Commercial Director

Cytokinetics is a late-stage, specialty cardiovascular biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing first-in-class muscle activators and next-in-class muscle inhibitors as potential treatments for debilitating diseases in which cardiac muscle performance is compromised. As a leader in muscle biology and the mechanics of muscle performance, the company is developing small molecule drug candidates specifically engineered to impact myocardial muscle function and contractility.

At Cytokinetics, each team member plays an integral part in advancing our mission to improve the lives of patients. We are seeking tenacious, compassionate, and collaborative individuals who are driven to make a positive impact.

Reporting to the VP, General Manager UKIN, the Commercial Director will lead all commercial activities in the region, including sales, marketing, and stakeholder engagement. They will drive launch readiness for aficamten, build strong relationships with healthcare professionals, payers, and regulators, and shape Cytokinetics’ commercial strategy across the countries of responsibility. The role requires both strategic and operational leadership with deep UK healthcare knowledge, proven success in specialty product launches, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment. As the company grows, the role will expand to include future product launches and broader commercial initiatives.

As a senior leader, the role requires deep expertise in UK and (ideally) Nordic/Irish healthcare systems, a proven track record in launching specialty therapies, and the ability to lead complex, multidimensional programs with significant corporate impact. The successful candidate will operate with a 1–3 year planning horizon, translating global strategy into regional execution, and influencing decisions that affect the long-term success of the UKIN organisation.

Key responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership and cross-functional collaboration

• Develop and execute the UKIN commercial strategy for Cytokinetics assets.
• Implement UKIN commercial plans aligned with global and European objectives.
• Represent the commercial function on the UKIN Senior Leadership team.
• Monitor market dynamics and competitor activity to inform strategic decisions.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and patient-centricity, aligned to the Cytokinetics values.
• Work collaboratively across other functions to ensure customer needs are met.

Sales team leadership

• Lead and manage the customer-facing field team to achieve regional sales targets.
• Recruit, develop, manage and retain a high-performing customer-facing commercial team.
• Establish performance standards, CRM systems KPIs and incentive schemes, driving a high performance culture by implementing minimum standards.
• Drive a high-performance culture through coaching, development, and operational excellence.
• Collaborate with market access to ensure alignment with payer and provider needs.
• External Cytokinetics ambassador with key centres/customers, supporting commercial uptake.

Marketing Leadership

• Build and lead the UKIN marketing team, ensuring strategic alignment with global brand plans.
• Oversee development and execution of campaigns, congress strategies, and educational initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards and internal SOPs.
• Manage external vendors and agencies to deliver high-impact programs.

Financial & Operational Oversight, business planning

• Own the UKIN sales and marketing P&L, delivering on revenue and profitability targets.
• Ensure operational excellence and compliance across all commercial activities.
• Lead the sales and marketing annual business planning process
• Set territory level budgets and forecasts aligned to country level aspirations

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Business, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of commercial experience in the UK pharmaceutical or biotech industry, with proven success in launching and commercialising specialty or innovative therapies.
• Strong understanding of UK healthcare systems, market access pathways, and regulatory frameworks.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• ABPI certified
• Ideally experience in cardiology or rare diseases
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Proven ability to lead, inspire, and drive high-performing teams, with experience in matrixed and cross-functional collaboration
• Ideally experience in a small company environment

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Our employees come from different backgrounds, and we celebrate those differences. We are looking for the best candidates for our open roles, but do not expect applicants to meet every qualification in order to be considered. If you are excited about what you could accomplish at Cytokinetics and believe you can add value to our team, we would love to hear from you.

Please review our General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) policy PRIOR to applying.  

Our passion is anchored in robust scientific thinking, grounded in integrity and critical thinking. We keep the patient front and center in all we do – all actions and decisions are in service of the patient and their caregivers. We champion integrity, ethics, doing the right thing, and being our best selves.

Fraud Warning: How to Identify Impersonated Cytokinetics Job Postings and Offers

Recently, there have been fraudulent employment offers being sent to candidates on behalf of Cytokinetics. Please be advised that all legitimate offers from Cytokinetics will come directly from our official email domain (Cytokinetics.com) and will only be made after completing a formal interview process.

Here are some ways to check for authenticity:

• We do not conduct job interviews through non-standard text messaging applications
• We will never request personal information such as banking details until after an official offer has been accepted and verified
• We will never request that you purchase equipment or other items when interviewing or hiring
• If you are unsure about the authenticity of an offer, or if you receive any suspicious communication, please contact us directly at talentacquisition@cytokinetics.com

Please visit our website at: www.cytokinetics.com

Cytokinetics is an Equal Opportunity Employer