Director, Marketing Growth Disorders - Job ID: 1897

Ascendis Pharma is a dynamic, fast-growing global biopharmaceutical company with locations in United States, Denmark, and Europe. Today, we're advancing programs in Endocrinology Rare Disease and Oncology. 

Here at Ascendis, we pride ourselves on exceptional science, visionary leadership, and skilled and passionate colleagues. 

Guided by our core values of Patients, Science, and Passion, we use our TransCon® drug development platform to fulfill our mission of developing new and potentially best-in-class therapies to address unmet medical needs. 
 
Our culture fosters a place where skilled, adaptable, and highly resourceful professionals can truly make their mark. We offer a dynamic workplace for employees to grow and develop their skills. 

 Position Summary 

The role is a portfolio lead position responsible for development and execution of US strategic and tactical marketing plans for rare conditions to help ensure that Ascendis optimizes value for the patients and providers we serve. 

We are looking for an experienced strategic leader who demonstrates marketing excellence in brand strategy, deep understanding of the marketplace, and an ability to integrate insights into impactful initiatives. This role will be responsible for marketing across a portfolio of products in rare pediatric endocrinology and will work closely with cross-functional partners. She/he will also need to be able to operate with an entrepreneurial mindset, curiosity, resourcefulness,  strong leadership, and collaboration. 

The Director partners closely with Sales, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Analytics, and Regulatory to ensure cohesive, compliant, and high-impact go-to-market approach.   This role is accountable for brand performance and executional excellence.  

The expectation is in-office three days a week at Ascendis’s Princeton, NJ location to collaborate with team members and colleagues.      

Key Responsibilities                                                                                                                

• Develop and drive the rare conditions marketing strategy aligned to brand objectives and customer insights 

• Implement initiatives that maintain a detailed understanding of key patient and provider needs with a long-range approach to brand planning 

• Lead, mentor, and develop direct reports   

• Lead the deep insight generation and analytical understanding of business drivers and performance 

• Effectively partner with all key stakeholders in the US and globally to ensure successful design and execution of brand plans and disease education  

• Lead strategic development, execution, and implementation of promotional materials and programs – both branded and unbranded.  

• Manage agency partners to ensure strategic alignment, quality, and on-time delivery.  

• Cultivate and appropriately leverage strong external relationships such as thought leaders, key customers, and patient advocacy organizations within the rare growth disorder communities 

• Closely monitor competitive activities and develop and implement strategies to proactively overcome competitive threats 

• Establish key commercial objectives and utilize KPIs to drive decision-making and measure success of marketing initiatives 

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with Medical, Regulatory, and Legal to coordinate commercial strategy 

• Effectively lead in an environment of strict compliance to all appropriate company and regulatory guidelines to successfully design and execute tactics, programs and tools that achieve business objectives 

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required, MBA or other advanced degree preferred 

•  Rare disease experience strongly preferred 

• 10+ years pharmaceutical and/or bio-technology marketing experience with demonstrated experience leading teams 

• Experience coaching and mentoring direct reports 

• Proven track record of building and scaling marketing initiatives from the ground up in fast‑moving biotech environments 

• Demonstrated entrepreneurial drive, with the capacity to experiment, iterate, and deliver results without established playbooks 

• Strong strategic planning skills with demonstrated experience generating deep customer insights in rare disease. 

• Experience leading cross-functional teams and influencing without authority.  

• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to work with high levels of ambiguity 

• Knowledge of current legal, regulatory and compliance climate 

• Ability to travel up to 25% both domestically and internationally 

Success Profile  

• The ideal candidate is a strategic, decisive, and collaborative leader who can balance long-term vision with flawless execution. They are data-driven yet creative, comfortable pushing strategy forward, and confident partnering with senior stakeholders. They bring a strong point of view, inspire teams, and hold themselves and others accountable for results.  

• The estimated salary range for this position is $220k - $235k.  Actual salary determination is dependent on a variety of factors some of which include: experience, qualifications, and geographic location.  This position may be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus or an incentive compensation plan (eligibility varies based on role and position level), discretionary stock-based long-term incentives, paid time off, and a comprehensive benefits package. 

Benefits

• 401(k) plan with company match
• Medical, dental, and vision plans
• Company-offered Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance
• Company-provided short and long-term disability benefits
• Unique offerings of Pet Insurance and Legal Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Discounts
• Professional Development
• Health Saving Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Various incentive compensation plans
• Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance  
• Mental Health resources
• Paid leave benefits for new parents

A note to recruiters:

We do not allow external search party solicitation.  Presentation of candidates without written permission from the Ascendis Pharma Inc Human Resources team (specifically from: Talent Acquisition Partner or Human Resources Director) is not allowed.  If this occurs your ownership of these candidates will not be acknowledged.