Senior Director, Head of Rare Neurology Thought Leader Liaisons

Position : Senior Director, Head of Rare Neurology Thought Leader Liaisons

Location : Boston, MA (US Headquarters for Alexion) 

Hybrid: 3 days a week onsite

About Alexion 

For over 30 years, Alexion has been dedicated to transforming the lives of people living with rare diseases. We lead with breakthrough science, deep disease understanding, and an unrelenting commitment to patients. As part of AstraZeneca, we are uniquely positioned to accelerate innovation and reach more patients globally. 

Working here means being driven by purpose, acting with integrity, and fostering a culture where people feel valued, connected, and empowered. You'll join a community that puts patients first, plays to win, and supports your development at every step. 

Introduction to role:

The  Senior Director, Head of Rare Neurology Thought Leader Liaisons is a senior commercial leader responsible for a high-performing organization of Thought Leader Liaisons (TLLs), Directors, Congress Lead, and Regional Insights & Tactics Lead, who serve as strategic bridges between regional markets and headquarters. This role drives enterprise-wide excellence in regional marketing strategy, thought leader engagement, and market intelligence, ensuring  Alexion’s neurology portfolio achieves competitive advantage through locally relevant execution of national brand strategies.

As the architect of regional marketing capabilities, this leader establishes the vision, infrastructure, and operating model that enable regionally aligned TLLs to shape expert perception, accelerate product adoption, and deliver business outcomes across diverse  U.S. markets. The role translates complex market dynamics into actionable regional strategies while ensuring strong alignment among field commercial teams, medical affairs, marketing, and senior leadership.

This role reports directly to the Vice President,  U.S. Neurology Business Unit Lead , and serves as a strategic partner whose market insight and thought leader engagement expertise help  Alexion compete effectively in  gMG, NMOSD, and emerging neurology domains.

Accountabilities

Organizational Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and develop the Regional Thought Leader Liaison team by establishing clear performance standards, career development pathways, and succession planning strategies.

• Foster a high-performance culture centered on strategic thinking, collaboration, and continuous improvement, positioning regional marketing as a competitive advantage for  Alexion Neurology .

• Design and implement onboarding and training programs that strengthen capabilities in thought leader engagement, clinical acumen, regional strategy development, and cross-functional partnership.

• Establish performance metrics and accountability frameworks that drive business results while supporting individual growth and team cohesion.

Strategic Regional Marketing Vision & Execution

• Define and lead the strategic vision for regional marketing across  US Neurology , ensuring alignment with national brand strategies while enabling local market responsiveness.

• Develop standardized frameworks and best practices for regional marketing planning, thought leader engagement, and educational program execution that can be adapted to local needs.

• Partner with brand marketing leadership to ensure regional insights inform national strategy development,  Annual Needs Assessment processes, and brand planning cycles.

• Drive innovation in regional marketing approaches by identifying emerging opportunities to strengthen thought leader relationships and accelerate market impact.

Enterprise Thought Leader Engagement Strategy

• Architect and oversee the enterprise-wide thought leader engagement strategy to ensure consistent, high-impact interactions with influential disease area experts across all regions.

• Establish governance and quality standards for  Commercial Journal Exchanges ,  advisory boards ,  insight roundtables , and  speaker programs to strengthen Alexion’s position as the partner of choice.

• Cultivate strategic relationships with top-tier national and regional thought leaders , serving as executive sponsor for priority engagements and ensuring continuity of key partnerships.

• Partner with medical affairs, clinical development, and commercial leadership to create integrated engagement plans that maximize value for both Alexion and external experts.

Market Intelligence & Insights Synthesis

• Oversee the aggregation, analysis, and synthesis of regional market intelligence into actionable national insights that inform strategic decision-making.

• Establish systematic mechanisms for capturing voice-of-customer insights from TLLs and translating them into strategic recommendations for marketing, medical, and commercial leadership.

• Partner with sales and marketing leadership on quarterly business reviews highlighting regional performance, emerging market trends, competitive dynamics, and strategic opportunities requiring enterprise attention.

• Collaborate with analytics, market research, and commercial operations to ensure data-driven decision-making supports both regional and national strategy.

Cross-Functional Partnership & Alignment

• Serve as the primary liaison between regional field teams and headquarters functions to ensure seamless communication, alignment, and collaboration.

