Senior Director, Marketing - Rare Neurology (Topeka)

Role Overview We are looking for a passionate marketing professional to bring their launch and rare disease skills to a complex and difficult-to-treat category so we can do everything in our power to live up to our mission of defying limitation so that others can too. This individual will lead both Marketing and Thought Leader Liaison (TLL) functions for a transformative rare/ultra-rare disease portfolio. This leader will play a critical role in shaping and delivering high-impact, high-urgency launch strategies in complex and difficult-to-treat conditions with significant unmet need.

This is a highly visible leadership role requiring deep rare disease launch experience, strong patient-centric thinking, and the ability to operate effectively in ambiguity. The successful candidate will bring urgency, agility, and innovation to ensure we deliver meaningful outcomes for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers while accelerating business performance.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Organizational Impact

• Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing Marketing and TLL organization, fostering a culture of accountability, urgency, and innovation.
• Build and maintain a deeply patient-centric culture, ensuring teams remain connected to patient impact in every decision.
• Attract, coach, and retain top talent; create development pathways that strengthen capabilities in rare/ultra-rare disease commercialization.
• Communicate regularly with Executive Leadership, providing clear, data-driven insights and recommendations.
• Drive a culture of ownership, speed, and decisiveness in a fast-moving launch environment.

Launch Excellence & Business Delivery

• Lead end-to-end pre-launch and launch strategy and execution in the US.
• Define and deliver differentiated brand strategy in a market with small patient populations, complex diagnosis pathways, and evolving standards of care.
• Accountable for meeting/exceeding brand financial targets both in sales and operating income.
• Ensure rapid identification of risks and opportunities, with dynamic adjustments to strategy.
• Develop strategic asset plans including launch readiness, brand strategy, annual tactical plans, and budgets, as well as medium to long term plans that optimize the assets over time.
• Actively contribute to market planning efforts, including forecasting, market research, and market landscape.

Strategic Leadership in Ambiguity

• Adapt strategies in response to evolving disease and market landscapes, making informed decisions with incomplete data.
• Translate emerging insights into tactical recommendations and execution plans
• Contribute to scenario planning and forward-looking strategy development in uncertain environments.

Patient & Stakeholder Centricity

• Champion a best-in-class patient-first approach, deeply understanding patient journeys, diagnostic challenges, and treatment barriers.
• Develop innovative strategies to identify, find, and support ultra-rare patients in partnership with stakeholders.
• Build strong partnerships with Key Opinion Leaders, Centers of Excellence, and advocacy groups.

Integrated Marketing & TLL Leadership

• Oversee both Marketing and Therapeutic Liaison (TLL) strategy and execution, ensuring tight alignment between brand strategy and field/customer engagement insights.
• Leverage TLL insights to inform real-time strategy refinement, particularly in early launch phases.

Collaboration & Capability Building

• Drive cross-functional alignment and compliant coordinated planning across Medical Affairs, Market Access, Customer Engagement, Sales, and Global teams to execute integrated launch plans.
• Advance omnichannel and data-driven marketing capabilities, tailored to rare disease dynamics.
• Establish innovative approaches to patient identification, engagement, and activation.
• Strengthen cross-functional processes to enable speed, agility, and execution excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree desirable
• 12+ years of biopharma commercial experience, including significant US marketing leadership
• 7 years of leadership experience
• Proven rare and/or ultra-rare disease launch experience
• Demonstrated success in leading high-stakes launches with urgency and accountability
• Experience operating in ambiguous, rapidly evolving market environments
• Strong track record of strategic planning and execution, brand leadership and financial accountability, and cross-functional leadership
• Deep understanding of patient journeys in rare and ultra-rare disease, and market access challenges, and KOL and stakeholder ecosystems
• Experience leading and integrating Marketing and field-based insight functions (e.g., TLL, field strategy, or similar)
• Strong executive presence, communication, and influencing skills
• High emotional intelligence, resilience, and adaptability
• Deep commitment to compliance, ethics, and patient impact
• Extensive knowledge of commercial compliance and all laws and regulations that govern promotional and non-promotional activities.
• Current US work authorization required.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally.
• Up to 30-50% travel is required, based upon business needs

Competencies

Accountability for Results - Stay focused on key strategic objectives, be accountable for high standards of performance, and take an active role in leading change.

Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving - Make decisions considering the long-term impact to customers, patients, employees, and the business.

Patient & Customer Centricity - Maintain an ongoing focus on the needs of our customers and/or key stakeholders.

Impactful Communication - Communicate with logic, clarity, and respect. Influence at all levels to achieve the best results for Otsuka.

Respectful Collaboration - Seek and value others’ perspectives and strive for diverse partnerships to enhance work toward common goals.

Empowered Development - Play an active role in professional development as a business imperative.

Pay Range

Minimum $230,720.00 - Maximum $345,000.00, plus incentive opportunity: The range shown represents a typical pay range or starting pay for individuals who are hired in the role to perform in the United States. Other elements may be used to determine actual pay such as the candidate’s job experience, specific skills, and comparison to internal incumbents currently in role. Typically, actual pay will be positioned within the established range, rather than at its minimum or maximum. This information is provided to applicants in accordance with states and local laws.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, company provided basic life, accidental death & dismemberment, short-term and long-term disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, student loan assistance, a generous 401(k) match, flexible time off, paid holidays, and paid leave programs as well as other company provided benefits. Come discover more about Otsuka and our benefit offerings;

Equal Opportunity Employer

Otsuka is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will be given consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, national origin, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Disability Accommodation

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation, if you are unable or limited in your ability to apply to this job opening as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by contacting Accommodation Request (View email address on apply.placed-app.com).