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Senior Director, Commercial Operations

Cambridge, MA

Overview:

The Senior Director, Commercial Operations is a strategic and operational leader responsible for building and advancing the capabilities, processes, systems, and services that enable commercial performance. The role serves as a senior business partner to Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Medical Affairs, Finance, and other cross-functional leaders, translating commercial strategy into disciplined execution across field operations, incentive compensation, and CRM.

This leader will develop scalable operating models, strengthen ability to assess field execution, and provide enterprise leadership for incentive compensation strategies and governance. The role will have two – three direct reports, leverage technology and automation, and ensure initiatives and resources are deployed effectively and in accordance with applicable policies and compliance requirements.

Key Responsibilities:

Operational Excellence

  • Partner with commercial leadership to translate business, brand, and field strategies into integrated operating plans, priorities, capabilities, and execution roadmaps.
  • Assess current operations, selectively benchmark external practices, and implement scalable solutions that improve effectiveness, efficiency, quality, and speed.
  • Identify and eliminate low-value, duplicative, or fragmented work; simplify processes and clarify governance, decision rights, and accountability.
  • Manage operating expenses and cost-center budgets within scope, including forecasting, prioritization, and vendor oversight.

Incentive Compensation Strategy and Leadership

  • Provide strategic oversight of the enterprise Incentive Compensation program, ensuring plans for eligible commercial field roles align with business strategy, brand priorities, role expectations, market dynamics, and desired field behaviors; guide senior leaders on design choices, tradeoffs, risks, and implications.
  • Lead Incentive Compensation governance and decision-making, establishing clear standards, decision rights, approval processes, controls, and cross-functional alignment across Sales, Finance, HR, Legal, Compliance, and other key stakeholders.
  • Oversee the end-to-end delivery of Incentive Compensation, ensuring the IC team, vendors, and partners effectively execute plan design, modeling, goal and quota setting, administration, calculations, payout validation, inquiries, disputes, and exception management with appropriate quality, controls, and service levels.
  • Set the strategic direction and accountability for the IC capability, monitoring plan effectiveness and business impact, managing vendor performance, driving continuous improvement and automation, building the multi-year capability roadmap, and developing a high-performing team with clear ownership for day-to-day execution.

Field Operations and Sales Execution

  • Lead field operations capabilities, including field-force sizing and deployment, territory design and alignment, customer targeting and segmentation, call planning, resource optimization, field communications, and execution monitoring.
  • Partner with Sales and other field leadership to identify business challenges and opportunities and deploy tools, processes, and resources that improve customer engagement and field productivity.
  • Establish a disciplined field communication and sales execution program that supports consistent rollout of priorities, initiatives, tools, and performance expectations.
  • Maintain connection to the field and customer environment through appropriate field engagement and feedback mechanisms; translate feedback into practical execution improvements.

Commercial Systems, Technology, and Automation

  • Partner with IT, AADS, Training, and business stakeholders to define and execute commercial CRM and technology strategy.
  • Integrate and automate CRM, sales-force automation, incentive compensation, reporting, and field tools to streamline work, strengthen controls, and improve productivity.
  • Identify and implement technologies and capabilities that improve execution, information flow, deliverable quality, and user experience.
  • Ensure appropriate governance, quality assurance, adoption, and compliant use of commercial systems, tools, and resources.

Leadership and Cross-Functional Partnership

  • Build, develop, and lead an effective, unified team with clear accountabilities, strong capabilities, and a culture of collaboration, candor, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
  • Serve as a trusted advisor to senior Commercial leaders and as a key contributor to decisions affecting commercial strategy, investment, execution, and organizational readiness.
  • Collaborate across Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Medical Affairs, Finance, HR, Legal, Compliance, IT, and other functions to deliver integrated outcomes.
  • Influence without direct authority, resolve competing priorities, and achieve results through teams in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
  • Select, manage, and hold external partners accountable for quality, value, service, controls, and delivery.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's degree required; degree in life sciences, business, finance, or a related field preferred.
  • 10+ years of progressive experience in biopharma commercial operations, sales operations, field effectiveness, incentive compensation, or a related commercial discipline.
  • 5+ years of people-management experience, with demonstrated success building teams, developing talent, and achieving results through others.
  • Proven ability to translate strategy into pragmatic, scalable processes, systems, controls, and actions.
  • Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and managing interdependent deliverables in a matrixed organization.
  • Excellent executive communication, presentation, interpersonal, influencing, and negotiation skills.
  • Demonstrated judgment, integrity, learning agility, and ability to perform effectively in a high-growth, fast-paced environment.

