Zone Director (Gastroenterology) - Upstate NY/New England
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 submitted in China with Fosun Pharma. Knight Therapeutics commercializes IBSRELA in Canada.
The Zone Director will report into the National Sales Director and will be responsible for recruiting, hiring, and leading a high performing sales team within a geographically defined Zone to drive IBSRELA® (and subsequent pipeline assets) sales. The Zone Director will assist the National Sales Director in developing, along with the marketing and commercial leadership team, the sales plan to ensure that Ardelyx's sales goals are achieved. The Zone Director is responsible for understanding and leveraging the personnel and responsibilities of a cross-functional team to drive strategic imperatives, including those of Sales, Marketing, Market Access, Patient Services, and Commercial Operations. In addition to playing a key sales and company leadership role, the Zone Director will cultivate and maintain a strong direct customer facing presence with key decision makers, influencers, and stakeholders in the gastroenterology and subesquent pipeline assets spaces. Ideal candidates will have strong sales leadership experience and a proven track record in highly specialized therapeutic areas with multiple health care professional decision makers and influencers. Specific knowledge and experience of gastroenterology, gastroenterology HCPs and accounts, nephrology, and nephrology HCPs and accounts is a plus, as well as local dynamics that influence business in the geographic Zone. This position is critically important as it will help further solidify a strong sales foundation, maintain a high performing, patient-centered culture across the sales team, and continue to position Ardelyx as a company that advances patient care with first-in-class therapies that meet important clinical needs.
Responsibilities
- Hire, train, develop, lead Area Business Directors (ABDs) to serve the Zone geography, in their respective territories.
- Organize, control, and coordinate input relating to staffing, training, and developing and retaining key talent for the sales organization.
- Foster a culture grounded in compliance, accountability, collaboration, passion, and teamwork for delivering results to patients, healthcare stakeholders, and Ardelyx.
- Exhibit a standard of leadership excellence for the sales organization and throughout Ardelyx.
- Model collaboration across the Sales Leadership Team, and all key functions across Ardelyx.
- Own the Zone's sales objectives and performance of every ABD sales territory.
- Coordinate the development of the Zone's strategic business plans outlining the execution of sales personnel around defined strategies and tactics for achievement of sales goals and objectives - provide direction, guidance, and support to ensure optimal execution of sales and marketing plans.
- Assist the National Sales Director in developing, implementing, and managing sales force incentive and compensation programs as well as customized sales force analyses to effectively manage optimal targeting, planning, resource allocation, and performance evaluations.
- Assist in translating key financial drivers and business analytics/insights into specific, measurable, and executable action plans for ABDs and inside sales personnel.
- Oversee, evaluate, and enforce compliance with Ardelyx policies, including code of conduct, operational guidelines, travel and expense policies, and promotional guidelines as it relates to the sales force.
- Develop, assert, and continuously reinforce a culture of compliance, ensuring that all sales activities and actions by members of the sales team comply with all laws and regulations and company compliance polices and procedures.
- Manage and monitor sales team operating budgets and assist in developing guidelines for field sales budget adherence.
- Proactively engage with key customers, decision-influencers, decision-makers, and account groups to directly represent Ardelyx in a leadership capacity, promote Ardelyx products, and achieve company objectives.
- Provide input on sales team alignments and expansions. Routinely evaluate workload potential, performance potential, and sales results against sales forecasts and KPIs.
- Closely manage succession planning as well as ensuring identification and close oversight of internal talent and high potential performers to be developed and groomed for promotional opportunities.
- Provide as-needed feedback and coaching to sales personnel to enhance their selling skills, product and disease state knowledge, customer targeting, time management, and resource allocation. Address performance issues promptly and consistent with company guidelines and policies.
- Ensure all Zone promotional activities are in accordance with Ardelyx’s policies and procedures. Review potential violations of company policies and procedures and direct and approve any appropriate disciplinary action.
Qualifications
- A minimum of 8-10 years of pharmaceutical/biotech industry commercial experience in Sales, Market Access, and/or Marketing with a minimum of 4 years of pharmaceutical/biotech industry sales management experience.
- Extensive knowledge of specialty sales, gastroenterology preferred.
- Strong people management skills, with a proven track record of building and successfully leading sales teams as well as a track record of success of consistently achieving and/or outperforming sales goals.
- Proven track record of direct facing customer activity as integral part of sales leadership role.
- Product launch experience.
- Demonstrated experience in competitive markets.
- A thorough understanding of the laws and regulations applicable to the sales and marketing of pharmaceutical products to physicians and healthcare organizations.
- Leadership - proven leader, ability to engage and inspire employees, foster collaboration, influence others and integrate functions, teams, people, processes, and systems to drive sales results.
- Experience in measuring performance of employees against established goals and objectives and effectively guide individuals through organization path based on interests, capabilities, and organizational needs.
- Coaching – foster the professional growth of others through knowledge sharing, professional counseling, personal attention throughout organizations.
- Possess the strong interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate ideas and data, both verbally and written, in a persuasive and appropriate manner.
- Strategic Implementation – ability to understand, develop, and implement sales strategies.
- Analytical Skills – ability to analyze sales, financial, and market data to identify opportunities and to make sound business decisions.
- Strong clinical acumen to facilitate rapport and earn respect with key opinion leaders, healthcare stakeholders, and patient advocacy groups.
- Strong business and financial acumen.
- Possess integrity, work with honesty, accuracy, and attention to detail.
- Bachelor’s degree.
Work Environment
- This position reports to the National Sales Director
- This position is field-based, preferred candidate resides in the Upstate NY/New England area.
- This position requires up to 60% travel (meetings, customer visits, sales personnel mentoring, conferences).
The anticipated annualized base pay range for this full-time position is $215,000-$235,000. Ardelyx utilizes industry data to ensure that our compensation is competitive and aligned with our industry peers. Actual base pay will be determined based on a variety of factors, including years of relevant experience, training, qualifications, and internal equity. The compensation package may also include an annual bonus target and equity awards, subject to eligibility and other requirements.
Ardelyx also offers a robust benefits package to employees, including a 401(k) plan with generous employer match, 12 weeks of paid parental leave, up to 12 weeks living organ and bone marrow leave, equity incentive plans, health plans (medical, prescription drug, dental, and vision), life insurance and disability, flexible time off, annual Winter Holiday shut down, and at least 11 paid holidays.
Ardelyx is an equal opportunity employer.