Director, Thought Leader Liaison - West

Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCUL) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the formulation, development, and commercialization of innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye using its proprietary bioresorbable hydrogel-based formulation technology, ELUTYX™. Ocular Therapeutix has built a robust product pipeline of drug delivery solutions developed to reduce the complexity and burden of the current standard of care and position itself to become a leader in the ophthalmic space.

Outside of the ophthalmic realm and behind the doors of our headquarters in Bedford, MA, we strive to build a strong culture where employees can flourish and achieve their career goals. We encourage out of the box thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and creativity.

Summary

I. Position Summary:

The Director, Thought Leader Liaison – Retina will be responsible for developing and executing engagement strategies that foster strong relationships with key stakeholders and accounts in the retina ecosystem. This role will focus on driving strategic marketing initiatives that enhance the organization’s presence and gather valuable insights. This role will help to engage and develop national, regional, and local retina thought leaders to elevate Ocular engagements, drive strategic collaborations, and ensure meaningful exchange of insights across internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

II. Principal Duties and Responsibilities include the following:

The Director, Thought Leader Liaison, must have a solid knowledge of the Retina landscape, associated accounts, practice dynamics, societies, and stakeholders. The Thought Leader Liaison is expected to be a subject matter expert on both strategic and customer engagement strategies and execution, as well as the wet AMD clinical landscape. This role requires a high degree of communication, coordination, and cross-functional collaboration.

Essential Responsibilities Include

• Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Management
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with Retina specialists, key accounts, and critical stakeholders.
• Collaborate with professional societies to uncover sponsorship opportunities and drive awareness and education.
• Represent the organization at national, regional, and local conferences, advisory boards, and strategic meetings.
• Inform and assist on advisor selection and future speaker selection/training.
• Develop an engagement plan that incorporates both congress and field interactions to increase advocacy and awareness of Ocular Therapeutix.
  
  

• Strategic Planning & Execution
• Develop and implement engagement strategies aligned with corporate objectives.
• Identify opportunities for partnerships, collaborations, and sponsorships to enhance corporate positioning.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to optimize stakeholder interactions and engagement efforts.
• Work in alignment with the commercial team to broaden the retina congress/convention strategy to extend to regional and local opportunities and representation.
• Be prepared to execute on both strategic DSE and branded initiatives in alignment with the marketing team.
  
  

• Corporate and Commercial Communications
• Collaborate closely with cross functional team members to ensure alignment in messaging and engagement activities.
• Represent Ocular at select speaking opportunities and other customer engagements.
• Lead regional advisory boards to gather insights and drive scientific exchange.
• Assist the marketing team in the identification of thought leaders to meet objectives.
  
  

• Market Insights
• Monitor trends, advancements, and competitive activities in the Retina landscape.
• Gather and synthesize insights from external stakeholders to inform strategic decision-making as well as contribute to a structured feedback process both pre and post launch.
• Provide recommendations on unmet needs, emerging opportunities, and innovative engagement approaches.
• Develop and execute a plan for regional advisory boards both pre and post launch.
  
  

• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Leadership
• Partner with medical collaborations, the Retina commercial and market access teams to ensure a cohesive engagement and insights strategy that includes congresses, advisory boards, and peer-to-peer education.
• Develop and execute a plan to gather insights and build awareness beyond current clinical investigators.
• Deliver innovative solutions and partnership to key customers and strategic accounts.
  

Requirements

III. Qualification Requirements:

• Requires a BA or BS degree.
• Strong disease state and clinical knowledge in wet AMD is preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of experience working with eye care providers and retina specialists.
• Minimum 10 years of other related pharma/biotech experience strongly preferred (e.g., Sales, Thought Leadership, Training)
• Prior experience launching buy-an-bill drugs in ophthalmology / retina preferred.
• Proven history in stakeholder engagement, KOL management, or strategic partnerships
• Strong knowledge of the retina disease landscape, treatment trends, and emerging therapies.
• Ability to lead by influence within cross-functional groups and in a matrix organization.
• Exceptional professional communications and interpersonal/critical thinking skills necessary to interact with key decision makers.
• Experience in industry conferences, scientific exchange, and advocacy engagement
• Strategic mindset with the ability to analyze data, identify trends, and drive decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to identify key access barriers and design effective resolution plans.
• Ensures compliance with all corporate and industry policies in collaboration with Legal, Medical, and Regulatory
• Desire to innovate and work in a fast-paced, energetic environment.
• Requires up to 50% domestic travel. This position will include a car allowance.
  
  

Salary Range: $250,000 USD - $260,000 USD

Ocular Therapeutix is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding nondiscrimination. Ocular Therapeutix provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or status as a veteran. For information on how Ocular Therapeutix collects, stores, and utilizes candidate information please see our privacy policy found at https://www.ocutx.com/privacy-policy/. For the Privacy Notice for California Job Applicants, please see CCPA Applicant Notice.