Senior Director, Key Opinion Leader Strategy and Engagement - KOL

Ascendis Pharma is a dynamic, fast-growing global biopharmaceutical company with locations in the United States, Denmark, and Europe. Today, we’re advancing programs in Endocrinology Rare Disease and Oncology.

Here at Ascendis, we pride ourselves on exceptional science, visionary leadership, and skilled and passionate colleagues.

Guided by our core values of Patients, Science, and Passion, we use our TransCon® drug development platform to fulfill our mission of developing new and potentially best-in-class therapies to address unmet medical needs.

Our culture fosters a place where skilled, adaptable, and highly resourceful professionals can truly make their mark. We offer a dynamic workplace for employees to grow and develop their skills.

Position Summary

This position will lead the U.S. KOL engagement strategy across the endocrine portfolio, including HCP peer-to-peer programs and congress and speaker bureau strategy. Success in this role is measured by delivering an annual KOL engagement plan and governance model, executing high-quality peer-to-peer education that supports disease and product understanding, and ensuring programs are delivered on time, on budget, and in full compliance with company and regulatory requirements.

We are looking for a Leader with demonstrated organizational leadership and people management skills. The Leader will also need strong strategic capability and the ability to thrive in an entrepreneurial, growing organization. The Senior Director will lead a team of Thought Leader Liaisons and partner effectively with matrixed teams to deliver KOL engagement, peer-to-peer education, and related programs that support business unit priorities. The role also requires strong leadership, collaboration, and the ability to set a vision and lead through change.

This role reports to the US Vice President of Marketing and will play an important role on the Marketing and Commercial Leadership Teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the annual U.S. KOL engagement plan and congress strategy for the endocrine portfolio, including peer-to-peer education content and execution and speaker bureau strategy.
• Lead and develop the Thought Leader Liaison team to execute KOL and institution account plans, including goal setting, tracking, and performance feedback.
• Plan and execute KOL programs (e.g. advisory boards, speaker programs, etc.) and congress meetings in coordination with brand leads, including timely insight capture/readouts.
• Establish working cadence with cross-functional partners to drive execution, manage dependencies, and integrate insights into brand strategy and optimization.
• Own budget/forecasting, on-time delivery, and execution in full compliance with company policies and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Model Ascendis Pharma values through day-to-day leadership and decision-making.

Requirements:
• Bachelor’s degree required; 15+ years of pharmaceutical and/or biotechnology commercial experience.
• Demonstrated organizational leadership and people management skills required , including effective cross-functional collaboration and leadership, coaching, and performance management.
• Rare disease or specialty category experience strongly preferred.
• Accountability to business and financial outcomes, including translating insights into plans and owning budget.
• Strong communication skills (written and verbal), including presenting to senior leadership, KOLs, and field-based teams.
• Knowledge of the current legal, regulatory, and compliance environment, with the ability to apply it in program planning and execution.
• Ability to travel up to 60% to lead direct reports and engage customers.

The estimated salary range for this position is $260k - $280k. Actual salary determination is dependent on a variety of factors some of which include: experience, qualifications, and geographic location. This position may be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus or an incentive compensation plan (eligibility varies based on role and position level), discretionary stock-based long-term incentives, paid time off, and a comprehensive benefits package.

Benefits:
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Medical, dental, and vision plans
• Company-offered Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance
• Company-provided short and long-term disability benefits
• Unique offerings of Pet Insurance and Legal Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Discounts
• Professional Development
• Health Saving Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Various incentive compensation plans
• Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance
• Mental Health resources
• Paid leave benefits for new parents

Ascendis Pharma is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

A note to recruiters:

We do not allow external search party solicitation. Presentation of candidates without written permission from the Ascendis Pharma Inc Human Resources team (specifically from: Talent Acquisition Partner or Human Resources Director) is not allowed. If this occurs your ownership of these candidates will not be acknowledged.