Cardiorespiratory Therapy Area Lead in Egham

The Cardiorespiratory Therapy Area Lead is responsible for the end-to-end strategic leadership and commercial performance of Essential Pharma's cardiorespiratory portfolio globally. The role spans both the airway infection and inflammation franchise, anchored by Colobreathe, and the pulmonary vascular disease franchise, anchored by Ventavis, alongside any adjacent assets that fall within the therapy area. This individual owns the development of winning brand strategies and integrated operational plans across both franchises, translating deep customer, disease, and market insights into clear strategic priorities that drive sustainable growth. Acting as the central point of commercial accountability, the role encompasses performance ownership, forecasting, market prioritisation, and the delivery of high-impact initiatives across European and global markets. Working cross-functionally, the Therapy Area Lead orchestrates organisational alignment behind the portfolio strategy, ensuring excellence in execution across commercial, medical, regulatory, supply chain, and external partners. The individual will play a defining role in shaping the portfolio's position within the evolving treatment landscape, strengthening relationships with key stakeholders, and ensuring the organisation delivers meaningful value to patients, healthcare professionals, and healthcare systems.

What You Will Do

• Portfolio and Therapy Area Strategy: Own the development of a comprehensive cardiorespiratory portfolio strategy aligned with company vision and commercial objectives, covering both the airway and pulmonary vascular franchises. Define clear brand positioning, strategic priorities, and differentiating tactics for each asset within the portfolio, ensuring coherence across the therapy area. Identify and prioritise target markets and growth opportunities across Europe and partner markets globally. Translate strategic priorities into integrated brand operational plans with measurable objectives and key performance indicators. Ensure brand strategies reflect a deep understanding of disease landscapes, treatment pathways, and patient experiences specific to cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and adjacent conditions.
• Brand Performance Ownership and Forecasting: Own brand forecasting across the full cardiorespiratory portfolio, leveraging the organisation's standardised forecasting framework. Act as the primary point of accountability for portfolio performance, tracking progress against financial and strategic key performance indicators. Monitor market dynamics, competitor activity, and brand performance metrics to identify risks and growth opportunities across both franchises. Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of the portfolio's performance dashboard, ensuring clear and actionable insights for the organisation.
• Customer and Market Insights: Develop a deep understanding of customer needs, treatment pathways, and patient journeys across the therapy area to inform brand strategy and tactical planning. Generate actionable insights through structured engagement with field teams, healthcare professionals, and key opinion leaders across cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Translate customer insights into strategic recommendations that enhance brand positioning and improve experiences for patients and healthcare professionals. Continuously integrate market intelligence into forecasting, strategic planning, and organisational decision-making.
• Cross-Functional Leadership and Strategic Alignment: Orchestrate cross-functional collaboration to ensure organisational alignment behind the portfolio strategy and operational plans. Partner closely with commercial, medical affairs, regulatory, supply chain, and market access teams to deliver integrated execution across the therapy area. Ensure field team alignment and readiness, equipping commercial teams with the tools, messaging, and content required for executional excellence. Track delivery of operational initiatives and ensure accountability across all stakeholder groups.
• Customer Experience and Content Development: Own the development and optimisation of the customer experience across both franchises, ensuring meaningful engagement across appropriate channels. Develop high-quality, compliant promotional campaigns, sales materials, digital content, and omnichannel resources that support adoption of portfolio brands. Prioritise high-value activities and investments, allocating resources and budget to initiatives with the greatest commercial impact. Leverage technology and AI-enabled tools where appropriate to enhance marketing effectiveness and operational efficiency.
• External Engagement and Brand Advocacy: Build and maintain strong relationships with key opinion leaders, healthcare professionals, and industry stakeholders across the cardiorespiratory therapy area. Support brand advocacy initiatives and key account strategies by ensuring appropriate resources and strategic alignment. Partner with regional teams and external stakeholders to strengthen brand credibility and adoption across European and global markets. Represent the therapy area externally at congresses, advisory boards, and partner meetings as required.

What We Do

Essential Pharma is a global pharmaceutical company working to make a difference for patients in niche populations. Everything at Essential Pharma is driven by the fact that every patient matters. We are focussed on developing and delivering medicines for patients in small, underserved or rare disease populations. Our team of 70+ people has an entrepreneurial spirit, challenging convention and working creatively to deliver results. Our headquarters are in Surrey, UK, and we have offices in Malta, France, Spain and Switzerland. We are an international business, with a growing product portfolio that reaches patients in approximately 70 countries. We cover multiple therapy areas with a particular focus on rare disease, CNS, ophthalmology and gastroenterology. Our first development-stage asset is an anti-GD2 antibody for the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma. We have a proven track record of acquiring, investing in and commercialising treatments.

What You Will Bring

We take a flexible approach to formal qualifications and focus on individuals who can demonstrate strong existing relationships, deep therapy area knowledge, and a proven track record of commercial impact in specialty or rare disease markets.

Experience:

• Significant experience in pharmaceutical brand management or commercial strategy, ideally spanning rare disease, respiratory, cardiovascular, or pulmonary vascular therapy areas. Direct experience in cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, or pulmonary arterial hypertension is a strong advantage.
• Proven track record of developing and executing brand strategies across multiple assets or franchises that deliver measurable commercial impact.
• Experience leading commercial strategy across European or multi-market environments, including product launches and life‑cycle management.
• Demonstrated experience in forecasting, market analysis, and performance management across a portfolio of brands.
• Proven ability to work in cross‑functional environments, influencing and aligning stakeholders behind strategic priorities without direct line authority.
• Strong understanding of pharmaceutical regulations, compliance requirements, and market access dynamics across European markets.
• Strong strategic thinker with the ability to hold a portfolio‑level view while translating insights into clear commercial strategies and operational plans at brand level.
• Highly analytical with the ability to synthesise complex market data, competitive intelligence, and customer insights across diverse disease areas into actionable strategic direction.
• Strong collaborator with the ability to orchestrate cross‑functional teams across multiple workstreams and brands, driving integrated execution.
• Deep commitment to understanding the needs of patients, carers, and healthcare professionals across the therapy area.
• Thrives in dynamic environments, demonstrating agility across multiple brands and markets.
• Actively leverages technology and new tools to enhance marketing effectiveness.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels, both internally and externally.
• Demonstrates high ethical standards, integrity, and accountability in all aspects of work.

What We Offer

We understand that productivity requires balance, so we offer office‑based contracts and allow flexibility on locations of work when required and appropriate. This can be different for each department so please have that conversation at interview £150 towards your home office Pension – you contribute 5% and we offer 5%. Life Insurance – lump sum (tax free) death benefit of 4 x basic salary. Enhanced family leave 25 days annual leave Discretionary annual performance bonus.

What To Expect

At Essential Pharma, every colleague matters: we want every member of the team to thrive and grow during their time with us. Right from the interview stage, we encourage candidates to ask us questions, voice opinions and be curious. This is a dynamic, fast‑paced working environment. We expect individuals to be responsible and accountable, while understanding the importance of collaborating with colleagues to fuel success. We pride ourselves on our inclusive culture, based on the belief that everyone brings unique strengths and perspectives. We have an unwavering dedication to employee growth and development.