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Senior Director, Thought Leader Liaison (TLL) Lead

Cambridge, MA

Alkeus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotech company focused on the development of innovative therapies to treat serious diseases of the eye with high unmet need. Based in Cambridge, Mass., Alkeus was founded in 2010, and since that time has been developing its lead compound, gildeuretinol acetate (ALK-001). Designated as a breakthrough therapy and granted orphan drug status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, gildeuretinol is being evaluated in multiple clinical trials for the treatment of Stargardt disease and geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the U.S.

Position Summary:

The Senior Director, TLL Lead, is a field-based, non-sales leadership position in the Alkeus marketing team focused on leading a TLL team to manage relationships and enhance interactions with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) in the Retina and IRD (inherited retinal disease) specialists’ community. This individual will be responsible for building and coaching a national team of TLLs to support the launch readiness of gildeuretinol acetate (ALK-001) in Stargardt disease and geographic atrophy (GA). This role will require working closely with cross-functional leaders from Marketing, Medical Affairs, Field Medical, Sales, Key Accounts, and Market Access to ensure alignment with overall strategy and tactical execution of brand strategy. The attributes that are critical for success include leadership, strategic thinking, coaching, strong collaboration, communication, and the ability to drive execution. This role will be reporting to the VP, Head of Marketing.

This position is field based, and travel is expected to be up to 75% of the time based on business needs.

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Lead KOL engagement strategy & advocacy initiatives.
  • Develop and maintain a deep understanding of the healthcare landscape, including key accounts, stakeholders, and influencers to inform targeted engagement strategies.
  • Identify and profile KOLs within the Retina Specialist and (IRD) community.
  • Engage with KOLs on various disease state education initiatives and strengthen relationships through meaningful interactions.
  • Develop criteria for selecting promotional speakers and work with marketing and medical to identify qualified promotional speakers that align with the overall brand needs.
  • Coordinate and execute speaker bureau training and coaching, continuously assessing opportunities to improve the impact of communications.
  • Collaborate with ECP marketing lead to develop a comprehensive congress strategy.
  • Plan and execute KOL engagements, and senior leadership meetings at local, regional, and national conferences, POAs and in field engagements etc.
  • Identify sponsorship opportunities when appropriate and manage the sponsorship budget in conjunction with brand marketing and sales leadership.
  • Monitor the competitive landscape and identify trends to inform strategic planning and execution.
  • Play a leadership role in gathering, analyzing and communicating key insights across the organization. Leverage insights to inform cross-functional account strategy and KOL engagement plan in partnership with the brand team and field partners (MSLs and sales representatives).
  • Support KOL-involved marketing projects as needed, including obtaining feedback on disease or brand-related marketing materials and resource development through the legal, regulatory, medical review process.
  • Recruit, hire and manage a team of high performing TLLs.
  • Define and monitor team effectiveness metrics / KPIs/ TLL team budget.
  • Ensure strong culture of compliance to include fair-balanced, and effective message delivery within all promotional education channels.

Skills and Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree or Higher.
  • Pharmaceutical/Biotech industry experience required with at least 6 years of experience working in TLL, sales or marketing roles.
  • Preferred qualifications include experience in rare disease and/or ophthalmology drugs.
  • Understanding and compliance with the FDA regulations governing pharmaceutical marketing and the PhRMA code.
  • Excellent communication skills with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
  • Experience in leading a field-based team of direct reports.

Skills and Key Success Factors: 

  • Experience of building and managing high performing teams.
  • Entrepreneurship with a passion to build, learn and evolve with the team.
  • Highly organized and meticulous with a passion to deliver quality results.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with experience translating complex concepts for various audiences.
  • Demonstrated record of intellectual curiosity, innovation and creative problem solving with an enterprising spirit.
  • Ability to lead fast-paced projects with a keen sense of urgency to get the job done well.
  • Proven and successful track record as a team-player and collaborator in small working environments.
  • Highest levels of professionalism, confidence, personal values, and ethical standards.

Other Relevant Information:

Alkeus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable law. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

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