive280k to 450k USD and aboveHospitals, systems, medical groups
Independent Medical ExaminerActive licence, current practiceFlexible Clinical Income and Review WorkSide role75 to 250 USD an hourExamination companies, insurers

Method: bands are indicative ranges assembled from public job postings, recruiter guidance and reader reports, shown in USD before equity unless stated. Treat them as a negotiating range, not a promise.

Skills bridge

You already have most of what employers score. The gap is usually naming it and proving it.

What you already doWhat it is called in industryProof to show
Taking a history under time pressureUser research and discovery interviewsNotes from ten user interviews with the pattern you found
Running a ward roundCross functional standups and prioritisationA backlog you triaged with the reasoning written down
Critical appraisal of a paperEvidence review for claims, marketing and regulatorsA written appraisal of a vendor's clinical claims
Audit cycleMetrics definition and experiment designA before and after chart with the confounders named
Incident review and root cause analysisClinical safety cases and post incident processA hazard log for a digital tool you know well
Consenting a patientRisk communication and product copy reviewA rewritten consent or onboarding flow

The twelve month plan

One quarter at a time, each ending in something you can show a hiring manager.

  1. Quarter one

    1

    Orient and choose a lane

    Months 0 to 3

    • Pick one pathway and one backup, then stop reading about the rest
    • Join the committee, working group or audit in your own institution that touches that pathway
    • Rewrite your CV once into industry language, one page, outcomes not duties
    • Have four conversations with clinicians who already made the move, ask what they were hired for

    Proof: A one page CV and a shortlist of twenty target employers.

  2. Quarter two

    2

    Build the missing skill

    Months 3 to 6

    • Close the single biggest gap for your pathway, usually data fluency, regulatory literacy or product basics
    • Take on one internal project with a start date, an owner and a measurable result
    • Write publicly once a month about what you are learning, in plain language
    • Ask for protected sessions or a formal internal secondment in writing

    Proof: One internal project you can describe in numbers.

  3. Quarter three

    3

    Ship something outside the hospital

    Months 6 to 9

    • Do one piece of paid or unpaid work for a company, advisory, validation review or a pilot design
    • Turn your internal project into a short case study with the problem, the intervention and the result
    • Apply to a small number of well matched roles rather than many generic ones
    • Practise the four interview questions every clinician gets asked until the answers are tight

    Proof: A public case study and at least one industry reference.

  4. Quarter four

    4

    Convert and negotiate

    Months 9 to 12

    • Run interview loops in parallel so you have a real comparison, not a single offer
    • Model total compensation, base, bonus, equity, and the value of any clinical sessions you keep
    • Agree in advance how many clinical days you keep and get it in the contract
    • Plan the exit properly, notice, handover, licensing and indemnity

    Proof: A signed offer with your clinical arrangement written into it.

Playbooks

The practical documents and conversations that decide whether the move happens this year.

Translate your CV

Hiring managers outside medicine cannot read a clinical CV. The job is translation, not shrinking.

  • Lead with a two line summary that names the pathway you are applying to, not your specialty alone
  • Convert rotations into projects, each with a problem, an action and a result
  • Replace publications lists with the three that matter and a link to the rest
  • Say what you built, changed or reduced, and by how much, over what period
  • Cut audits, courses and memberships that do not support the role
  • One page for product and startup roles, two for medical affairs and regulatory

The portfolio project that gets interviews

One credible artefact beats a certificate. It should be something only a clinician could produce.

  • Pick a workflow you personally suffer through every week
  • Write the problem in one paragraph a non clinician understands
  • Show the current pathway and the proposed one, with the failure points marked
  • Add the evidence, the safety risks and how you would measure success
  • Publish it, then send it to five people who work on that problem commercially

The four questions you will be asked

Every clinician gets versions of these. Prepare answers that are specific and unbothered.

  • Why are you leaving clinical work: answer forward looking, name what you want to build
  • How do you handle being one voice among many: give an example where you were overruled and the outcome improved
  • What would you do in your first ninety days: name the users you would sit with and the decision you would unblock
  • How do you work without clinical authority: describe persuading with evidence and shipping through others
  • Always close with a question about how the company measures clinical outcomes

Compensation and the clinical day

The two things clinicians under negotiate are equity and protected clinical time.

  • Model base, bonus, equity value and the income from any sessions you keep, as one number
  • For equity ask for the strike price, the total shares outstanding and the last preferred price
  • Negotiate the clinical day before the offer is signed, not after you start
  • Ask how title and level map to the internal ladder, this drives the next three years
  • Get remote, travel expectation and on call in writing

Keeping your licence and your options

Most people who move want the door back open. Keep it open deliberately.

  • Keep enough clinical activity to satisfy revalidation or board requirements in your jurisdiction
  • Check indemnity cover for advisory and industry work separately from clinical cover
  • Declare industry relationships properly, on time, every time
  • Keep a log of the clinical activity you do, appraisal will ask for it

Reality check

What people say a year after the move, once the novelty has worn off.

What you gain

Scale, calmer weeks, control over your calendar, and the chance to fix a problem for thousands of patients instead of one list.

What you lose

The clear hierarchy, the automatic status, and the daily proof that your work mattered. Feedback loops in industry are measured in quarters.

What surprises people

How much of the job is writing, how long decisions take, and how often the right clinical answer loses to sequencing and budget.

What stays the same

You are still accountable for patient safety, and colleagues will still call you when something clinical goes wrong.

Transition notes

Composite accounts assembled from common routes, used to show sequencing rather than to profile individuals.

26 months

Hospital medicine, eight years post training to Associate CMIO, then Head of Clinical Product

  1. 1.Joined the clinical decision support committee and rebuilt the sepsis alert with measured results
  2. 2.Negotiated two protected sessions a week for informatics work
  3. 3.Presented the alert rebuild at a national meeting, which produced the first vendor conversation
  4. 4.Moved to the vendor as a clinical product lead, kept one clinical session

18 months

Radiology, mid career to Clinical Lead at an AI diagnostics company

  1. 1.Spent six months learning Python well enough to interrogate a dataset
  2. 2.Ran a silent validation of a purchased model and wrote up the subgroup gaps
  3. 3.Chaired the AI governance group, which made the CV legible to industry
  4. 4.Hired to own validation and post market monitoring

14 months

General practice, part time to Cofounder, then Chief Medical Officer post seed

  1. 1.Wrote the problem statement in one page and tested it with 40 practice managers
  2. 2.Signed two letters of intent before building software
  3. 3.Found a technical cofounder through an accelerator, kept clinical sessions until seed close
  4. 4.Cut to one session a week only after the first paying contract

Glossary

The terms that get used in the first interview as if everyone already knows them.

ARR
Annual recurring revenue, the yearly value of subscription contracts.
Design partner
An early customer who shapes the product in exchange for access and pricing.
Discovery
Structured research to decide what to build before anyone writes code.
Go to market
How a product reaches buyers: sales motion, pricing, channels.
PMF
Product market fit, the point where demand pulls harder than sales pushes.
Preferred price
The per share price investors paid, used to sanity check your equity.
SaMD
Software as a medical device, software that is regulated as a device in its own right.
Vesting cliff
The period you must stay before any equity becomes yours, usually one year.

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