Director, Market Development & Patient Journey, Rare Neurology

Job Description

The Director, Market Development & Patient Journey is the marketing leader accountable for the strategy and programs designed to reduce barriers to disease recognition, specialist referral, diagnosis, genetic testing and counseling, and connection to specialty care in a genetically defined neurological rare disease. Before approval, the Director leads compliant, unbranded disease education and diagnostic-pathway readiness, including genetic-testing and specialist-referral resources, in partnership with patient advocacy organizations. Following approval, the Director continues this work and leads branded patient and caregiver marketing while partnering with Patient Services on the support experience, using aggregate, deidentified data only.

This role also serves as the marketing team’s omnichannel capability and integration lead. The Director owns omnichannel strategy and execution for unbranded market-development and disease-education programs and, following approval, branded patient and caregiver programs. The Director also establishes shared audience-journey frameworks, channel-orchestration standards, marketing-technology and data requirements, and measurement approaches across the marketing team. The Director, Brand Strategy & HCP Engagement retains accountability for branded HCP strategy, content, and omnichannel execution.

Position Overview

The Director identifies recurring system-level barriers across the journey from first symptoms and disease recognition to specialist referral, diagnosis, genetic testing and counseling, and connection to specialty care, then leads the commercial response with cross-functional partners. The work focuses on education, pathway resources, advocacy partnerships, and aggregate measurement, not individual patient identification or case management. Before approval, all public-facing work is unbranded, nonpromotional, and compliant with applicable laws and company policy.

Key Responsibilities

Unbranded Education and Pathway Readiness

Lead the strategy, development, execution, and performance measurement of approved, nonpromotional, unbranded HCP disease-state peer-to-peer programs before and after approval, partnering with the TLL team on expert identification, regional educational needs, and program execution.

Build symptom- and pathway-oriented education that helps patients, caregivers, and clinicians recognize concerning patterns and reach the appropriate specialist and testing conversation sooner.

Define commercial requirements for genetic-testing access programs; laboratory and vendor operations, testing science, and patient-level handoff are owned by their designated functions, with marketing receiving aggregate, deidentified program measures only.

Own the market-development and patient-journey annual plan, budget, agency and vendor execution, and aggregate performance measures in alignment with the integrated annual plan.

Omnichannel Strategy and Integration

Lead omnichannel strategy and execution for unbranded market-development and HCP disease-state education programs across web, search, social, media, CRM, advocacy, unbranded HCP peer-to-peer, and other approved channels. Following approval, also lead omnichannel strategy and execution for branded patient and caregiver marketing, while the Director, Brand Strategy & HCP Engagement leads branded HCP and branded peer-to-peer programs.

Serve as the primary marketing liaison to the Omnichannel Business Partner. Translate audience and business priorities into integrated channel plans, business requirements for data and technology, execution roadmaps, and performance measures.

Co-lead the advertising Agency of Record relationship with the Director, Brand Strategy & HCP Engagement, including integrated planning, shared ways of working, scope coordination, and agency performance. Serve as the accountable marketing lead for agency briefs, budgets, and deliverables supporting unbranded market development and disease education and, following approval, branded patient and caregiver marketing. The Brand Director remains accountable for branded HCP agency work.

Partner with the Director, Brand Strategy & HCP Engagement and the Omnichannel Business Partner to enable branded HCP omnichannel execution, while the Brand Director retains accountability for branded HCP strategy, content, channel decisions, budget, and performance.

Barrier Identification and Response

Use research, advocacy insights, and aggregate data to find where people get stuck and why; pick the biggest recurring barriers, fix them with cross-functional partners, and expand what works.

Lead the commercial response to recurring genetic-testing and specialist-referral barriers, and to recurring treatment-center connection and support barriers, patterns, never individual cases.

Advocacy Partnership

Lead or support patient and caregiver advisory boards, in partnership with Patient Advocacy and other designated functions, to understand aggregate patient-journey, education, and support needs. Advisory boards are conducted for insight generation and do not involve peer-to-peer education, patient identification, or individual case management.

