Senior Director, Market Access

Nearly 37 million Americans are currently affected by Chronic Kidney Disease. 37 million.

At Akebia we take that number very seriously and every day we come to work, with the purpose of bettering the lives of each person impacted by kidney disease and the renal community that serves them.
Our tenacious, passionate employees challenge the status quo and work to develop unique therapeutics that have the potential to set new standards of care for people living with kidney disease.

This is life-changing work, and we are all in, are you?

Job Summary

The Senior Director, Market Access will lead market access strategy for vadadustat, Akebia’s lead asset in Phase 3, which has the potential to set a new standard of care for the treatment of anemia related to chronic kidney disease. The person will also provide market access perspective as needed for Akebia’s early-stage pipeline and business development opportunities. This position will lead development of payer strategy, and payer value proposition. Additionally, this position will lead planning and eventual build out of the Akebia market access organization.

Responsibilities

• Develop value strategy for vadadustat in close collaboration with the commercial team.
• Assess US payer needs (unmet medical need, local dynamics, gaps, etc). Collaborate and design payer research to understand primary value drivers and requirements to ensure optimized access for vadadustat at launch and beyond.
• Develop vadadustat’s payer value proposition, value dossiers, formulary toolkits, health economic models, etc.
• Build relevant solid value arguments with supporting health economic and budget impact analysis models.
• Participate in preliminary pricing and contracting strategy for dialysis and non-dialysis markets.
• Design strategy to secure formulary approval for vadadustat and future products with US stakeholders.
• Educate market access stakeholders on product differentiation and build awareness of Akebia as a leader in the renal space.
• Act as subject matter expert and maintain in-depth knowledge of current and evolving payer landscapes. Manage relationships with vendors and consultants, including development and adherence to budgets.
• Understand and adhere to regulatory, legal, and compliance guidelines.
• Provide market access input to support early pipeline and partnering projects as required.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree preferred, additional scientific experience/degree a plus.
• At least 12-15 years progressive experience in biotech/pharma or market access related consultancy, including significant experience in reimbursement, pricing or health economics.
• Dialysis market access experience.
• Experience and knowledge across multiple market channels (commercial and government payer, PBM, distribution, ACOs, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong understanding of the complex and evolving US reimbursement landscape, including reimbursement trends, private and government payer perspectives, and healthcare policy; global market access experience a plus.
• Experience in nephrology and/or bundled payment systems preferred.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills to interface with cross-functional partners, alliance partners, and senior management.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills and ability to prioritize and successfully execute multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Strong leadership and ability to work and lead cross-functional teams.
• Combination of strong strategic thinking with the ability to execute tactical plans.
• Ability and desire to work in a fast-paced environment.

Compensation

Targeted Base: $251,405 – $310,559*

*Base Compensation for this role will depend on a number of factors including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience, and may fall outside of the range shown. Base pay is only one component of the company’s total rewards package; all regular employees are also eligible for the corporate bonus program or the incentive compensation program (if applicable), as well as equity. Additional benefits include health care, vision, dental, retirement, PTO, etc.

Are you an Akebian?

An Akebian is curious, empathetic, and values making connections to people and ideas. Akebians aren’t afraid of diving in and owning a process or a problem, because we all want to deliver a great solution. Akebians believe that we are better together because we are all working toward a common purpose – to better the life of each person impacted by kidney disease. Want to learn more about what it means to be an Akebian? Visit our website:

Akebia is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all job applicants. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.

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