Vice President, U.S. Commercial Operations

Job Title:

Vice President, U.S. Commercial Operations

Location:

San Diego, CA / Hybrid / Remote

Position type:

FLSA:

Full time

Exempt

Department:

Commercial

At Avidity Biosciences, we are passionate about the impact of every employee in realizing our vision of improving people’s lives by delivering a new class of RNA therapeutics. Avidity is revolutionizing the field of RNA with its proprietary AOCs, which are designed to combine the specificity of monoclonal antibodies with the precision of oligonucleotide therapies to address targets and diseases previously unreachable with existing RNA therapies. If you are a committed, solution-oriented thinker, join us in making a difference and become part of our growing culture that is integrated, collaborative, agile and focused on the needs of patients. 

Avidity Biosciences, Inc.'s mission is to profoundly improve people's lives by delivering a new class of RNA therapeutics - Antibody Oligonucleotide Conjugates (AOCs™). Utilizing its proprietary AOC platform, Avidity demonstrated the first-ever successful targeted delivery of RNA into muscle and is leading the field with clinical development programs for three rare muscle diseases: myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Avidity is broadening the reach of AOCs with its advancing and expanding pipeline, including programs in cardiology and immunology through internal discovery efforts and key partnerships. Avidity is headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information about our AOC platform, clinical development pipeline, and people, please visit www.aviditybiosciences.com and engage with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

The Opportunity

The Vice President, U.S. Commercial Operations is a senior leader accountable for all operational activities in the U.S. This position will be responsible for business analytics, incentive compensation, training and launch excellence functions within the U.S. commercial team.  They will report to the regional general manager and be a critical part of the U.S. commercial leadership team. This position will work cross-functionally across the organization to achieve commercial goals and will serve, or appoint members, to Avidity launch and commercialization teams.

What You Will Contribute

Commercial Operations & Effectiveness

• Work collaboratively with commercial leadership to develop and implement a field deployment strategy to support the launch of Avidity products
• Work cross functionally with market access, sales, legal and finance to assess and implement strategic pricing and contracting opportunities and manage the gross to net and its impact
• Build and manage the day-to-day activities of Commercial Operations including sales planning, sales training and compliance, field communications, territory design, incentive compensation and field technologies
• Run all commercial team meetings ranging from launch and annual meetings to regional team meetings
• Identify and engage with appropriate external partners to build the necessary competencies to support the launch of Avidity products (e.g. Symphony, IQVIA, Veeva, Axtria, ZS & Associates, etc.)
• Develop a field and in-house commercial and product training program

Business Insights & Analytics

• Partner with IT to create actionable business analytics tools and dashboards
• Work with functional leaders across the organization to orchestrate the identification, prioritization, and advancement of commercial team goals and initiatives; monitor progress and communicate updates to stakeholders
• Develop and maintain revenue forecast models in partnership with Finance and Global Commercial Operations
• Support U.S. leadership in developing quarterly business reviews and critical presentations including BOD
• Develop local, regional, and national insights to support business decisions and facilitate sales effectiveness
• Participate in launch effectiveness workstreams internally and with key channel and trade partners

Patient Support & Services

• Create compliant data repositories, integrating channel and pharmacy data, in support of our patient services team
• Participate as a key member in improving the effectiveness of external partners
• Track, monitor and communicate the Avidity customer experience to support enhancements and business decisions

Technology & Innovation

• Collaborate to develop a commercial enterprise strategy related to data and lead all aspects of Sales Force Automation (SFA/CRM) design, development, enhancements and implementation ensuring cross-functional business support
• Work with IT to design, build and operate a master data warehouse to support all commercial and launch business processes
• Partner with appropriate functions to develop and implement a technology strategy including the potential applications for artificial intelligence

Team & Leadership Support

• Support Avidity’s corporate and portfolio planning processes as required, partnering with marketing and providing a U.S. commercial perspective into decision making
• Recruit, develop and retain an experienced and effective Commercial Operations team
• Manage and consolidate the budget process; partner with finance to track ongoing performance against budget

What We Seek

• Bachelor's Degree required; MBA or other related graduate-level degree is preferred
• At least 15 years of experience in pharmaceutical or biotech industry
• At least 10+ years of senior leadership experience in multiple commercial functions including sales operations, market access, pricing and contracting and commercial strategy
• Recent product launch experience in rare disease, as well as working with vendors in development, implementation, and execution of projects within budget and timeline
• Strong analytical and financial acumen skills with high proficiency in analytical tools such as Excel is a must; should have the ability to assess and summarize large amounts of information and develop recommendations
• Understanding of the US regulatory compliance environment for all aspects of launching and commercializing in a biotech setting, including sales, market access, training, systems etc.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple time-sensitive projects simultaneously
• Strong interpersonal skills, including diplomacy and flexibility, and the ability to engage and influence effectively with key stakeholders through strong presentation & effective interpersonal skills
• Ability to travel as needed for 25%

• The base salary range for this role is $300,000-350,000. The final compensation will be commensurate with such factors as relevant experience, skillset, internal equity and market factors.
• Avidity offers competitive compensation and benefits which includes the opportunity for annual and spot bonuses, stock options and RSUs, as well as a 401(k) with an employer match. In addition, the comprehensive wellness program includes coverage for medical, dental, vision, and LTD, and four weeks of time off.
• A commitment to learning and development which includes a variety of programming internally developed by and for Avidity employees, opportunities for job-specific training offered by industry, and an education reimbursement program.

Avidity Biosciences

10578 Science Center Dr. Suite 125

San Diego, CA

92121

O: 858-401-7900

F: 858-401-7901