Aquestive District Sales Manager

About the role

Aquestive Therapeutics, with more than 20 years of pioneering patient-centered innovation, has transformed how millions access life-saving medications. The company's track record includes 6 FDA approvals, 2.5 billion doses delivered worldwide, and a presence across 6 continents. As Aquestive prepares to launch Anaphylm™, its latest breakthrough in overcoming patient barriers, it is building a sales team that shares its commitment to innovation that matters.

As a District Sales Manager, you will be the architect of launch success in your region, building a team that doesn't just hit numbers but changes patient outcomes. You will recruit talent, develop future leaders, and translate corporate strategy into territory-level wins. This is not management from a distance; you will be in the field coaching your territory representatives through complex sales cycles, celebrating breakthrough moments, and holding the line on performance and integrity. The role covers markets across multiple states and requires 60–75% travel, including overnight stays for field rides, customer events, and company meetings.

Responsibilities

Build & Lead a High-Performing Team

• Recruit exceptional Therapeutic Specialty Representatives who combine sales excellence with mission alignment.
• Develop your team through consistent field coaching, structured feedback, and individualized development plans.
• Create a culture of accountability and growth where representatives take ownership of their territories and support each other's success.
• Foster diversity, equity, and inclusion across your region—ensuring every team member has the support and opportunities to thrive.
• Identify and cultivate future leaders within your team.

Drive Strategic Execution

• Partner with VP of Sales, Area Sales Directors, and peer DSMs to shape national sales strategy, leveraging field-level insights to inform direction.
• Translate corporate objectives into district business plans that account for local market dynamics, competitive landscapes, and payer environments.
• Establish clear performance metrics and tracking mechanisms that connect daily activities to launch milestones.
• Analyze territory performance data to identify gaps, opportunities, and best practices worth scaling.

Coach for Impact

• Conduct frequent field rides that balance observation, real-time coaching, and collaborative problem-solving.
• Help representatives master the consultative selling approach required for Anaphylm's value proposition.
• Guide your team through objection handling, particularly around payer access and product differentiation.
• Connect daily sales activities to the broader mission—helping representatives see how their work removes barriers for patients who need an effective, easy-to-carry, easy-to-use epinephrine rescue medication.

Navigate Market Access Complexity

• Develop fluency in payer landscapes—national plans, formularies, and local coverage nuances.
• Translate payer insights into actionable pull-through strategies for your team.
• Collaborate with Market Access and Hub Services to resolve coverage barriers and accelerate patient starts.
• Track and share market access wins, barrier patterns, and successful resolution strategies.

Foster Cross-Functional Alignment

• Partner with Marketing, Medical Affairs, Training, and Market Access to ensure consistent brand execution.
• Serve as the voice of the field—sharing customer insights, competitive intelligence, and execution challenges that inform broader strategy.
• Facilitate collaboration with specialty pharmacy partners and patient services teams.
• Represent your region in national sales meetings, strategy sessions, and launch planning forums.

Ensure Operational Excellence

• Drive CRM discipline across your team—ensuring high-quality documentation of calls, payer feedback, and sampling activity.
• Monitor compliance with all regulatory requirements including PDMA, AE/product complaint reporting, and promotional guidelines.
• Conduct regular territory business reviews that assess performance, identify improvement areas, and align on priorities.
• Manage district budget and resources efficiently to maximize ROI.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree
• Minimum 5 years leading pharmaceutical or specialty sales teams (front-line management experience required)
• Proven success leading teams through product launches—ideally in specialty, allergy, or related therapeutic areas
• Deep understanding of sales strategy, market access dynamics, and HCP engagement models
• Track record of developing talent and improving team performance through effective coaching
• Strong analytical skills with ability to translate data into strategic action
• Willingness to travel 60–75%, including overnight stays for field rides, customer events, and company meetings

Preferred

• Experience in rescue medication, allergy, or products addressing medication adherence/administration barriers
• Background in specialty pharmacy or hub services operations
• Previous management of geographically dispersed team

Skills

• Mission-Driven Leadership: measure success not just by quota attainment, but by the patient lives improved through your team's work
• Launch Veteran: have built markets from scratch
• Talent Developer: get genuine satisfaction from watching team members grow, earn promotions, and achieve things they didn't think possible
• Strategic Executor: think big picture but obsess over execution details
• Emotionally Intelligent Coach: read people well, adapt coaching styles to individual needs, and build trust through authenticity and consistency
• Collaborative Partner: break down silos naturally; speak the language of Marketing, Medical, and Access and align with them around common goals
• Resilient Competitor: navigate challenges, maintain team morale during setbacks, and find paths forward

Compliance

• Maintain alignment with corporate policies, training, and legal/regulatory requirements
• Ensure field compliance with all company and industry standards, including:
  • Sampling and PDMA (if applicable)
  • Adverse Event (AE) and product complaint reporting
  • On-label and compliant promotional dialogue
  • CRM data quality and timely documentation

Pay

Expected salary range: $180,000 – $210,000 per year. Final determinations take into account factors including primary work location and the chosen candidate's relevant skills, experience, and education.

Benefits

• Bonus eligibility
• Health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
• Retirement benefits
• Paid holidays, vacation, and sick days