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Field Patient Access Director

Ascendis Pharma
9 hours ago
On-site
Chicago, IL
Market Access
Field Patient Access Director

Key Responsibilities
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing, field-based patient access organization (PALs and FRMs) across assigned geographies.
- Establish performance expectations, KPIs, and MBOs; monitor progress; provide feedback and professional development.
- Partner with Commercial Training & Development to design and deliver onboarding and continuous learning.
- Lead change management to scale/evolve field patient access operations.
- Build and maintain a talent pipeline through succession planning and proactive development.
- Own field patient access readiness and execution for new product/indication launches.
- Serve as a 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.
- Partner with Sales leadership on account planning and local access strategy.
- Support healthcare providers and office staff through compliant education.
- Identify process-improvement opportunities and enhance operational efficiency.
- Ensure field activities comply with laws, regulations, and company policies.
- Partner with Patient Safety, Pharmacovigilance, and Quality for reporting.
- Monitor activity, performance data, and stakeholder feedback; translate insights into recommendations.
- Promote best practice sharing.

Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- 10+ years of relevant experience in pharmaceutical/biotech/healthcare.
- Progressive field leadership experience.
- Experience supporting rare disease and/or specialty products.
- Deep understanding of reimbursement pathways and specialty pharmacy.
- Strong analytical and communication skills.
- In-depth knowledge of compliance, patient confidentiality, and access requirements.
- Knowledge of laws governing protection of patient identifying information.

Benefits
- 401(k) plan with company match; Medical/Dental/Vision; Life and AD&D; short/long-term disability; Pet Insurance; Legal Insurance; EAP; Employee Discounts; Professional Development; HSA; Flexible Spending Accounts; incentive compensation; Accident/Critical Illness/Hospital Indemnity; Mental Health resources; paid leave for new parents.

Compensation
- $220,000-$245,000 (additional compensation may include company car, allowance, and bonus eligibility).