Senior Director, Thought Leader Liaisons

Title: Senior Director, Thought Leader Liaisons

Location: Remote

About Us:

Vera Therapeutics (Nasdaq: VERA), is a late-stage biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for serious immunological diseases. Vera’s mission is to advance treatments that target the source of immunologic diseases in order to change the standard of care for patients. Vera’s lead product candidate is atacicept, a fully humanized fusion protein self-administered at home as a subcutaneous injection once weekly that blocks both B-cell Activating Factor (BAFF) and A Proliferation Inducing Ligand (APRIL), which stimulate B cells and plasma cells to produce galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) and associated autoantibodies, which together form immune complexes that are fundamental in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Vera is also considering evaluating the role of atacicept in other immunologic disorders. Additionally, Vera is developing MAU868, a monoclonal antibody designed to neutralize infection with BK Virus, a polyomavirus that can have devastating consequences in certain settings such as kidney transplant. For more information, please visit: www.veratx.com.

Our values are the cornerstone of our culture. Our values inspire us every day and guide everything we do—from how we hire great people, to advancing our mission together, to achieving our ultimate goal to improve medical treatment for patients suffering from immunological diseases.

Position Summary:

Reporting into the Vice President, Marketing, the Senior Director, Thought Leader Liaisons will be the lead architect in building the overall thought leader liaison strategy and functional capability for Vera Therapeutics. This person will be responsible for hiring, developing, and leading a national team of thought leader liaisons (TLLs) to support the commercialization of Atacicept which is a novel biologic designed to treat IgA nephropathy (IgAN). The TLL team directly engages Key Opinion Leaders and Customers in the Nephrology patient ecosystem acting as the disease state and product expert. TLL's are responsible for expanding and building new relationships with emerging thought leaders, serving as the primary liaison between customers and the company, and acting as the interface between the customer and sales, marketing and market access to efficiently address account needs with the purpose of enhancing HQ connectivity and customer/ patient support.

Responsibilities:

• Developing and executing a KOL engagement strategy.
• Building and managing a speaker bureau.
• Developing and executing comprehensive Congress plans.
• Organizing and moderating regional and national advisory boards
  • Cultivate a community of brand advocates, driving impact through personalized interactions, focused small group meetings, and influential advisory boards.
• Gathering commercial insights and partnering with headquarter based and field teams on the development and execution of local customer ecosystem plans.
• Leadership & Team Development:
  • Establish a framework of behaviors, performance metrics and team objectives that serve as a foundation for a commercially excellent national TLL team.
  • Recruit, hire and manage a team of TLLs.
  • Ensure strong culture of compliance to include fair-balanced, and effective message delivery within all promotional education channels (i.e., speaker programs, product theaters, exhibitor spotlights, etc.)
• Speaker Bureaus:
  • Develop and manage a compliant and industry leading peer-to-peer (P2P) education platform to ensure optimal reach and frequency.
  • Work with field partners to identify and vet qualified promotional speakers that align with overall needs of the brand.
  • Coordinate and execute speaker bureau training and coaching, continuously assessing opportunities to improve the clarity and impact of communications.
  • Lead speaker contracting activities in close collaboration with field sales and compliance.
• Congresses:
  • Collaborate with brand marketing to develop a comprehensive Congress Strategy.
  • Plan and execute key thought leader engagements, advocacy engagements, and senior executive encounters at regional and national conferences.
• Insight Gathering:
  • Actively collect, analyze, and synthesize information on KOL sentiments, competitor activities, and broader market trends from diverse sources (1:1 meetings, advisory boards, congresses). Continuously monitor the competitive landscape and identify emerging trends to inform strategic planning and decision-making.
  • Lead the development and execution of commercial-led advisory boards and other third-party insight gathering tactics.
• Brand Marketing:
  • Work with targeted KOLs to obtain feedback on disease and brand-related marketing strategies/materials.
  • Act as a liaison between KOLs and home office cross-functional teams, primarily for commercial/marketing encounters (other executive encounters as requested).

Qualifications:

• BS/BA degree, MBA and/or an advanced science degree preferred.
• 12+ years of diverse commercial experience (marketing, sales, TLL, Regional Marketing) in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry with 3-5 years of field experience preferred (preferably in field leadership).
• Experience in high-value biologics, gene therapies or specialty drugs; Nephrology expertise preferred.
• Experience in developing and implementing KOL strategies through appropriate, compliant, and engaging interactions.
• Proven success in developing insight-driven strategic plans and business cases to evolve/adapt current approaches with demonstrated positive impact.
• Thorough understanding of the regulatory environment and compliance considerations.
• Proven ability to influence without authority and work with cross-functional teams in the development and delivery of brand strategic imperatives.
• Thrives in a highly entrepreneurial biotech environment and embraces Vera’s culture of science, passion, and urgency.
• Comfortable adapting and leading in ambiguous and changing environments.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and executive presence.

Vera Therapeutics Inc. is an equal-opportunity employer.

Vera Therapeutics is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices and we strive to provide employees with total compensation packages that are market competitive. For this role, the anticipated base pay range is $258,000 - $285,000. The exact base pay offered for this role will depend on various factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s geography, qualifications, skills, and experience.

At Vera, base pay is only one part of your total compensation package. The successful candidate will be eligible for an annual performance incentive bonus, new hire equity, and ongoing performance-based equity. Vera Therapeutics also offers various benefits offerings, including, but not limited to, medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401k match, flexible time off, and a number of paid holidays.

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We require that all recruiters and staffing agencies have a fully executed, formal written agreement on file.

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