Executive Director, Disease Area Strategy Lead, Obesity and Related Conditions

Role Description

Join Amgen’s Mission of Serving Patients. As we increase our investment in discovery research and early pipeline development, this role is critical to drive commercial strategy at the earliest stages of innovation. This position requires a leader who understands the intersection of science, strategy, and commercial execution—ensuring that Amgen’s early-stage investments are positioned for long-term success. The Executive Director (ED), Disease Areas Strategy Lead (DASL) for OaR will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Amgen’s portfolio by providing commercial insights into early-stage research, pipeline programs, and external business development opportunities.

In this role you will be responsible for the following:

• Partnering with Senior Leadership to define Amgen’s early pipeline commercial strategy to ensure investments in research and early development align with long-term business objectives and patient needs within OaR.
• Partnering closely with R&D, global marketing, and corporate development teams to assess external innovation and business development opportunities, ensuring alignment with Amgen’s portfolio strategy.
• Supporting portfolio investment decisions in coordination with the Enterprise Portfolio Governance function.
• Developing commercial frameworks and business cases to inform progression decisions for early-stage assets, integrating insights from market dynamics, patient needs, and competitive intelligence.
• Building a best-in-class commercial function for early pipeline strategy, ensuring Amgen maintains a leadership position in bringing first-in-class and best-in-class therapies to market.

Key activities and accountabilities include the following:

• Early Pipeline Strategy & Portfolio Prioritization:
• Leverages frameworks for evaluating and prioritizing early-stage assets.
• Assess commercial viability and differentiation of assets in early development, ensuring alignment with evolving market needs and payer landscapes.
• Shape long-term portfolio strategy in collaboration with R&D, finance, and business development teams.
• Commercial Partnership with Research & Early Development:
• Provide commercial input to research-stage investment decisions, ensuring a clear path to differentiated and commercially viable products.
• Collaborate with R&D to develop target product profiles (TPPs) that reflect strong commercial positioning.
• Business development & External Innovation:
• Partner with Amgen’s Business Development team to evaluate in-licensing, partnerships, and acquisitions for early-stage assets.
• Conduct commercial due diligence on external opportunities, integrating scientific innovation with market insights.
• Leadership & Team Development:
• Lead the cross functional Therapy Area Strategy group focused on early pipeline and business development.
• Establish strong cross-functional partnerships with R&D, corporate strategy, finance, and global marketing teams.
• Enterprise Portfolio Governance & Investment Strategy:
• Play a key role in the Portfolio Governance process, ensuring that commercial insights drive R&D investment decisions.
• Align early-stage investments with Amgen’s strategic growth objectives and therapeutic area priorities.

Qualifications

• Doctorate degree & 6 years of commercial experience OR
• Master’s degree & 10 years of commercial experience OR
• Bachelor’s degree & 12 years of commercial experience AND
• 6 years of managerial experience directly managing people and/or leadership experience leading teams, projects, programs or directing the allocation of resources.

Requirements

• A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience either via a scientific degree or position held in a scientific field.
• Master of Business Administration.
• MD or PhD in a life sciences-related field (e.g., molecular biology, immunology, pharmacology).
• 12+ years of commercial experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with time spent in marketing, commercial strategy, and/or pipeline development.
• Experience in management consulting (McKinsey, Bain, BCG) focused on strategy, commercial development, and business development in the life sciences industry.
• Experience in commercial development for pipeline assets, including product positioning, market assessment, and competitive analysis.
• Experience in business development, including due diligence and partnership evaluations.
• Experience working in cross-functional leadership roles across commercial and R&D teams.
• Experience in enterprise portfolio strategy, including investment decision-making and pipeline prioritization.
• Executive leadership and people management skills with a proven ability to develop and mentor high-performing teams.
• Prior biopharmaceutical leadership experience overseeing commercial strategy, commercial development, and marketing functions.
• Knowledge of global biopharma market dynamics, payer trends, and competitive landscapes.
• Experience engaging with executive leadership and board-level stakeholders on commercial and R&D investment decisions.
• Analytical, financial, and strategic thinking skills with the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights.

Benefits

• Comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts.
• A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales-based incentive plan.
• Stock-based long-term incentives.
• Award-winning time-off plans and bi-annual company-wide shutdowns.
• Flexible work models where possible.