Associate Director, Thought Leader Liaison, EMPAVELI

Summary

Biogen is seeking an experienced Associate Director, Thought Leader Liaison, EMPAVELI, to lead national U.S. commercial KOL engagement strategy and strengthen relationships with leading U.S.-based Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs). This field-based role is accountable for developing insight-driven engagement plans, translating customer and community dynamics into actionable commercial priorities, advancing educational offerings, and mobilizing cross-functional alignment around KOL engagement. The role is expected to operate with enterprise influence, independent judgment, and strong partnership across Commercial, Medical Affairs, field leadership, and senior stakeholders. This role will report to the Head of Thought Leader & Patient Engagement Liaisons, EMPAVELI.

Roles And Responsibilities

• Create and manage Commercial engagement plans for leading U.S. KOLs, including engagement objectives, success metrics, prioritization, and cross-functional execution against goals.
• Establish, deepen, and strategically leverage national relationships with U.S. KOLs; lead high-impact KOL engagements with the U.S. EMPAVELI Commercial Team, senior leadership, and executive stakeholders throughout the year and at key congresses.
• Partner closely with KOLs and treating physicians to identify, refine, and scale peer-to-peer program offerings that are strategically aligned to customer needs and commercial priorities.
• Maintain the promotional speaker bureau, including identifying and recruiting potential speakers, guiding speaker readiness on approved promotional slide decks, partnering with HCP Marketing on annual speaker training, and ensuring speakers complete required annual compliance training.
• Partner with the HCP Marketing team on commercial HCP advisory boards, including advisor identification, objective setting, agenda input, and synthesis of insights to inform commercial priorities.
• Shape content strategy for peer-to-peer engagements by providing senior-level input on speaker programs, congress symposia, and related HCP engagement opportunities.
• Drive strong, productive relationships with key cross-functional partners, including Medical Affairs and field teams, to align priorities, clarify accountabilities, and advance national KOL engagement objectives.

Education, Registration & Certification

• BS/BA degree required; advanced degree preferred.

Experience

• 8+ years of progressive biotech/pharma experience, with demonstrated experience leading complex commercial initiatives or external stakeholder engagement.
• Experience in Hematology/Oncology is preferred; experience in rare diseases is a plus.
• Significant experience in sales, marketing, field engagement, or other customer-facing commercial roles is preferred.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to build productive, credible relationships with physicians, KOLs, and other Healthcare Professionals.
• Enterprise growth mindset with the ability to challenge legacy approaches, adapt quickly, and lead new ways of achieving team goals in a compliant manner.
• Anticipates business issues, develops clear action plans, builds coalitions, and drives solutions rapidly across teams and functions.
• Develops alternative strategies to achieve desired results when faced with ambiguity, competing priorities, or roadblocks.
• Demonstrates a strong commitment to understanding customer needs, maintaining relevant field connectivity, and translating insights into commercial action.
• Identifies patterns and connections across markets, customers, and stakeholders; articulates implications and possibilities for the business.
• Consistently demonstrate integrity on the job, including an understanding of relevant rules and regulations.
• Builds collegial, accountable cross-functional relationships and brings functional and field leaders together around a shared vision for national engagement work.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams, gain alignment across functions with different objectives and priorities, and manage execution of engagement plans.
• Strong executive communication skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and cross-functional partners across varying levels of the organization.
• Ability to responsibly manage budgets for KOL engagement initiatives, speaker programs, advisory boards, and related commercial projects.
• Navigate and be successful in a fast-paced, data- and results-driven environment.
• Ability to travel 50-75%, including national and cross-country travel for KOL engagement, congresses, speaker programs, and field-based business needs.

Pay

• Targeted base salary range: $180,000–$248,000. Final salary offered may vary based on individual qualifications, business needs, and current market conditions.

Benefits And Perks

• 401(k) plan with company match
• Inclusive family building benefits
• Flexible time off
• Summer and winter shutdowns
• Paid family leave
• Disability and life insurance
• Additional benefits available at https://apellis.com/careers/benefits/