Field Patient Access Director
Ascendis Pharma
August 17, 2026
Remote friendly (Nashville, TN)
United States
Market Access
Field Patient Access Director (Northern CA & Nevada)
Responsibilities:
- Lead, coach, and develop a field patient access organization (Patient Access Liaisons and Field Reimbursement Managers) across assigned geographies.
- Set performance expectations (KPIs/MBOs), monitor results, and provide feedback and development.
- Partner with Commercial Training & Development on onboarding and continuous learning.
- Lead change management to scale/evolve field patient access operations.
- Own patient access readiness and execution for new product/indication launches; ensure alignment of teams, vendors, and processes.
- Serve as subject matter expert on reimbursement, coverage, specialty pharmacy, and third-party services.
- Analyze payer/reimbursement/access trends to anticipate barriers and guide mitigation.
- Collaborate with Market Access, Sales, Patient Support, Commercial Operations, and external vendors.
- Support healthcare providers and office staff through compliant education.
- Drive operational improvements; ensure field activities comply with laws/regulations/company policies.
- Monitor performance and translate field insights into actionable recommendations.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- 10+ years’ experience in pharma/biotech/healthcare.
- Progressive field leadership experience.
- Experience with rare disease and/or specialty products.
- Deep understanding of reimbursement pathways and specialty pharmacy.
- Strong analytical and communication skills.
- In-depth compliance/patient confidentiality/access requirements; knowledge of laws protecting patient-identifying information.
Benefits:
- 401(k) with company match; medical/dental/vision; life and AD&D; short/long-term disability; employee assistance; professional development; HSA and flexible spending; incentive compensation; pet and legal insurance; paid leave for new parents; mental health resources; employee discounts; accident/critical illness/hospital indemnity insurance.
Responsibilities:
- Lead, coach, and develop a field patient access organization (Patient Access Liaisons and Field Reimbursement Managers) across assigned geographies.
- Set performance expectations (KPIs/MBOs), monitor results, and provide feedback and development.
- Partner with Commercial Training & Development on onboarding and continuous learning.
- Lead change management to scale/evolve field patient access operations.
- Own patient access readiness and execution for new product/indication launches; ensure alignment of teams, vendors, and processes.
- Serve as subject matter expert on reimbursement, coverage, specialty pharmacy, and third-party services.
- Analyze payer/reimbursement/access trends to anticipate barriers and guide mitigation.
- Collaborate with Market Access, Sales, Patient Support, Commercial Operations, and external vendors.
- Support healthcare providers and office staff through compliant education.
- Drive operational improvements; ensure field activities comply with laws/regulations/company policies.
- Monitor performance and translate field insights into actionable recommendations.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- 10+ years’ experience in pharma/biotech/healthcare.
- Progressive field leadership experience.
- Experience with rare disease and/or specialty products.
- Deep understanding of reimbursement pathways and specialty pharmacy.
- Strong analytical and communication skills.
- In-depth compliance/patient confidentiality/access requirements; knowledge of laws protecting patient-identifying information.
Benefits:
- 401(k) with company match; medical/dental/vision; life and AD&D; short/long-term disability; employee assistance; professional development; HSA and flexible spending; incentive compensation; pet and legal insurance; paid leave for new parents; mental health resources; employee discounts; accident/critical illness/hospital indemnity insurance.