Market Development Intern
Description
Ardelyx is a publicly traded commercial biopharmaceutical company founded with a mission to discover, develop and commercialize innovative first-in-class medicines that meet significant unmet medical needs. Ardelyx has two commercial products approved in the United States, IBSRELA® (tenapanor) and XPHOZAH® (tenapanor). Ardelyx has agreements for the development and commercialization of tenapanor outside of the U.S. Kyowa Kirin commercializes PHOZEVEL® (tenapanor) for hyperphosphatemia in Japan. A New Drug Application for tenapanor for hyperphosphatemia has been approved in China with Fosun Pharma. Knight Therapeutics commercializes IBSRELA in Canada.
Position Summary:
The Market Development Intern will support the Market Development and Commercial Strategy team in building and operationalizing a structured approach to early commercial assessments of external business development opportunities. The role will focus on defining which asset and disease-area characteristics should be considered and prioritized when evaluating external opportunities, and then applying that framework to one or more specific disease areas (e.g., Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop an early commercial assessment framework
- Identify key asset and disease-area characteristics that should inform whether an external opportunity is of interest (e.g., unmet need, market size, competitive landscape, strategic fit, synergy with existing portfolio).
- Explore whether and how these characteristics should be prioritized or weighted to support consistent strategic decision-making.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Corporate Development, R&D, Brand teams, and Commercial Operations to gather input and align on criteria.
- Apply the framework to selected disease areas
- As time allows, apply the assessment framework to one or more disease areas (e.g., IBS-D) and evaluate how specific assets might fit within the existing pipeline.
- Compare opportunities across disease areas, highlighting where they meet or do not meet the defined criteria and how they stack up relative to each other.
- Synthesize findings into clear, actionable recommendations for the Market Development and Commercial Strategy team.
- Research and internal alignment
- Conduct secondary research to understand how other companies approach early commercial assessments and portfolio fit.
- Review and evaluate past internal work related to opportunity assessments, market development, and commercial strategy to ensure the framework builds on existing thinking.
- Present interim versions of the framework and disease-area assessments, gather feedback, and incorporate input into refined deliverables.
Desired Outcomes:
- A practical, repeatable framework that the team can use to evaluate new external business development opportunities on an ongoing basis.
- Clear criteria and, where appropriate, weighting/prioritization that support more efficient and consistent early commercial decision-making.
- Example application(s) of the framework to one or more disease areas, demonstrating how it can be used to compare and prioritize opportunities.
Qualifications:
- Currently pursuing a degree in Business, Life Sciences, Health Economics, Public Health, or a related field.
- Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to synthesize scientific, commercial, and strategic inputs.
- Interest in market development, commercial strategy, and business development in the biopharmaceutical industry.
- Proficiency with PowerPoint and Excel; ability to present complex ideas in clear, structured formats.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, comfortable engaging with cross-functional stakeholders.
Preferred Skills:
- Familiarity with drug development, basic clinical concepts, and therapeutic area landscapes.
- Experience conducting structured secondary research (market, competitive, or scientific).
- Exposure to frameworks for market assessment, opportunity prioritization, or portfolio strategy.
What You Will Gain:
- Hands-on experience at the intersection of commercial strategy and business development.
- Exposure to how external opportunities are evaluated for strategic fit within an existing pipeline and portfolio.
- Opportunity to collaborate with multiple functional areas (Corporate Development, R&D, Brand, Commercial Operations).
- A tangible work product—a reusable evaluation framework and example applications—that demonstrates your ability to structure and solve real-world strategic problems.
Work Environment:
- Location ideally in or close to Waltham, MA.
The hourly rate for this Internship position is $25 per hour. Ardelyx utilizes industry data to ensure that our compensation is competitive and aligned with our industry peers.
Ardelyx is an equal opportunity employer.