Market Research & Insights Manager

Commercial Operations

Cambridge, MA

ID: 26A-04

Full-Time/Regular

This position is currently based in our Cambridge, MA office. Please note that our offices will be relocating to Waltham, MA later this year, and this role will transition accordingly. We follow a flexible, “magnet not mandate” approach to in-office work, encouraging collaboration and onsite engagement while supporting hybrid flexibility based on role and business needs.

Nearly 37 million Americans are currently affected by Chronic Kidney Disease. 37 million.

At Akebia we take that number very seriously and every day we come to work, with the purpose of bettering the lives of each person impacted by kidney disease and the renal community that serves them.

Our tenacious, passionate employees’ challenge the status quo and work to develop unique therapeutics that have the potential to set new standards of care for people living with kidney disease.

This is life-changing work, and we are all in, are you?

Job Summary

The responsibilities of this role will be divided between Market Research (25%) and Commercial Insights (75%). From a Market Research perspective, this role is responsible for designing, executing, and synthesizing primary and secondary research to support brand strategy, pipeline planning, customer understanding, and overall commercial performance. From an insight’s perspective, this role will lead the generation of actionable insights and creating reports and outputs that guide strategic decision-making across the commercial organization. The ideal candidate blends strong analytical capability with storytelling skills and knowledge of the Healthcare ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

Primary & Secondary Market Research

• Design and manage qualitative and quantitative primary research studies (HCPs, patients, payers).
• Lead vendor selection, study scoping, fieldwork oversight, analysis, and results synthesis.
• Leverage secondary data sources (IQVIA, claims data, epidemiology reports) to inform market landscapes and opportunity assessments.
• Conduct competitive intelligence and track competitor activities, product performance, and market dynamics.
  
  

Insight Generation & Strategic Recommendations

• Translate data into clear, actionable insights for commercial leadership and cross-functional partners.
• Extracting insights and reporting through reporting platform
• The ability to synthesize / analyze large data sets and translate into meaningful insights for both Field Based and Home Office-based commercial colleagues.
• Provide research-backed recommendations and insights for brand planning, product positioning, customer segmentation and promotional effectiveness
• Provide analytics and operational readiness for targeting, segmentation, and promotional effectiveness.
• Identify unmet needs and monitor evolving customer preferences to shape strategic decisions.
  
  

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Marketing, Market Access, Commercial Operations and Medical Affairs to align research priorities with business objectives.
• Provide insights to support Marketing, promotional development, patient journey mapping, and value proposition refinement
  
  

Vendor & Project Management

• Manage research agencies, negotiate proposals, and ensure high-quality deliverables.
• Oversee research budgets and timelines across multiple ongoing projects.
• Maintain documentation and ensure all research meets compliance and regulatory standards
  
  

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree required
• 5 years’ experience in Life Sciences Industry, Dialysis knowledge preferred
• Experience working directly with Field Sales teams
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong presentation abilities to bring insights to senior leadership in an informative way
• Deep understanding of pharma specific commercial and patient level data sets (e.g., sales and claims data)
• Experience with reporting platform, preferably Tableau or similar BI tools
• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen
• Strong project and vendor management
• Highly collaborative and able to influence cross-functionally
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment
  
  

Compensation

Targeted Base: $143,908 - $177,769*

• Base Compensation for this role will depend on a number of factors including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience, and may fall outside of the range shown. Base pay is only one component of the company’s total rewards package, all regular employees are also eligible for the corporate bonus program or the incentive compensation program (if applicable), as well as equity. Additional benefits include health care, vision, dental, retirement, PTO, etc.
  
  

Are you an Akebian?

An Akebian is curious, empathetic, and values making connections to people and ideas. Akebian’s aren’t afraid of diving in and owning a process or a problem, because we all want to deliver a great solution. Akebian’s believe that we are better together because we are all working toward a common purpose – to better the life of each person impacted by kidney disease. Want to learn more about what it means to be an Akebian? Visit our website: www.akebia.com

Akebia is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all job applicants. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.