Associate Director, New Product Planning & Competitive Intelligence

Zenas BioPharma; Waltham (MA); On-site; USD 174,000 - 205,000; Full time

Job summary

Zenas BioPharma is seeking an experienced Associate Director, New Product Planning & Competitive Intelligence to advance CI and NPP activities. Reporting to the Vice President of Corporate Development, this role will play a critical part in advancing Zenas BioPharma’s ambition to build a robust and differentiated I&I portfolio.

The Associate Director will help ensure that Zenas remains at the forefront of evolving market trends, competitor strategies, and emerging opportunities, while supporting

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in life sciences or related field.
• 6+ years of pharma/biotech CI, strategy, or related experience.
• Proficient with CI tools to support data-driven decisions.
• Experience managing CI vendors or external partners.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Support CI activities for pipeline programs and market trends.
• Develop CI planners (Excel) and coverage summaries (PowerPoint) for conferences.
• Attend conferences and deliver timely CI updates to stakeholders.
• Create post-conference reports with actionable insights.
• Contribute to disease-area opportunity assessments and portfolio strategy.
• Conduct primary and secondary research and synthesize data into insights.
• Communicate insights through executive-ready presentations.
• Oversee management of external vendors and consultants.

Skills

Competitive intelligence

Market analysis

Strategic planning

Executive communications

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in life sciences

MBA/PhD/MD/MS preferred

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

CI tools

Job description

Zenas is a clinical-stage global biopharmaceutical company committed to becoming a leader in the development and commercialization of transformative therapies for patients with autoimmune diseases. Our core business strategy combines our experienced leadership team with a disciplined product candidate acquisition approach to identify, acquire and develop product candidates globally that we believe can provide superior clinical benefits to patients living with autoimmune diseases. Zenas is advancing two late-stage, potential franchise molecules, obexelimab and orelabrutinib. Obexelimab, Zenas’ lead product candidate, is a bifunctional monoclonal antibody designed to bind both CD19 and FcγRIIb, which are broadly present across B cell lineage, to inhibit the activity of cells that are implicated in many autoimmune diseases without depleting them. We believe that obexelimab’s unique mechanism of action and self-administered, subcutaneous injection regimen may broadly and effectively address the pathogenic role of B cell lineage in chronic autoimmune disease. Orelabrutinib is a potentially best‑in‑class, highly selective CNS-penetrant, oral, small molecule Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitor with the potential to address compartmentalized inflammation and disease progression in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Zenas’ earlier stage programs include ZB021, a clinical-stage, potentially best‑in‑class, oral, IL‑17AA/AF inhibitor; ZB022, a preclinical, potentially best‑in‑class, oral, brain‑penetrant, TYK2 inhibitor; and ZB014, a preclinical half‑life extended anti‑CD-19 and FcγRIIb monoclonal antibody.

We are seeking top talent who share our commitment to patients and have a track record of success in acquiring, developing and commercializing products across the globe. Our colleagues have an opportunity to engage in a fast-paced learning environment and experience individual and organizational success as we work towards becoming a global immunology and autoimmune disease leader, while living our values of Transparency, Relationships, Urgency, Excellence and Innovation – TRUE Innovation!

Position Summary

Zenas BioPharma is seeking an experienced Associate Director, New Product Planning & Competitive Intelligence to proactively support and advance the company’s New Product Planning and Competitive Intelligence activities. Reporting to the Vice President of Corporate Development and New Product Planning, this individual will play a critical role in advancing Zenas BioPharma’s ambition to build a robust and differentiated I&I portfolio.

The Associate Director will help ensure that Zenas remains at the forefront of evolving market trends, competitor strategies, and emerging opportunities, while also supporting business development diligence and portfolio strategy efforts. This individual will bring deep expertise in disease-area opportunity assessment, competitive intelligence, and business and corporate strategy, helping to inform strategic decision-making and position the organization for long-term success.

Key Responsibilities

• Support competitive intelligence (CI) activities for pipeline programs, monitoring competitor pipelines, clinical and regulatory developments, commercial activity, business development, and market trends.
• Developing CI planners (Excel) and coverage summaries (PowerPoint) for medical conferences
  • Attending conferences and sharing timely, relevant CI updates with key stakeholders
  • Producing post-conference summary reports
• Contribute to New Product Planning activities, including disease-area opportunity assessments, evaluation of emerging mechanisms and technologies, and development of strategic recommendations to inform pipeline and portfolio decisions
• Conduct primary and secondary research and support congress coverage, synthesizing emerging data into timely, actionable competitive insights.
• Develop competitive and market assessments, including landscape analyses, TPP benchmarking, SWOTs, opportunity assessments, and forecasts, to inform pipeline, portfolio, and business development strategy
• Partner with business development on licensing diligence through competitive, market, epidemiological, and forecasting analyses.
• Communicate insights through clear, concise, executive-ready presentations and deliverables
• Oversee the management of external vendors and consultants.
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a life sciences, business, or related discipline required; advanced degree (PhD, PharmD, MD, MS, or MBA) preferred.
• 6+ years of relevant experience in pharmaceutical/biotech competitive intelligence, strategy, consulting, equity research, or a closely related field.
• Proficient in the use of CI tools to support data-driven decision making.
• Experience managing CI vendors or external partners with an emphasis on quality, timeliness, and alignment to strategic goals.
• Able to synthesize primary and secondary CI and translate findings into clear, actionable implications.
• Strong collaboration, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to influence across functions and organizational levels.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to navigate a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
• Willingness to travel as needed for meetings and industry events; typically 4-6 conferences a year in the U.S. and Europe.
• Experience in AI tools an advantage

The position is eligible for a competitive compensation and benefits package.

Zenas is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The base salary pay range for this role is $174,200 to $205,000. Actual compensation packages will depend on various factors, including, but not limited to depth of experience, education, skillset, overall performance and/or location.

Zenas believes in providing a competitive compensation and benefits package to all employees. Our base salary is just one component of Zenas’ competitive total rewards strategy that also includes annual performance bonus, equity, full range of benefits and other incentive compensation plans.

Zenas BioPharma is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an environment where diversity is valued. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment based on merit, qualifications and the needs of the business.