Head Of R D Jobs in Durham, NC (NOW HIRING)

About the Role 

Azurity Pharmaceuticals is a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company focused on innovative products that meet the needs of underserved patients. Within the Surgical Business Unit - our hospital-focused, targeted-delivery specialty business - we are preparing to launch D-PLEX100, a locally administered, extended-release surgical anti-infective for the prevention of surgical site infection. 

We are seeking a Head of Marketing (Senior Director) to own US brand strategy and launch for D-PLEX100. Reporting to the VP, NA Commercial Brand Executive for Oncology, this individual is the US marketing lead for the asset - responsible for brand strategy, positioning, launch planning and readiness, and in-line execution across the hospital and surgical setting. D-PLEX100 is an inpatient, DRG-reimbursed product whose adoption is governed at the account level by institutional Pharmacy & Therapeutics (P&T) committees; success depends on winning formulary approval and building protocol-level demand, not on individual prescribing alone. The role leads a small brand team, directs external agencies, and partners closely with Market Access/HEOR, Medical Affairs, Sales, Regulatory, and Program Management to bring a differentiated, reimbursement-dependent hospital product to market. 

This role has two direct reports - a Director, Brand Marketing (primarily, but not limited to, in-line HCP marketing execution and campaign/agency management) and a Senior Manager, Brand Marketing - Institutional (primarily, but not limited to, institutional and account-facing materials, congress and KOL logistics)  

The ideal candidate brings a minimum of 12 years in pharmaceutical or biotech, including at least 6 years of US marketing experience working with DRG-reimbursed hospital, surgical, and/or anti-infective products, and prior people-management experience. This is a US-focused role in a fast-paced, launch-stage environment that rewards a hands-on, collaborative leader. 

Key Responsibilities 

Brand Strategy & Execution 

• Own US brand strategy for D-PLEX100 - positioning, value proposition, messaging, and the integrated marketing plan - aligned to corporate and commercial objectives and to the DRG/NTAP reimbursement pathway. 

• Develop and execute the launch and in-line marketing plan for the hospital and surgical setting, ensuring timely development, medical/legal/regulatory review, production, and deployment of campaigns and materials. 

• Monitor brand performance, KPIs, and market dynamics - including P&T and formulary access, protocol adoption, and account-level uptake - to optimize strategy and inform tactical pivots. 

• Commission and interpret primary and secondary market research to build surgeon, pharmacy, and institutional insight and to inform brand strategy. 

Institutional Access & P&T Strategy 

• Build the account-level adoption strategy for a P&T-governed product: the formulary value story, P&T submission tools, and pull-through plan that move D-PLEX100 from approval to protocol inclusion at target institutions. 
• Partner with Market Access/HEOR and Contracting to align the brand on pricing, coding, DRG economics, and inpatient add-on payment (NTAP) dynamics, so the value proposition speaks to the hospital budget-holder, not only the clinician. 
• Equip the field and account teams to engage pharmacy directors, infection-prevention and antimicrobial-stewardship leads, surgeons, and value-analysis committees with a consistent, compliant institutional value story. 

Launch Planning & Readiness 

• Lead cross-functional US launch readiness for D-PLEX100 and subsequent indications, partnering with Program Management on the integrated launch plan and readiness gates. 
• Build US launch timelines, field execution strategy, and training and promotional materials, sequenced to regulatory approval and the reimbursement and coding milestones that gate the commercial model. 
• Ensure demand generation and access readiness (formulary tools, P&T submissions, coding support) are sequenced together so uptake is not gated by avoidable access gaps. 
• Partner with Medical Affairs, Regulatory, and external agencies to deliver high-quality, compliant promotional and educational content. 

Portfolio & Lifecycle Management 

• Manage D-PLEX100 across its lifecycle stages (pre-launch, launch, growth), prioritizing and allocating budget across tactics to maximize impact and return. 
• Support indication-expansion planning by developing positioning and demand-generation strategy for new surgical settings as they advance. 
• Continually assess the competitive and standard-of-care landscape - including infection-prevention bundles and protocol inertia - and revise strategy accordingly. 
• Work with sales training, commercial partners, and medical and legal teams to develop and implement commercial training for the franchise. 

Team Leadership 

• Hire, develop, and lead two direct reports (Director, Brand Marketing; Senior Manager, Brand Marketing - Institutional), setting objectives, allocating work across the brand plan, and building marketing capability on the franchise. 
• Provide day-to-day direction and coaching, manage performance, and ensure the team delivers compliant, on-time, on-strategy execution. 

Stakeholder & Team Collaboration 

• Serve as the key liaison between marketing and the hospital field force, driving alignment on strategy and messaging. 
• Engage surgeon and pharmacy KOLs and institutional decision-makers to gather insight and inform brand planning and positioning. 
• Collaborate with external partners, agencies, and vendors to develop omnichannel campaigns tailored to hospital and surgical audiences. 
• Coordinate with the licensor/alliance interface, via Program Management, on brand-relevant deliverables and evidence needs. 

Measures of Success 

• Launch readiness: brand launch gates are met to defined criteria and on schedule, with promotional and training materials approved and field-ready at launch. 
• Formulary access: target-account P&T submissions and formulary wins track to plan, converting approval into protocol-level adoption. 
• Brand performance: awareness, protocol adoption, formulary access, and account-level uptake track to or ahead of established brand goals. 
• Execution quality: campaigns and materials clear medical/legal/regulatory review on time and sustain compliant, consistent brand messaging in-market. 
• Team: both direct reports are hired, ramped, and delivering to objectives, with clear development plans in place. 

Required Skills and Experience 

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Life Sciences, Business, or a related field required; MBA or advanced degree preferred. 
• 12+ years in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry, including 6+ years of US in-line marketing and launch experience. 
• Experience marketing DRG-reimbursed inpatient or hospital-administered products where institutional P&T / formulary access governs adoption. 
• Prior people-management experience, with a track record of hiring, developing, and leading marketing talent. 
• Proven ownership of brand strategy and launch for one or more products, including positioning, integrated planning, and cross-functional execution. 
• Proven ability to manage multiple brands or indications simultaneously in a fast-paced, evolving organization, with a hands-on, collaborative approach. 
• Strong cross-functional leadership and communication skills, including the ability to align a field force and external agencies around a single brand strategy. 
• Experience partnering with Market Access/HEOR, Medical Affairs, Sales, and Regulatory on compliant promotional and educational content. 
• Willingness to travel ~20-30% (including conferences, sales meetings, and field rides). 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Hospital anti-infective, surgical, or other inpatient buy-and-bill product experience strongly preferred. 
• Direct experience building P&T / formulary access strategy and pull-through for an institutionally governed product. 
• Familiarity with inpatient reimbursement and coding dynamics (MS-DRG, new technology add-on payment / NTAP, HCPCS/J-code strategy) and antimicrobial-stewardship / infection-prevention stakeholders. 
• Launch experience with an in-licensed or newly acquired asset. 
• Drug-device combination or novel-delivery product marketing experience.

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