Under Patient Advocacy's governance, partner with advocacy organizations to extend trusted education, referral, and support resources, amplifying and funding existing programs rather than duplicating them.

Coordinate with National Patient Advocacy on strategy, funding governance, and content independence; grants and sponsorships follow their designated processes.

Patient and Caregiver Marketing (post-approval)

Upon approval, lead branded patient and caregiver marketing consistent with the approved label, and partner with Patient Services on support-experience and persistence programs, designed and measured with aggregate data only.

Cross-Functional Leadership

Partner with Medical Affairs to ensure the scientific accuracy of disease education and pathway resources.

Partner with Market Access and HUB/Patient Services on access, patient-support requirements, and operational handoffs. HUB/Patient Services retains responsibility for individual patient cases.

Work through the TLL team as the primary field link to Account Managers. Set national market-development and patient-journey priorities and equip TLLs with approved programs, resources, and aggregate insights.

Before approval, enable TLLs to execute approved unbranded disease-state education and pathway programs regionally and deliver relevant aggregate insights to Account Managers for internal launch planning.

Following approval, enable TLLs to deliver approved pathway resources, national priorities, and aggregate insights to Account Managers to inform account planning. TLLs also consolidate feedback from Account Managers and return aggregate themes to the Director to improve national programs.

Collaborate with the Director, Brand Strategy & HCP Engagement on congress strategy and execution by contributing market-development, patient-journey, unbranded disease-education, advocacy, and omnichannel requirements. The Brand Director retains accountability for the overall congress plan, budget, and execution.

Represent market development and the patient journey in cross-functional launch planning and coordinate agreed priorities and actions across functions.

Qualifications

At least 10 years of commercial experience in the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry, including market development, disease education, patient marketing, digital and omnichannel engagement, new-product launches, and market analysis.

Strong leadership with exceptional communication, presentation, and business partnering abilities; MBA or relevant graduate degree preferred.

Recent rare disease commercialization experience required; diagnostics, genetics, neurology, or diagnostic-pathway market development strongly preferred.

Demonstrated pre-launch experience building compliant unbranded education and pathway programs, and post-approval patient marketing experience.

Demonstrated success partnering with patient advocacy organizations under appropriate governance.

Up to 30% travel based on business needs.

Competencies

Accountability for Results - Stay focused on key strategic objectives, be accountable for high standards of performance, and take an active role in leading change.

Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving - Make decisions considering the long-term impact to customers, patients, employees, and the business.

Patient & Customer Centricity - Maintain an ongoing focus on the needs of our customers and/or key stakeholders.

Impactful Communication -  Communicate with logic, clarity, and respect. Influence at all levels to achieve the best results for Otsuka.

Respectful Collaboration - Seek and value others’ perspectives and strive for diverse partnerships to enhance work toward common goals.

Empowered Development - Play an active role in professional development as a business imperative.

Minimum $186,489.00 - Maximum $278,875.00, plus incentive opportunity: The range shown represents a typical pay range or starting pay for individuals who are hired in the role to perform in the United States. Other elements may be used to determine actual pay such as the candidate’s job experience, specific skills, and comparison to internal incumbents currently in role. Typically, actual pay will be positioned within the established range, rather than at its minimum or maximum. This information is provided to applicants in accordance with states and local laws.

Application Deadline : This will be posted for a minimum of 5 business days.

Company benefits:  Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, company provided basic life, accidental death & dismemberment, short-term and long-term disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, student loan assistance, a generous 401(k) match, flexible time off, paid holidays, and paid leave programs as well as other company provided benefits.

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Disclaimer: 

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the people assigned to this position. It is not intended to include every job duty and responsibility specific to the position. Otsuka reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.

Otsuka is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will be given consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, national origin, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation, if you are unable or limited in your ability to apply to this job opening as a result of your disability.  You can request reasonable accommodations by contacting EEAccommodations@otsuka-us.com .

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