Senior Patient Access Director

Role Summary

The Senior Patient Access Director provides strategic leadership and oversight of patient access and reimbursement initiatives across Exelixis. This role manages complex escalations, refines patient assistance program criteria, and ensures operational excellence in collaboration with hub service providers. It partners with field teams and cross-functional stakeholders to design scalable access strategies, deliver training, and monitor evolving payer trends, integrating insights across Commercial Operations, Legal, Compliance, and Market Access to ensure timely, compliant patient access to therapies.

Responsibilities

• Establish and refine enterprise PAP eligibility criteria and access frameworks; set standards for case triage, turnaround, and quality.
• Oversee Patient Access Hub operations and vendor management ensuring high service quality and compliance.
• Provide senior guidance and oversight for complex compassionate use and sample program cases, ensuring alignment with medical, legal, and compliance leadership and shaping policies to manage risk and support ethical patient access.
• Contribute to modification of support services to enhance access and affordability initiatives.
• Drive continuous improvement in patient access programs.
• Provide input to creation of new SOPs and governance for patient access.
• Create new content for patient access resource materials and promotional content.
• Develop training and provide recommendations for new training.
• Provide competitive intelligence and strategic insights to senior leadership.
• Drive cross-functional alignment by partnering with senior leadership across Commercial, Medical, Market Access, and Compliance to shape enterprise patient access strategy and ensure integration with long-range commercial objectives.
• Participate in discussions with payers, specialty pharmacies, and advocacy groups to foster relationships and inform access strategies.
• Serve as the senior patient access representative and strategic advisor on enterprise-wide cross-functional initiatives, steering committees, and executive advisory boards; shape strategic direction and ensure alignment on complex access priorities.
• Lead cross-functional workshops and task forces to address emerging access challenges and portfolio launches.
• Represent patient access on cross-functional teams and advisory boards; serve as senior SME in executive forums.

Education

• BS/BA degree in related discipline and 15 years of related experience; or MS/MBA degree in related discipline and 13 years of related experience; or Equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry, or experience with a Hub service provider or specialty pharmacy.
• Proven track record of success managing national patient access/reimbursement operations, patient assistance programs, and external vendors.
• Experience leading medium-scale product launches and strategic access initiatives across multiple therapeutic areas.

Skills

• Budgets, forecasts, and resource planning at the executive level; able to provide reliable budgets and forecasts.
• Knowledge of compliance regulations and guidance for co-pay and patient assistance programs.
• Subject matter expertise in Medicare Part D and payer benefit interpretation.
• Experience launching new products or indications, with emphasis on oncology or orphan indications.
• Thought leader with deep knowledge of the biotech oncology business and ability to shape industry perspectives.
• Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills with executive presence.
• Advanced analytical, strategic thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills with demonstrated impact on business outcomes.
• Proficiency in Excel, Access, and database tools; ability to leverage data for strategic decision-making.
• Strong leadership capabilities with ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders.
• Expertise in reimbursement strategy, patient assistance program design, and vendor management.
• Ability to rapidly assimilate complex information, prioritize competing demands, and manage organizational timelines.

Additional Requirements

• Travel – 35%-45%