Executive Director, Trade and Distribution

Position Summary
The Executive Director of Trade & Distribution is responsible for developing and executing the U.S. trade, distribution, and channel management strategy for the company’s retina portfolio. Establishes/manages relationships with specialty distributors, specialty pharmacies, physician buy-and-bill networks, GPOs, IDNs, and other channel partners to ensure efficient product availability and optimized market access. Partners cross-functionally to support launches and ongoing commercialization.

Key Responsibilities
Trade Strategy & Channel Management
- Develop and implement U.S. trade and distribution strategies for retinal products (launch readiness and lifecycle management).
- Design/optimize specialty distribution networks (access, channel efficiency, inventory, financial objectives).
- Evaluate/manage specialty pharmacy and specialty distributor partnerships.
- Lead buy-and-bill physician-administered product channel strategy.
- Establish distribution agreements, service levels, and performance metrics.

Retina Market Access & Provider Engagement
- Partner with Market Access to maximize availability within retina practices, academic centers, and integrated health systems.
- Develop strategies to support adoption among retinal specialists and large retina practice networks.
- Collaborate on GPO/purchasing network contracting strategies.
- Identify/address channel barriers affecting provider acquisition, reimbursement, and inventory management.

Contracting & Financial Management
- Lead trade contracting negotiations.
- Manage channel economics (service agreements/fees, inventory management, gross-to-net impacts).
- Forecast channel demand, inventory, and revenue recognition with Finance/Pricing & Contracting.
- Monitor channel profitability and identify optimization opportunities.

Launch Excellence
- Build/execute trade launch plans aligned to regulatory timelines.
- Ensure operational readiness (inventory deployment, ordering, returns, customer onboarding).

Supply Chain & Operations
- Collaborate with Supply Chain on allocation and channel inventory levels.
- Monitor product flow and mitigate supply disruptions.
- Develop KPIs/dashboards for channel performance, inventory, service levels, and customer satisfaction.

Compliance & Governance
- Ensure trade/distribution activities comply with healthcare regulations, government pricing requirements, and company policies.
- Partner with Legal/Compliance; maintain audit readiness/documentation.

Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, Life Sciences, or related field.
- 10+ years pharmaceutical/biotechnology commercial experience.
- 5+ years leading trade/distribution/channel management or market access.
- Deep understanding of specialty distribution models and buy-and-bill reimbursement.
- Experience supporting specialty/ophthalmology/retina/biologic/injectable launches.
- Strong knowledge of specialty distributors, specialty pharmacies, GPOs, and provider purchasing dynamics.
- Proven success negotiating complex trade/distribution agreements.
- Strong financial acumen (gross-to-net/channel economics).

Preferred
- Experience in ophthalmology/retina/physician-administered biologics.
- Launch experience in commercial-stage biotech.
- MBA or advanced degree.
- Experience working with retinal specialists and retina-focused provider organizations.