VP, North America Sales and Marketing - Ophthalmology

Position: Vice President, North America Sales & Marketing, Ophthalmology

Reports to: EVP, Global Commercial

Location: Waltham, MA

 

Position Summary:

Apellis is entering into an exciting time with its first ever product launch in rare diseases three years ago, a second in 2023 in retina space, and now a third launch in nephrology coming in 2025.  The company has built a comprehensive set of services working with Patients, Caregivers, Healthcare Providers, Specialty Distribution Channels, and Market Access/Reimbursement teams in rare disease and eye care.

The VP, Sales & Marketing, Ophthalmology is responsible for overseeing a cross-functional team that includes all sales, marketing and thought leader development teams.  Located in Waltham, MA reporting directly to EVP, Global Commercial, this individual will have a high visibility role within the organization with a new launch, expected significant growth with our current retina asset, SYFOVRE, as well as preparation for additional future launches in eye care.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Provide strategic leadership and direction to cross-functional commercial members, ensuring cohesive alignment across internal Marketing function and field-based teams including Sales and Thought Leader Liaisons, to drive business unit performance and organizational clarity
• Lead the team, processes, and outside partnerships to best understand how to grow the business over the next several years
• Oversee the development of appropriate metrics and processes for monitoring and analyzing data from our vendor partners (specialty distributors, etc.) and align these metrics to meaningful key performance indicators for the organization
• Collaborate cross-functionally with the Market Access team and broader commercial stakeholders to ensure appropriate gross-to-net assumptions are integrated quarterly into forecasting and P&L models; provide strategic leadership in shaping pricing assumptions, payer access strategies, and initiatives to enhance overall patient access to Apellis brands
• Oversee continued integration of agreed upon CRM metrics for the Apellis field sales team and integrate appropriate data into management and leadership reports
• Manage vendor relationships and oversee contract administration to ensure compliance, performance, and value delivery
• Provides leadership, input and development to direct reports as well as cross functional members of the team to drive learning and future growth
• Monitor and measure customer feedback, internal performance data and market needs, and act quickly to realize challenges, while also planning proactively to improve processes and positive impact to patients
• Ensure field teams are appropriately educated and work collaboratively with Legal, Compliance and Regulatory stakeholders to ensure compliant development and execution of plans and programs aligned to the launch of Apellis products
• Demonstrate high executive presence with the ability to influence senior leadership, effectively communicate complex strategies, and drive alignment across executive and cross-functional stakeholders to support key business objectives

Education, Experience, Registration & Certification:

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Minimum of 6 years’ experience related to leading and managing cross-functional teams, working in complex markets and business settings. Additional commercial experience (market access, trade, global commercial) and knowing how to do the work while also having led the work through other leaders and teams will be important
• Sales and Marketing leadership in high level roles is incredibly important (Sr. Director, VP), and alignment to leading such teams in the retina/ophthalmology market is a significant plus
• Experience in working with a commercial organization (including market access) focused on short and long term performance, as well as innovative ways to grow the overall business and net revenues
• Clear understanding, and former accountability of business unit P&L leadership
• Prior leadership roles need to be in ‘player-coach’ setting, building programs and processes alongside the team, while leading the build and efforts of the broader group
• Deep retina expertise strongly preferred

 

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities:

• Proven ability to be a leader, influencing the organizations understanding of what processes and requirements are needed both short and long term, building while also executing
• Ability to work at a remarkably high level, interacting with the Apellis Executive Team, Board of Directors, and outsi