Associate Director/Director, US Thought Leader Liaison (TX/LA)

About us

Calliditas is a commercial stage biopharmaceutical company focused on identifying, developing and commercializing novel treatments in orphan indications, with an initial focus on renal and hepatic diseases with significant unmet medical needs.

Calliditas’ lead product, developed under the name Nefecon, has been granted accelerated approval by the FDA under the trade name TARPEYO®, conditional marketing authorization by the European Commission under the trade name KINPEYGO® and by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Nefecon®. TARPEYO, KINPEYGO® and Nefecon® are the first and only treatments approved for IgA nephropathy. Calliditas also has a pipeline in orphan-focused indications. Calliditas is conducting a Phase 2b/3 clinical trial in primary biliary cholangitis and a Phase 2 proof-of-concept trial in head and neck cancer with its NOX inhibitor product candidate, Setanaxib.

Calliditas is led by an experienced and dedicated management team with an average of more than 15 years of prior experience in the pharmaceutical industry, including at leading companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and AstraZeneca. The board of directors includes highly qualified researchers, pharmaceutical sector executives and experts in drug development, corporate development and pharmaceutical commercialization. Calliditas is also supported by its Scientific Steering Committee, a highly regarded network of leading experts, that serve as external advisors and investigators on clinical trials.

Position summary

The Thought Leader Liaison (South) will play a critical role in developing and executing an overarching thought leader strategy and tactics for TARPEYO in collaboration with key matrix team members. The TLL is a field-based marketing role that exists to strengthen the positioning of TARPEYO, as well as to continue to build Calliditas Therapeutics’ reputation and credibility in the nephrology and rare disease spaces. TLLs drive results through advocacy development, insights generation and cross-functional collaboration. Key functions include thought leader strategy and engagement, conference management, speaker bureau development, and multi-disciplinary account strategy. TLLs support cross-functional commercial execution and serve as key liaisons between thought leaders, organized customer groups, e.g., healthcare institutions, physician advocacy groups, etc., and internal marketing, medical, and commercial teams. The individual will be responsible for gathering customer insights to inform brand strategy and planning. The Thought Leader Liaison (South) will report to the Director, Thought Leader Strategic Marketing (West).

The territory covers TX, NM, LA, AZ, OK, AR and MS.  

Key tasks and responsibilities 

• Develop and implement TARPEYO Thought Leader strategy for South region
  Engage with key opinion leaders and serve as their primary point of contact for marketing.
• Cultivate relationships with key opinion leaders and emerging opinion leaders to be viewed as a trusted partner 
• Help establish brand thought leader advocacy through product and disease education
• Lead and direct insight gathering among opinion leaders including one-on-one engagements, small group meetings, national and regional advisory boards and steering committees to gather actionable information, coordinating with other functions.
• Monitor the competitive landscape, treatment protocols and other market trends, report findings to marketing, provide actionable recommendations and pull through tactical initiatives
• Facilitate connecting opinion leaders to the appropriate internal subject matter experts as needed. Manage commercial advisory boards / steering committees.
  Identify, profile, cultivate and maintain long-term relationships with leadership at key professional societies
• Share management of all aspects of conferences, serving as the primary contact for budgeting, contracting, logistics, attendance, and pull through.
  Lead product theaters at key congresses (materials, invitations, speaker management).
• Manage onsite customer meetings, responsible for coordinating reaching out, setting objectives and follow ups.
• Manage speakers and serve as the primary contact for regional speakers, speaker training, and field force.
• Based on customer insights, develop commercial strategy / tactics for key regional accounts (large institutions, group practices, and key community centers). Drive execution of special projects.

Education and experience requirements

• BS/BA or equivalent required preferably in Marketing, Business Administration or other similar degree; an MBA or other advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 8+ years pharmaceutical sales/or marketing experience in specialty or rare disease
• Nephrology experience is preferred
• At least 2 years of previous TLL experience required

Key skills, abilities, competencies:

• Strong scientific acumen and business acumen, with the ability to use knowledge of the industry and marketplace to formulate strategies that identify long-term benefits for our customers.
• Ability to synthesize insights into actionable strategies and recommendations
• Strong interpersonal skills. Collaborates with external experts, cross-functional partners, field-based teams.
• Team player with the ability to work independently.
• Leads through influence and with impact across teams.
• Listens to and carefully considers perspectives of others.
• Self-starter. Takes initiative and works independently to successfully work in a fast-paced environment with multiple demands.
• Strong strategic and tactical planning, project management, communication, and organization skills.
• Flexible and adaptable, addressing current needs while planning with informed insight.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Understanding of compliance environment in pharmaceutical promotions.
• Flexibility to travel 60-70% of the time, including evenings and weekends
• Must live within assigned geography, near a major airport
• Position is remote

Reasons to join the Calliditas Team

• Be a part of a global leader in IgA-Nephropathy and a rapidly growing commercial-stage pharmaceutical company within specialty products with strong growth ambitions and a strong pipeline
• Fast paced small company environment
• A unique corporate culture
• Dedicated, experienced and highly skilled colleagues
• Participate on bonus and benefit programs

Welcome to join the Calliditas Team!

Calliditas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and job applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, pregnancy or any other legally protected status. For a copy of the Affirmative Action Plan and EEO Statement, contact hr@calliditas.com.

Calliditas is an E-Verify employer.