Director, Distribution & Trade

Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 215,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) plan

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. seeks a Director of Distribution & Trade to provide strategic leadership and oversight of the distribution network, including 3PLs, specialty distributors, and specialty pharmacies. You will oversee inventory planning to support commercial demand and ensure timely replenishment.

The role reports to the Executive Director, Patient Services & Distribution, and requires strong analytical, negotiation, and cross-functional leadership skills. Travel up to 25% is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of pharmaceutical/biotech experience, with at least 5 years in trade, distribution, or channel strategy.
• Experience managing specialty pharmacies, distributors, 3PL, and rare/orphan oncology diseases.
• Strong background in contract negotiation, vendor management, and cross-functional leadership.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
• Strong analytical and project management capabilities.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the company's trade and distribution strategy across commercial and pipeline products.
• Create scalable distribution models that support product launches and long-term business growth.
• Partner with Commercial, Market Access, Patient Services, and other cross-functional teams to align distribution initiatives with organizational objectives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with specialty pharmacies, specialty distributors, and 3PL partners.
• Lead contract negotiations and oversee ongoing agreements with external trading partners.
• Monitor partner performance to ensure compliance with SLAs and KPIs.
• Collaborate with Patient Services, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, and Commercial Operations to ensure efficient distribution processes.
• Oversee daily operational performance of external vendors and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Facilitate quarterly business reviews with internal leadership and external distribution partners to evaluate performance and drive strategic improvements.
• Establish reporting requirements and develop dashboards to monitor trade and distribution performance.
• Evaluate channel data to identify trends, improve inventory management, and support business decision-making.
• Ensure accurate and timely receipt and reporting of transactional data, including EDI 852 and 867 files, and specialty pharmacy dispensing reports.
• Ensure distribution operations comply with all applicable regulatory requirements, including DSCSA, 340B, GPO, and related industry standards.
• Develop, maintain, and oversee standard operating procedures (SOPs) and governance processes, including returns, chargebacks, and other trade‑related policies.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Vendor management

Contract negotiation

Cross-functional leadership

Data analysis

Project management

Communication

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA or related advanced degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Director of Distribution & Trade is responsible for providing strategic leadership and operational oversight for the company's distribution network, including third-party logistics (3PL) providers, specialty distributors, and specialty pharmacies. This role also oversees inventory planning to ensure commercial demand is supported through timely product replenishment. Success in this position requires excellent organizational, analytical, and problem‑solving skills, along with exceptional attention to detail. This position reports directly to the Executive Director, Patient Services & Distribution.

Salary Range: $215,000 to $260,000

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the company's trade and distribution strategy across commercial and pipeline products.
• Create scalable distribution models that support product launches and long‑term business growth.
• Partner with Commercial, Market Access, Patient Services, and other cross‑functional teams to align distribution initiatives with organizational objectives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with specialty pharmacies, specialty distributors, and 3PL partners.
• Lead contract negotiations and oversee ongoing agreements with external trading partners.
• Monitor partner performance to ensure compliance with service level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs).

Operational Management

• Collaborate closely with Patient Services, Supply Chain, Finance, Legal, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, and Commercial Operations to ensure efficient distribution processes.
• Oversee daily operational performance of external vendors and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Facilitate quarterly business reviews with internal leadership and external distribution partners to evaluate performance and drive strategic improvements.

Data Analysis & Reporting

• Establish reporting requirements and develop dashboards to monitor trade and distribution performance.
• Evaluate channel data to identify trends, improve inventory management, and support business decision‑making.
• Ensure accurate and timely receipt and reporting of transactional data, including EDI 852 and 867 files, and specialty pharmacy dispensing reports.

Compliance & Process Governance

• Ensure distribution operations comply with all applicable regulatory requirements, including DSCSA, 340B, GPO, and related industry standards.
• Develop, maintain, and oversee standard operating procedures (SOPs) and governance processes, including returns, chargebacks, and other trade‑related policies.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree in business, health sciences, or related field preferred.
• 10+ years of pharmaceutical/biotech experience, with at least 5 years in trade, distribution, or channel strategy.
• Successful experience managing high performance of specialty pharmacies and distributors, 3PL, and rare/orphan oncology diseases.
• Strong background in contract negotiation, vendor management, and cross‑functional leadership.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship management skills to achieve objectives.
• Strong analytical and project management capabilities.
• Proficiency in interpreting and leveraging trade data and performance metrics.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office suite (i.e., Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, etc.).
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Rigel offers eligible employees a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision coverage; life and disability insurance; flexible spending accounts; paid time off; paid company holidays; a 401(k) plan; and other benefits.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• PHYSICAL DEMANDS: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to stand, walk; sit; talk and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.
• WORK ENVIRONMENT: The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Some travel may be required.

Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by the law.