Senior Director, Market Access Strategy

Zealand Pharma

About The Position

Zealand Pharma is seeking a dynamic and experienced leader to serve as the Senior Director, Market Access Strategy and Execution. This role is critical in shaping and executing the company’s access strategy for upcoming launches in rare diseases and obesity. The ideal candidate will have deep knowledge of the US payer. The role requires collaboration across internal teams and external partners to ensure patient access, affordability, and commercial success.

Requirements

10+ years of US Market Access experience within biotech/pharma, a national payer, or a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM).
Successful track record of leading product launch strategies including pricing, reimbursement, and formulary access.
Experience with national payer/PBM formulary strategy development and implementation.
Deep understanding of US payer and PBM ecosystems, including retail and specialty pharmacy dynamics, rebate structures, and access barriers.
Strong grasp of employer and health plan segmentation and the incentive structures that influence formulary decision-making.
Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and work effectively with alliance partners in co-commercialization environments.
Exceptional communication, strategic thinking, and presentation skills with the ability to influence executive-level stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership: Develop and lead the US market access strategy for Zealand Pharma’s rare disease portfolio, ensuring alignment across pricing, reimbursement, distribution, patient support, and affordability programs.
Lead access strategy and execution for obesity therapy in partnership with a commercialization partner, balancing independence with joint commercialization needs.
Value Proposition & Evidence Strategy: Define the value proposition for different payer and stakeholder segments.
Collaborate with Medical Affairs, HEOR, and Commercial teams to identify evidence needs, develop economic models, and shape compelling, payer-relevant scientific messaging.
Payer Engagement & Segmentation: Drive payer segmentation to identify and prioritize key archetypes, including commercial plans, PBMs, Medicare, and Medicaid stakeholders.
Develop and execute engagement strategies to influence access, reimbursement, and pricing outcomes.
Pricing & Contracting: Contribute to pricing and contracting strategies, including WAC recommendations, discount modeling, and forecasting, in collaboration with Finance and Brand leadership.
Monitor evolving payer market dynamics and propose innovative solutions to secure access.
Tools, Resources, and Execution: Oversee the development of payer-facing resources, pull-through tools, and affordability initiatives.
Lead vendor and consultant partnerships supporting access landscape assessments and tactical execution.
Cross-Functional Integration: Ensure integration of access strategy into launch planning, patient journey design, and sales force training.
Represent market access in internal planning forums and external alliance management settings.
Innovative Access Models: Explore and implement innovative access and contracting approaches, including value-based agreements and novel payer collaborations to improve patient access.