Senior Director, New Product Planning

Position Summary:

We seek a dynamic and experienced commercial professional to maintain and enhance the commercial vision for verekitug. This position will report directly to the Chief Business Officer and have regular interaction with the Upstream’s functional leaders and Executive Team

The successful candidate will have had prior experience in a Pharma or Biotech New Product Planning function, or similar, working closely with program teams and function to develop a detailed understanding of biology, patients, physician, regulatory, payors and competitive dynamics to generate program strategies and plans. The position serves as the primary commercial representative on governance committees translating scientific, clinical and market insights into clear strategies. This candidate requires deep experience in market research and vendor management. The role requires a candidate who will cultivate a comprehensive understanding of the clinical indications under exploration. This encompasses proficiency in patient needs, trial designs, regulatory pathways, market opportunities, and a nuanced awareness of the competitive landscape within the field.

To excel in this vibrant, patient-focused atmosphere, the candidate must showcase a strong inclination and capability to navigate the intricacies of a small and fast-paced setting. This entails not only adapting seamlessly to evolving needs but also embracing an innovative problem-solving approach, both of which are crucial for success in this role. The ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and verbally, is critical for effectively representing the commercial opportunities for verekitug to both internal and external stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

• Establish and maintain a process for cross-functional strategic new product planning with a focus on developing a disease roadmap for verekitug, including disease sequencing and product lifecycle strategy
• Collaborate with internal cross-functional teams to establish and maintain Target Product Profiles, identifying key clinical evidence necessary to maximize the value of verekitug for patients
• Maintain strategic forecast model, update periodically with new assumptions, and effectively communicate outputs to Executive Team and other relevant audiences
• Inform broad competitive intelligence activities, attend conferences, and assess databases to provide real-time updates to leadership team and internal stakeholders
• Conduct primary and secondary market research and engage with key opinion leaders and advisory boards to understand disease epidemiology, market environment, patient segmentation, patient journey, key competitors' strategy and activities, and customers' needs
• Effectively manage and collaborate with vendors to ensure deliverables are timely, high quality, and address relevant business questions
• Lead generation of program and market assumptions for market sizing and revenue forecasting
• Provide detailed analysis and recommendations to program and executive teams to aid strategic and tactical decision making, ensuring they are informed by clinical data, market access landscape, competitive environment, unmet needs and customer insights

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in science or business required, MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred
• 10 years of experience in life science focused management consulting and/or new product planning in the pharmaceutical or biotech industry, with at least 3 years in a senior individual contributor or people leadership role
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders without direct authority
• Expert-level primary and secondary market research experience required
• Experience in pre-launch strategy required; Launch experience strongly preferred
• Experience in immunology/inflammation indications highly desirable
• Exceptional project management and stakeholder management skills; proven ability to manage multiple high-priority workstreams simultaneously
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills, with demonstrated experience presenting to executive leadership and external partners
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to foster a collaborative, high-energy team culture and drive programs to successful outcomes

About Upstream Bio:

Upstream Bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company, based in Waltham, MA, developing treatments for inflammatory diseases, with an initial focus on severe respiratory disorders. The Company is developing verekitug, the only known antagonist currently in clinical development that targets the receptor for thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a cytokine which is a clinically validated driver of inflammatory response positioned upstream of multiple signaling cascades that affect a variety of immune mediated diseases. The Company has evaluated this highly potent monoclonal antibody in separate Phase 2 trials for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), severe asthma, and an ongoing Phase 2 trial in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Upstream Bio’s team is committed to maximizing verekitug’s unique attributes to address the substantial unmet needs for patients underserved by today’s standard of care. To learn more, please visit www.upstreambio.com.

Compensation

Target Salary Range: $ 262,062 – 320,298

*Base Compensation for this role will depend on a number of factors including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. 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.