Associate Director, Market Development - East

Orca Bio; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Orca Bio is seeking an Associate Director for Market Development focused on KOL engagement and brand strategy in the US. This senior role requires extensive experience in hematology/oncology, with responsibilities including managing KOL relationships and developing marketing strategies. The candidate will work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure successful product launches and brand positioning.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of related experience in hematology/oncology.
• Clinical fluency in leukemia and/or bone marrow transplant.
• Experience with academic center accounts and product launches.

Responsibilities

• Design and execute KOL engagement strategies.
• Manage healthcare professional interactions.
• Coordinate with regional teams for launch readiness.

Skills

KOL Development

Brand Strategy

Cross-functional Collaboration

Education

BA/BS degree

MA/MBA/PharmD (preferred)

Job description

More than one million people in the United States today are fighting blood cancer. While a traditional allogeneic stem cell transplant has been the best hope for many, the transplant itself can prove fatal or lead to serious conditions, such as graft vs. host disease. Orca Bio is a late-stage biotechnology company redefining the transplant process by developing next-generation cell therapies with the goal of providing significantly better survival rates with dramatically fewer risks.With our purified, high-precision investigational cell therapies, we hope to not only replace patients' blood and immune systems with healthy ones but also restore their lives.

Summary: The Associate Director, Market Development, East is a senior field-based position within the US commercial organization focused on engaging with key opinion leaders (KOLs), generating market insights to inform marketing strategies, developing brand and disease awareness messaging, training promotional speakers, and profiling Centers of Excellence (COEs). Reporting to the Head of Marketing and New Product Planning, this team acts as a field extension of the marketing department, working closely with sales, medical affairs, and other cross-functional teams. The role is crucial in facilitating COE onboarding before and during the commercial launch of Orca-T, creating brand strategies, and developing brand tactics.

The candidate must be located within the territory. Travel is expected: approximately 50%.

Responsibilities

• KOL Development
• Design and execute KOL engagement strategies, including relationship development, message alignment and evaluation, scientific and product feedback, and targeted marketing initiatives.
• Manage healthcare professional (HCP) interactions to influence KOL understanding of unmet needs in alloHSCT, gather and synthesize messaging feedback, and adjust positioning and messaging accordingly.
• Plan and execute engagement activities at major congresses.
• Brand Strategy and Regional Marketing
• Use KOL insights to inform brand positioning, messaging, and strategy during brand development.
• Implement regional congress strategies, manage KOL engagement, staffing, sponsorships, and support brand plans and advisory boards.
• Manage regional marketing budgets.
• Promotional Physician Speaker Bureau
• Identify, recruit, and coach KOL speakers.
• Manage vendors, oversee content creation, PRC approval, and program execution.
• Commercial COE Profiling and Insights
• Identify KOL champions and lead scientific education and clinical alignment efforts.
• Contribute to cross-functional profiling of ATCs.
• Internal Collaboration for Launch Readiness
• Coordinate with regional teams including Market Access, Medical Affairs, and Commercial Operations.
• Ensure effective communication and alignment across sales and marketing teams.
• Adhere to all applicable laws, regulations, and policies.

Required Qualifications

• Extensive experience in hematology/oncology and allogeneic bone marrow transplant sales or marketing; field-based marketing preferred.
• Clinical fluency in leukemia and/or bone marrow transplant.
• Experience with academic center accounts and product launches.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally.
• 10+ years of related experience with a BA/BS degree; advanced degrees (MA/MBA/PharmD) preferred.
• Ability to travel approximately 50% with overnight stays.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience at small or mid-sized biotech companies.
• Experience progressing from clinical to commercial stages.
• Cell therapy or immuno-oncology experience.

Who we are

We are driven by a passion for science and compassion for patients. We act with urgency to make treatments accessible to all who need them.

We uphold core values of passion, courage, and integrity. Our work aims to improve quality of life for patients, carrying a tremendous sense of responsibility.

We innovate boldly, embracing an entrepreneurial spirit and taking calculated risks to achieve our mission. We challenge the status quo and ask “why not”.

Our start-up culture fosters camaraderie and leadership by example, regardless of titles.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, believing that diversity fosters stronger, more innovative solutions for our team, patients, and healthcare providers.

Notice to staffing firms

Orca Bio does not accept resumes from staffing agencies without a written agreement and specific engagement for a particular opening. All recruitment is managed through our HR/Talent team, and we do not accept unsolicited resumes or outsource recruitment efforts.