Field Patient Access Director
Ascendis Pharma
August 17, 2026
Remote friendly (Salt Lake City, UT)
United States
Patient Advocacy
Field Patient Access Director
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing field-based patient access organization (Patient Access Liaisons and Field Reimbursement Managers) across assigned geographies.
- Set performance expectations (KPIs/MBOs), monitor progress, and provide ongoing feedback and development.
- Partner with Commercial Training & Development to design and execute onboarding and continuous learning.
- Lead change management to scale/evolve field patient access operations as the organization grows.
- Build and maintain a talent pipeline through succession planning, coaching, 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/Quality for reporting.
- Monitor 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 protecting patient identifying information.
Benefits
- 401(k) with company match; medical/dental/vision; life and AD&D; short/long-term disability; pet and legal insurance; EAP; employee discounts; professional development; HSA; flexible spending accounts; incentive compensation plans; accident/critical illness/hospital indemnity; mental health resources; paid leave benefits for new parents.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing field-based patient access organization (Patient Access Liaisons and Field Reimbursement Managers) across assigned geographies.
- Set performance expectations (KPIs/MBOs), monitor progress, and provide ongoing feedback and development.
- Partner with Commercial Training & Development to design and execute onboarding and continuous learning.
- Lead change management to scale/evolve field patient access operations as the organization grows.
- Build and maintain a talent pipeline through succession planning, coaching, 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/Quality for reporting.
- Monitor 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 protecting patient identifying information.
Benefits
- 401(k) with company match; medical/dental/vision; life and AD&D; short/long-term disability; pet and legal insurance; EAP; employee discounts; professional development; HSA; flexible spending accounts; incentive compensation plans; accident/critical illness/hospital indemnity; mental health resources; paid leave benefits for new parents.