• Partner with the National Sales Director and Brand Leads to ensure regional marketing strategies enable field sales excellence and drive measurable business outcomes.

• Collaborate with medical affairs leadership to ensure appropriate integration of medical and commercial thought leader engagement activities.

• Work closely with marketing operations, legal, and compliance to ensure regional programs meet all regulatory and company standards.

Congress Strategy & Executive Engagement

• Lead national and regional congress strategy in partnership with national marketing to maximize thought leader engagement, scientific exchange, and executive relationship building.

• Oversee high-impact executive engagements at major medical meetings to ensure senior leadership interactions with key opinion leaders translate into strategic partnerships.

• Establish frameworks for congress planning, execution, and follow-up that drive consistent excellence and measurable return on investment.

Budget Management & Resource Optimization

• Own regional marketing budget planning, allocation, and management to ensure optimal investment across regions, programs, and initiatives.

• Establish ROI frameworks and measurement approaches that demonstrate the business impact of regional marketing investments.

• Drive efficiency and effectiveness through strategic vendor partnerships, program standardization, and continuous process improvement.

Compliance & Integrity

• Ensure all regional marketing activities are conducted professionally and in accordance with Alexion’s Code of Ethics and Business Conduct .

• Establish and maintain robust compliance frameworks to ensure all thought leader engagements, educational programs, and advisory activities meet regulatory requirements.

• Foster a culture of ethical decision-making and compliance excellence throughout the regional marketing organization.

What We’re Looking For

Essential Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in a scientific, healthcare, or business-related field

• 10+ years of progressive experience in bio/pharma with demonstrated success in marketing, thought leader engagement, or commercial leadership roles.

• 3-5+ years of people leadership experience, including building and developing high-performing teams.

• Proven track record of developing and executing marketing strategies that drive measurable business results.

• Deep expertise in thought leader engagement, including advisory boards, speaker programs, and medical education initiatives.

• Strong understanding of the US healthcare landscape, including payer dynamics, institutional decision-making, and specialty pharmacy considerations.

• Experience working in specialty pharmaceutical or rare disease therapeutic areas.

• Demonstrated ability to synthesize complex market intelligence into strategic insights and actionable recommendations.

• Exceptional communication skills and executive presence, with the ability to influence senior leadership and external stakeholders.

• Strong business acumen with experience managing budgets.

• Proven ability to drive cross-functional alignment and collaboration across complex matrix organizations.

• Valid driver’s license and clean driving record.

• Travel requirement: Willingness to travel 25-35% of the time, including overnight and weekend travel as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MBA, MSc, PharmD, or equivalent)

• Prior experience in neurology, immunology, or rare disease therapeutic areas

• Demonstrated success launching new products or expanding into new therapeutic areas

• Experience with digital marketing strategies and omnichannel engagement approaches

• Track record of building organizational capabilities and developing future leaders

• Prior experience working with medical affairs and clinical development teams

• Strong analytical skills with experience using data and analytics to drive decision-making

• Established relationships within the neurology medical community

• Experience navigating complex regulatory and compliance environments in promotional and non-promotional contexts

Why Alexion?

At Alexion (AstraZeneca’s Rare Disease unit), work centres on people living with rare conditions whose journeys demand new thinking every day; this means operating at the edge of science while staying grounded in real patient stories, collaborating across disciplines to turn complex biology into transformative medicines, learning fast in an entrepreneurial environment with the backing of a global biopharma, and growing through tailored development that deepens both leadership capability and empathy for patients and communities we serve. 

If this opportunity to redefine what patient engagement can be resonates, apply now to start the conversation! 

The annual base pay for this position ranges from $231,988.80 - $347,983.20 USD Annual. Our positions offer eligibility for various incentives—an opportunity to receive short-term incentive bonuses, equity-based awards for salaried roles and commissions for sales roles. Benefits offered include qualified retirement programs, paid time off (i.e., vacation, holiday, and leaves), as well as health, dental, and vision coverage in accordance with the terms of the applicable plans.

Date Posted

Closing Date

Our mission is to build an inclusive environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees. In furtherance of that mission, we welcome and consider applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of their protected characteristics. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please complete the corresponding section in the application form.