Director, KOL Engagement (US)

KOL Strategy & Engagement Planning

• Develop and own the U.S. KOL engagement strategy and annual engagement plan, aligned with brand strategy, medical priorities, and launch objectives.
• Identify, segment, and prioritize KOLs across key specialties and practice settings relevant to SMA.
• Establish clear objectives, success metrics, and engagement principles to guide compliant, meaningful KOL interactions.

Execution & Program Leadership

• Lead the planning and execution of KOL engagement tactics, including:
• Peer-to-peer programming
• Advisory boards and insight-generating forums
• Congress engagement and scientific meetings
• Innovative and creative engagement formats designed to deepen relationships and dialogue
• Ensure excellence in program design, execution, and follow-up, with a strong focus on insight capture and learning.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Medical Affairs to ensure alignment on scientific exchange, insight generation, and appropriate roles and responsibilities.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Sales to align KOL engagement with brand strategy and field needs, while maintaining clear compliance boundaries.
• Work with Field teams to support coordinated, high-quality KOL interactions at the regional and local level.
• Serve as a central point of coordination to ensure consistent messaging, engagement cadence, and experience for KOLs.

Insights & Continuous Improvement

• Capture, synthesize, and share insights from KOL engagements to inform brand strategy, launch readiness, and ongoing optimization.
• Support the development of feedback loops to ensure learnings are incorporated across commercial and medical teams.
• Continuously assess engagement effectiveness and evolve approaches based on insights and best practices.

Operational Excellence & Compliance

• Ensure all KOL engagement activities are conducted in full alignment with regulatory, legal, and compliance requirements.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to support promotional review, contracting, and fair market value processes as needed.
• Manage external vendors and agency partners supporting KOL engagement initiatives.

Candidate Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 8–10+ years of experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology roles involving KOL engagement, medical education, marketing, or field leadership.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing KOL engagement strategies in specialty or rare disease environments.
• Strong understanding of the U.S. healthcare landscape and the role of KOLs in shaping clinical practice.
• Proven ability to work effectively across medical, commercial, and field teams in a matrixed organization.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Strong organizational and project-management capabilities.
• High level of integrity with a solid understanding of compliance requirements.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort operating in a first-launch, high-growth environment.
• Willingness to travel as needed (anticipated up to ~30%).