Associate Director, Field Strategy and Operations

Ascendis Pharma; Princeton (NJ); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascendis Pharma seeks an Associate Director, Field Strategy & Operations to connect business strategy with field execution across Commercial, Patient Services and medical field teams. You will partner with field leadership to design infrastructure, processes, analytics, and governance for high-quality customer experiences and scalable field capabilities.

The role emphasizes CRM and technology enablement, operational planning, vendor oversight, reporting, and continuous improvement to optimize

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, Healthcare Administration, Life Sciences, or related fields.
• 7+ years of experience in Patient Support Services, Reimbursement Operations, Market Access, Commercial Operations, Field Operations, or related biopharmaceutical functions.
• Demonstrated experience supporting FRM, PAL, reimbursement, hub, or specialty pharmacy operations.
• Strong understanding of patient access, reimbursement pathways, prior authorizations, appeals, specialty pharmacy processes, and patient support programs.
• Experience managing operational systems, including Veeva CRM, Courier Health, Salesforce, or similar platforms.
• Proven ability to translate strategy into scalable operational processes and field execution.
• Strong project management and process optimization skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including experience presenting to senior leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Field Leadership and stakeholders to align field operations with priorities.
• Translate enterprise strategies into field execution plans, processes, tools, and resources.
• Develop and maintain frameworks, playbooks, SOPs, and operating models for consistent execution.
• Lead operational readiness planning for product launches, label expansions, payer policy changes, and program enhancements.
• Drive adoption and optimization of field-facing platforms and data capture needs.
• Deliver actionable, data-driven recommendations to leadership regarding resource allocation and program optimization.
• Collaborate with Commercial, Market Access, Medical, Training, IT, Legal/Compliance, and Finance teams.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Communication

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, Healthcare Administration, Life Sciences, or related fields

Tools

Veeva CRM

Salesforce

Courier Health

Job description

The Associate Director, Field Strategy & Operations serves as the operational lead responsible for connecting business strategy to field execution across Commercial, Patient services and medical field teams. This role partners closely with field leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure the infrastructure, systems, processes, analytics, and operational frameworks are in place to enable effective execution and high-quality customer experiences.

The Associate Director acts as the primary bridge between strategy and execution, translating organizational priorities into scalable field capabilities, streamlined operations, actionable insights, and continuous process improvement. This role drives field effectiveness through CRM and technology optimization, operational planning, resource management, vendor oversight, reporting, field enablement, and governance.

Field Strategy & Execution

• Partner with Field Leadership, Patient Support, Commercial, Medical, Market Access, and other stakeholders to align field operations with organizational priorities.
• Translate enterprise and functional strategies into field execution plans, operational processes, tools, and resources.
• Develop and maintain frameworks, playbooks, SOPs, and operating models that drive consistent execution across field teams.
• Facilitate field goal and Call to Action (CTA) planning processes and maintain key operational deliverables supporting annual business objectives.
• Collaborate with FRMs, PALs, specialty pharmacies, hub vendors, and reimbursement partners to optimize service delivery.
• Lead operational readiness planning for product launches, label expansions, payer policy changes, and program enhancements.
• Support territory design, field deployment strategies, workload assessments, capacity planning, and resource optimization.

Field Operations & Technology Enablement

• Serve as the business lead for field-facing platforms, including Veeva CRM, Courier Health, and other operational technologies.
• Partner with IT, Analytics, and vendors to ensure systems effectively support field workflows and data capture needs.
• Identify opportunities for automation, process simplification, AI-enabled capabilities, and technology enhancements.
• Drive adoption, training, change management, and ongoing optimization of systems and operational processes.
• Ensure data quality, reporting integrity, and alignment across operational platforms.

Reporting & Business Insights

• Partner with Analytics and Insights teams to develop reporting tools and executive dashboards.
• Deliver actionable, data-driven recommendations to leadership regarding resource allocation, operational effectiveness, and program optimization.
• Support ongoing business reviews with field leadership, vendors, specialty pharmacies, and cross-functional partners.

Vendor & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Coordinate operational activities across specialty pharmacies, hub vendors, reimbursement partners, and internal stakeholders.
• Collaborate closely with Commercial, Market Access, Medical Affairs, Training, IT, Legal/Compliance, Finance, Marketing, and Patient Services teams.
• Partner with Learning & Development to support onboarding, training logistics, and field resource management.
• Serve as a cross-functional liaison to ensure alignment of patient support initiatives with enterprise priorities.

Compliance & Operational Governance

• Ensure patient support operations comply with company policies and applicable healthcare regulations.
• Partner with Legal and Compliance to support governance processes, documentation standards, and audit readiness.
• Maintain operational manuals, SOPs, reporting standards, and process documentation.
• Monitor operational controls and data quality standards to ensure accurate and compliant reporting.

Communication & Operational Excellence

• Develop and execute communication processes that streamline information flow between headquarters, field teams, vendors, and stakeholders.
• Support roster management, territory alignment, organizational updates, and operational resource planning.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on increasing efficiency, reducing barriers, and improving the patient and provider experience.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and customer focus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, Healthcare Administration, Life Sciences, or related fields.
• 7+ years of experience in Patient Support Services, Reimbursement Operations, Market Access, Commercial Operations, Field Operations, or related biopharmaceutical functions.
• Demonstrated experience supporting FRM, PAL, reimbursement, hub, or specialty pharmacy operations.
• Strong understanding of patient access, reimbursement pathways, prior authorizations, appeals, specialty pharmacy processes, and patient support programs.
• Experience managing operational systems, including Veeva CRM, Courier Health, Salesforce, or similar platforms.
• Proven ability to translate strategy into scalable operational processes and field execution.
• Strong project management and process optimization skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including experience presenting to senior leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.

Critical Success Factors

• Operational excellence mindset with strong attention to detail.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to execute effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong systems-thinking and problem-solving capabilities.
• Data-driven decision maker focused on measurable outcomes.
• Collaborative and adaptable leader who thrives in ambiguity.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a passion for optimizing patient and provider experiences.

Ascendis Pharma is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.