About Alnylam

We are the leader in RNAi therapeutics – a revolutionary approach with the potential to transform the lives of people with rare and common diseases. Built on Nobel Prize-winning science, Alnylam has delivered the breakthroughs that made RNAi therapeutics possible and are just at the beginning of what’s possible. Our deep pipeline, late-stage programs, and bold vision reflect our core values: fierce innovation, passion for excellence, purposeful urgency, open culture and commitment to people. We're proud to be a globally recognized top employer, where an authentic, inclusive culture and breakthrough thinking fuel one another.

At Alnylam, we commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equal employment opportunity. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their sex, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, pregnancy status or related conditions, genetic information, veteran or military status, marital or familial status, political affiliation, age, or any other factor protected by federal, state, or local law. Alnylam is an E-Verify Employer.

Before applying, please review Alnylam's ⁠Candidate Privacy Notice regarding how Alnylam handles Personal Data you provide with your application for employment.

The pay range below reflects the full-time base salary range we expect to pay for this role at the time of posting. Base pay will be determined based on a number of factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, and education. This role is eligible for an annual short-term incentive award (e.g., bonus or sales incentive) and an annual long-term incentive award (e.g., equity).

Alnylam’s robust Total Rewards package is designed to support your overall health and well-being. We offer comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, a lifestyle reimbursement program, flexible spending and health savings accounts and a 401(k)with a generous company match. Eligible employees enjoy paid time off, wellness days, holidays, and two company-wide recharge breaks. We also offer generous family resources and leave. Our commitment to your well-being reflects our belief that caring for our people fuels the impact we create together.

Learn more about these and additional benefits offered by Alnylam by visiting the Benefits section of the Careers website: https://www.alnylam.com/careers

U.S. Pay Range

$242,300 - $327,800 USD

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State Specific Applicant Notices

  • Arizona Applicants: To the extent required by applicable law, the Company maintains a smoke-free workplace.
  • Maryland Applicants:
    • UNDER MARYLAND LAW, AN EMPLOYER MAY NOT REQUIRE OR DEMAND, AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT, PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYMENT OR CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT, THAT AN INDIVIDUAL SUBMIT TO OR TAKE A LIE DETECTOR OR SIMILAR TEST. AN EMPLOYER WHO VIOLATES THIS LAW IS GUILTY OF A MISDEMEANOR AND SUBJECT TO A FINE NOT EXCEEDING $100.
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I have read and fully understand the questions asked in this application.  I certify that all of the answers I have given are true, accurate and complete.  I understand that the falsification, omission and/or misrepresentation of any fact from or on this application or during any interview will result in immediate rejection of my application or if I am hired will be cause for immediate dismissal.  I authorize the Company and its agents, including consumer reporting agencies, to independently inquire about, investigate and obtain copies of any records which relate to me from my former employers and educational institutions, and otherwise verify any of the information provided by me during the application process.  To the fullest extent allowable under applicable law, I hereby release the Company and all affiliated persons and entities, as well as any person or institution that provides the Company with any lawful information about me, from any and all liability whatsoever resulting from any such lawful independent inquiry, investigation or communication.

If hired, I understand that I will be required to abide by all of the rules and regulations of the Company.  I understand that nothing in this application shall constitute an offer, a contract or a guarantee of employment for a specific period of time.  If hired, I understand that my employment may be terminated with or without cause and with or without notice at any time, at the will of the Company or me, unless otherwise provided by applicable law.  I further understand that no representative or agent of the Company, other than the Chief Human Resources Officer has the authority to enter into any agreement for employment, on an individual or collective basis, for any specific period of time, or to make an agreement contrary to the foregoing.  I also understand that any agreement modifying at-will employment status, on an individual or collective basis, must be in writing and signed by the Chief Human Resources Officer.  In addition, I understand that the Company and all plan administrators shall have the maximum discretion permitted by law to administer, interpret, modify, discontinue, enhance or otherwise change all policies, procedures, benefits or other terms and conditions of employment.

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