VP, Head of US Marketing

Zenas BioPharma is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to becoming a leader in the development and commercialization of immune-based therapies for patients around the world. With clinical development and operations globally, Zenas is advancing a deep and balanced global portfolio of potential first- and best-in-class autoimmune therapeutics in areas of high unmet medical need while meeting the value requirements of the dynamic global healthcare environment. The company’s pipeline continues to grow through our successful business development strategy. Our experienced leadership team and network of business partners drive operational excellence to deliver potentially transformative therapies to improve the lives of those living with autoimmune and rare diseases.

We are seeking top talent who share our commitment to patients and have a track record of success in acquiring, developing and commercializing products across the globe. Our colleagues have an opportunity to engage in a fast-paced learning environment and experience individual and organizational success as we work towards becoming a global immunology and autoimmune disease leader, while living our values of Transparency, Relationships, Urgency, Excellence and Innovation – TRUE Innovation!

Position Summary

Zenas is seeking a seasoned, dynamic commercial executive with extensive I&I experience to build and lead the company’s marketing organization. Reporting to the Chief Commercial Officer (https://www.linkedin.com/in/orlando-oliveira-a9902a5/) , the VP Head of US Marketing, will lead the future Obexelimab franchise. In addition, this position will lead marketing efforts for other potential follow-on molecules/indications within Zenas portfolio.

This is one of the first commercial hires for the company and a critical senior leadership role that will be instrumental in Zenas potential evolution from the clinical stage into a fully integrated, commercial-stage biopharma company.

Key Responsibilities

• As a member of the Zenas commercial leadership team, the VP Head of US of Marketing, will play a critical role in building the vision, structure, talent base, capabilities and operating model of the cross-functional commercial organization
• Ensure Marketing team is working effectively with cross-functional commercial partners in Commercial Insights & Analytics, Market Access, Sales, and Commercial Training & Development to maintain strategic alignment, produce high quality deliverables, and achieve performance objectives.
• Build and implement the Marketing plan encompassing all areas of responsibility including marketing strategy, brand development, promotions, digital marketing, patient marketing, and marketing operations.
• Recruit, motivate, develop, and retain a team of highly skilled marketing professionals.
• Partner with the Commercial Insights & Analytics team to develop and maintain deep market insights through market research, competitive intelligence, and business analytics.
• Lead the development and implementation of marketing plans for Zenas potential future products including situation analyses, segmentation and targeting, go-to-market strategies, and sales and marketing mix
• Lead the development of global brand positioning, messaging, and branding to optimize the clinical value proposition of Zenas products.
• Ensure regular, effective communication with sales organization in the home office and in the field to identify challenges and opportunities and deliver solutions as needed
• Partner with the Commercial Insights & Analytics team and Finance to develop and maintain commercial forecasts, quarterly latest estimates, and operating budgets
• Develop a close, collaborative relationship with Medical Affairs leadership to ensure Marketing and Medical Affairs teams are working effectively together on deliverables such as KOL identification and development, publication planning, medical congresses, advisory boards, disease education/awareness initiatives, speaker programs, LCM strategies, guideline strategies, etc.
• Work closely with Commercial Insights & Analytics to ensure necessary metrics/KPIs are in place to measure performance and identify opportunities for improvement
• Build a high performing marketing operations function that supports commercial and medical affairs needs in areas such as meeting planning, warehousing, fulfillment, etc.
• Ensure successful agency/vendor partnerships
• Develop and delivers marketing presentations to senior leadership
• Participate in portfolio strategy and commercial evaluation of business development opportunities as necessary
• Maintain a high degree of presence and visibility in the field with sales team and key customers.
• Partner with fellow members of the commercial leadership team to develop and deliver periodic, cross-functional business reviews that present a fact-based, data-driven state of the business and thoughtful recommendations for future plans (what to keep doing, what to change, rationales for both, and what will be achieved).
• Participate in quarterly “latest estimate” (LE) process to inform near-term forecasts that will drive downstream deliverables such as IC planning, production planning (manufacturing), budgeting, and Wall Street guidance.
• Role involves significant travel including customer visits, team meetings, key industry meetings, and commitment to regular time in the home office (e.g., 2 weeks per month pre-launch, 1 week per month post-launch), attendance at medical meetings, sales meetings, market research, etc.

Qualifications

• BS/BA degree in business or related discipline required; MBA strongly preferred.
• Fifteen (15) or more years of experience within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries including at least 5-7 years in marketing senior and 5-7 years in senior sales leadership roles (including second line leadership).
• I&I launch experience is required; MS & SLE experience strongly preferred.
• Experience building teams and commercial capabilities is required.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver results in competitive markets.
• Existing relationships with key customers are highly valued (e.g., KOLs, key account leadership, I&I societies, GPOs, etc.)
• Must be a true team player – authentic, humble, able to build a positive team spirit and lead through the ups and downs of drug development, puts success of team above own interests and support everyone’s efforts to grow and develop
• Demonstrated ability to motivate and lead teams and have the managerial courage to make and stand by difficult decisions
• Experience in and understanding of other commercial functions (e.g., marketing, market access, sales operations, sales training, insights/analytics, business development, etc.) will be an important consideration for this role.
• Must be highly analytical. Must be comfortable formulating and delivering data-driven, fact-based analyses of the business and utilizing these insights to propose effective strategies to meet corporate objectives.
• Must be a resourceful, creative problem solver who seeks out, and is receptive to, new ideas and approaches to solving persistent challenges.
• Must be a true team player – authentic, humble, professional, able to build a positive team spirit and lead teams through the ups and downs of drug development, puts success of the company and the overall commercial organization above own interests and supports everyone’s efforts to succeed, grow, and develop.
• Ability and willingness to work effectively and seamlessly at multiple “altitudes” within the organization. Maintains a “no job is too big or too small” attitude necessary to succeed in a startup environment and ensures direct reports do the same.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills (including ability to successfully convey insights and recommendations via PowerPoint), including ability to synthesize data and deliver a clear overview of the state of the business, drivers of performance, opportunities and risks, and recommended action plans. Strong executive presence and comfortable presenting to CEO and board of directors.
• Demonstrated ability to attract top talent with diverse backgrounds and build cohesive, high performing teams
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to changes in the work environment. Manages competing demands. Changes approach or method to best fit the situation. Able to deal with frequent change, delays, unexpected events, or uncertainty/ambiguity with maturity and professionalism.
• Highly skilled in influencing cross-functional teams, including interfacing with key internal and external stakeholders and with scientific and commercial teams

The position is eligible for a competitive compensation and benefits package.

Zenas is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The base salary pay range for this role is $290,000 to $340,000. Actual compensation packages will depend on various factors, including, but not limited to depth of experience, education, skillset, overall performance and/or location.

Zenas believes in providing a competitive compensation and benefits package to all employees. Our base salary is just one component of Zenas’ competitive total rewards strategy that also includes annual performance bonus, equity, full range of benefits and other incentive compensation plans.

Zenas BioPharma is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an environment where diversity is valued. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on merit, qualifications and the needs of the business.