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Rare Disease Sales Specialist - Des Moines IA

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Vera Therapeutics (Nasdaq: VERA), is a late clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for serious immunological diseases. Vera’s mission is to advance treatments that target the source of immunologic diseases in order to change the standard of care for patients. Vera’s lead product candidate is atacicept, a fusion protein self-administered at home as a subcutaneous once weekly injection that blocks both B-cell Activating Factor (BAFF) and A Proliferation Inducing Ligand (APRIL), which stimulate B cells to produce autoantibodies contributing to certain autoimmune diseases, including IgA nephropathy. Vera is also evaluating the role of atacicept in other immunologic disorders. Additionally, Vera is developing VT-109, a novel, next-generation dual BAFF/APRIL inhibitor in preclinical development, and MAU868, a monoclonal antibody designed to neutralize infection with BK virus, a polyomavirus that can have devastating consequences in certain settings such as kidney transplant. For more information, please visit: www.veratx.com.

 

Our values are the cornerstone of our culture. Our values inspire us every day and guide everything we do—from how we hire great people, to advancing our mission together, to achieving our ultimate goal to improve medical treatment for patients suffering from immunological diseases.

Position Summary:

The Rare Disease Sales Specialist will serve as a key commercial ambassador for Vera’s first product launch in rare kidney disease. Reporting to the Senior Director, Regional Sales, this individual will be responsible for driving awareness, education, and adoption of atacicept within assigned accounts, focusing on nephrologists and key treatment centers managing patients with IgA nephropathy.

The ideal candidate brings a team-oriented, goal-directed, and ownership mindset – someone who thrives in a collaborative, high-performance environment and takes pride in finding solutions. Vera seeks individuals who demonstrate grit, resilience, and determination in the face of challenged and continuously strive to improve through feedback and learning.

This is a rare opportunity to help shape the commercial foundation of a growing biotech and make a direct impact on patients’ lives.

Key Responsibilities:

Account Ownership & Territory Management

  • Serve as the business owner for your territory, developing and executing a strategic plan to achieve or exceed sales targets.
  • Identify, engage, and educate key healthcare professionals (HCPs), including nephrologists, nurse practitioners, and clinic staff.
  • Build and maintain deep relationships across community and academic centers to support appropriate patient identification and treatment.
  • Analyze territory dynamics to uncover growth opportunities and inform regional strategies.
  • Demonstrate strong business and market acumen, translating insights into actionable strategies and call plans.

Customer Engagement & Education

  • Deliver compelling, compliant clinical presentations to educate HCPs on atacicept’s mechanism of action, efficacy, safety, and patient benefits.
  • Execute in-office and regional educational initiatives to enhance disease awareness and treatment understanding.
  • Communicate complex clinical data in a clear and engaging way that drives informed decision-making.
  • Apply advanced selling skills to influence HCP behavior, foster accountability, and create urgency around patient care.
  • Partner cross-functionally with Field Reimbursement, Medical Affairs, and Patient Support teams to ensure seamless patient access.

Collaboration & Culture

  • Model Vera’s values of accountability, integrity, and compassion in every interaction.
  • Collaborate with regional and cross-functional colleagues to ensure “One Vera” alignment in the field.
  • Share best practices and insights to strengthen collective performance.
  • Provide real-time feedback from the field to inform marketing and access strategies.

Operational Excellence

  • Deliver consistent, compliant, and high-quality execution.
  • Maintain accurate CRM records, submit expense reports, and timely completion of required training.
  • Ensure adherence to all company policies, regulatory guidelines, and industry compliance standards.
  • Travel approximately 60% of the time (depending on territory geography).

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree required.
  • 5+ years of pharmaceutical or biotech sales experience, including at least 3 years in rare disease or specialty markets (nephrology experience strongly preferred).
  • Proven track record of sales excellence and successful product launch experience.
  • Demonstrated success in competitive selling environments, ideally within rare or specialty therapeutic areas.
  • Strong clinical acumen and ability to translate complex science into meaningful, patient-focused dialogue.
  • Skilled in business planning, territory management, and cross-functional collaboration.
  • Passionate about improving outcomes for individuals living with serious immunologic and kidney diseases.
  • Must reside within the assigned territory and possess a valid driver’s license.

Vera Therapeutics Inc. is an equal-opportunity employer.

Vera Therapeutics is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices and we strive to provide employees with total compensation packages that are market competitive. The exact base pay offered for this role will depend on various factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s geography, qualifications, skills, and experience.

For this role, the anticipated base pay range is

$180,000 - $210,000 USD

Notice to Recruiters/Staffing Agencies

Recruiters and staffing agencies should not contact Vera Therapeutics through this page. All recruitment vendors (search firms, recruitment agencies, and staffing companies) are prohibited from contacting our hiring manager(s), executive team members, or employees.

We require that all recruiters and staffing agencies have a fully executed, formal written agreement on file.

Vera Therapeutics’ receipt or acceptance of an unsolicited resume submitted by a vendor organization to this website or employee does not constitute an actual or implied contract between Vera Therapeutics and such organization and will be considered unsolicited and Vera Therapeutics will not be responsible for related fees.

 

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To all candidates: your personal information and online safety are a top priority for us. At Vera Therapeutics, recruiters only direct candidates to apply through our official career page at https://veratx.com/careers/.

Recruiters will always contact you using the domain of veratx.com. We will never request payments, ask for financial account information or sensitive information like social security numbers. If you are unsure if a message is from Vera Therapeutics, please email human resources.

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