Astellas Pharma
Head, Account Engagement - Retina
Astellas Pharma, Northbrook, Illinois, United States, 60062
Head, Account Engagement - Retina
Do you want to be part of an inclusive team that works to develop innovative therapies for patients? Every day, we are driven to develop and deliver innovative and effective new medicines to patients and physicians. If you want to be part of this exciting work, you belong at Astellas! Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are committed to turning innovative science into medical solutions that bring value and hope to patients and their families. Keeping our focus on addressing unmet medical needs and conducting our business with ethics and integrity enables us to improve the health of people throughout the world. This position is based in Northbrook, IL. Remote work from certain states may be permitted in accordance with Astellas' Responsible Flexibility Guidelines. Candidates interested in remote work are encouraged to apply. Purpose and Scope:
The
Head, Account Engagement - Retina
is accountable for building and leading the comprehensive market access customer engagement strategy exclusively for IZERVAY, Astellas' retina therapy for geographic atrophy (GA). This leadership role is responsible for architecting and driving the execution of provider, and private equity (PE) group engagement models to ensure optimal access, contract execution, and adoption across all relevant care delivery settings. As a member of the Market Access leadership team, and extended member of the Izervay commercial leadership team, this is a critical leadership role that ensures Astellas is positioned for success in the competitive retina market. By centralizing customer engagement under a retina-focused lens and integrating both national and regional field strategies, this role directly shapes adoption, affordability perception, and practice alignment for IZERVAY. The Head is also directly accountable for building strategic partnerships with the most influential PE-backed retina networks, a crucial lever in shaping the access landscape and unlocking sustainable market growth. Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
Lead development and execution of a unified strategy for retina-focused provider access that aligns with Astellas' brand and business objectives for IZERVAY. Shape long-term engagement frameworks with priority customers (including private equity-backed networks, and retina-focused supergroups and clinics), and high-impact stakeholder engagement strategies with retina-specific executives (e.g., CEOs, CMOs, practice owners, revenue cycle leads, and KOLs) Lead the National Strategic Accounts team to create and execute strategic account plans for the nation's largest private equity-backed networks and key customers; flexibility to personally serve as primary strategic access partner for critical account(s). Lead the Head of U.S. Key Accounts (Retina), providing strategic direction and oversight to a team of Regional Key Account Leads (RKAL), to develop and deliver against account plans for priority retina accounts, ensure consistent pull-through of retina-specific GPO contracts, and support buy-and-bill operations and practice workflow integration Work in collaboration with internal cross-functional teams (including Izervay Market Access Lead, Payer and GPO Account Management teams, Access and Reimbursement Manager (ARM) teams, Contracts & Pricing, and Brand leadership) to translate customer insights into targeted interventions, contracting strategies, and support service improvements. Serve as the senior-most field-facing access leader for all retina provider accounts, with deep understanding of operational and financial drivers. Serve as executive sponsor and lead negotiator for key PE groups, building lasting partnerships that drive alignment across contracting, adoption, and operational execution. Serve as retina access member on cross-functional extended team related to brand planning, affordability, policy, and field operations. Monitor and respond to competitive dynamics in the GA market, especially affordability and access strategies by manufacturers of competitive products. Lead strategic responses to the evolving landscape of retina care delivery, including PE consolidation, biosimilars, and payer/provider alignment. Organizational Context:
People leader, directly leading a team of 2 National Strategic Account partners, and serving as a second line leader of the Head US Regional Key Accounts for retina Organizational responsibility over a total of 11 employees Key accounts aligned to the role include private equity-backed retina groups, priority retina clinics, other key accounts with significant GA patient populations Reports to Head, US Market Access
Do you want to be part of an inclusive team that works to develop innovative therapies for patients? Every day, we are driven to develop and deliver innovative and effective new medicines to patients and physicians. If you want to be part of this exciting work, you belong at Astellas! Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are committed to turning innovative science into medical solutions that bring value and hope to patients and their families. Keeping our focus on addressing unmet medical needs and conducting our business with ethics and integrity enables us to improve the health of people throughout the world. This position is based in Northbrook, IL. Remote work from certain states may be permitted in accordance with Astellas' Responsible Flexibility Guidelines. Candidates interested in remote work are encouraged to apply. Purpose and Scope:
The
Head, Account Engagement - Retina
is accountable for building and leading the comprehensive market access customer engagement strategy exclusively for IZERVAY, Astellas' retina therapy for geographic atrophy (GA). This leadership role is responsible for architecting and driving the execution of provider, and private equity (PE) group engagement models to ensure optimal access, contract execution, and adoption across all relevant care delivery settings. As a member of the Market Access leadership team, and extended member of the Izervay commercial leadership team, this is a critical leadership role that ensures Astellas is positioned for success in the competitive retina market. By centralizing customer engagement under a retina-focused lens and integrating both national and regional field strategies, this role directly shapes adoption, affordability perception, and practice alignment for IZERVAY. The Head is also directly accountable for building strategic partnerships with the most influential PE-backed retina networks, a crucial lever in shaping the access landscape and unlocking sustainable market growth. Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
Lead development and execution of a unified strategy for retina-focused provider access that aligns with Astellas' brand and business objectives for IZERVAY. Shape long-term engagement frameworks with priority customers (including private equity-backed networks, and retina-focused supergroups and clinics), and high-impact stakeholder engagement strategies with retina-specific executives (e.g., CEOs, CMOs, practice owners, revenue cycle leads, and KOLs) Lead the National Strategic Accounts team to create and execute strategic account plans for the nation's largest private equity-backed networks and key customers; flexibility to personally serve as primary strategic access partner for critical account(s). Lead the Head of U.S. Key Accounts (Retina), providing strategic direction and oversight to a team of Regional Key Account Leads (RKAL), to develop and deliver against account plans for priority retina accounts, ensure consistent pull-through of retina-specific GPO contracts, and support buy-and-bill operations and practice workflow integration Work in collaboration with internal cross-functional teams (including Izervay Market Access Lead, Payer and GPO Account Management teams, Access and Reimbursement Manager (ARM) teams, Contracts & Pricing, and Brand leadership) to translate customer insights into targeted interventions, contracting strategies, and support service improvements. Serve as the senior-most field-facing access leader for all retina provider accounts, with deep understanding of operational and financial drivers. Serve as executive sponsor and lead negotiator for key PE groups, building lasting partnerships that drive alignment across contracting, adoption, and operational execution. Serve as retina access member on cross-functional extended team related to brand planning, affordability, policy, and field operations. Monitor and respond to competitive dynamics in the GA market, especially affordability and access strategies by manufacturers of competitive products. Lead strategic responses to the evolving landscape of retina care delivery, including PE consolidation, biosimilars, and payer/provider alignment. Organizational Context:
People leader, directly leading a team of 2 National Strategic Account partners, and serving as a second line leader of the Head US Regional Key Accounts for retina Organizational responsibility over a total of 11 employees Key accounts aligned to the role include private equity-backed retina groups, priority retina clinics, other key accounts with significant GA patient populations Reports to Head, US Market Access