Associate Director, Marketing Operations

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

10d•$150,000 - $175,000

About The Position

The Associate Director, Marketing Operations (Meetings & Events) is a key member of Ionis’ Commercial Operations team, reporting to the Head of Marketing Operations. This role is responsible for shaping and advancing the strategic direction, operational excellence, and scalability of Ionis’ meetings, events, and congress capabilities in support of brand and portfolio objectives. This leader will serve as a strategic partner across Marketing, Medical Affairs, Compliance, Field Teams, Informatics, and external agencies to ensure that all engagements—ranging from speaker programs to major congresses—are insight-driven, compliant, and aligned to enterprise priorities. In addition to driving flawless execution, this role will focus on building and continuously improving the underlying processes, systems, and governance that enable high-impact, efficient, and measurable engagement strategies. The ideal candidate brings a balance of strategic thinking and operational rigor, proactively identifying opportunities to enhance effectiveness, mitigate risk, and elevate Ionis’ presence across all commercial interactions. This role offers significant cross-functional visibility (including senior leadership) and the opportunity to influence how Ionis engages with key stakeholders across its growing portfolio.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with 12+ years’ or equivalent with relevant marketing/operational experience in the biopharmaceutical industry
Demonstrable understanding of legal and regulatory environment in pharmaceutical promotions, pharmaceutical industry guidelines, and other compliance-related issues
Proven ability to manage without authority, independently lead high visibility strategic projects and translate strategies into defined resource needs, tactics, and metrics to achieve results and operational excellence
Strong project management skills: proven ability to manage multiple tasks to conclusion, within allotted timelines/deadlines, and without compromise to quality of work
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, ability to develop important relationships with key stakeholders, good conflict management and negotiation skills
Ability to travel routinely as part of role responsibilities (30% travel)

Responsibilities

Define and evolve the strategic framework for meetings, events, and congress engagement to support brand and therapeutic area objectives
Lead cross-functional coordination across Marketing, Medical Affairs, Compliance, Field Teams, Patient Advocacy, and Corporate Affairs to ensure aligned, integrated planning and execution
Influence stakeholders without direct authority and provide strategic insights and updates to senior leadership
Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure effectiveness, inform decision-making, and drive continuous improvement
Lead end-to-end planning and execution of priority congresses, ensuring a cohesive, high-impact presence aligned to cross-functional and brand objectives
Partner with key stakeholders to define congress strategy, including objectives, messaging, and engagement plans
Lead strategic planning and execution of commercial meetings (e.g., POAs, launch meetings, national meetings), ensuring alignment to business goals and high-quality delivery
Serve as the central point of contact for internal stakeholders during congresses and major events
Ensure all activities are executed in full compliance with internal policies and external regulatory requirements, including oversight of contracts, documentation, and required approvals
Proactively identify and mitigate operational risks, and drive adoption of best practices across planning and execution processes
Design and optimize Speaker Bureau strategy and operations to maximize effectiveness, compliance, and field impact and execution
Ensure appropriate targeting, utilization, and performance tracking of speaker programs and field local exhibits aligned with brand priorities
Own and enhance systems and tools (e.g., speaker and rep portals) to enable efficient program execution and user experience
Develop and maintain SOPs, training materials, and user guides to support consistent, compliant execution of speaker programs and local exhibits
Ensure all speaker-related activities adhere to legal, regulatory, and internal compliance standards, while continuously improving processes for scalability and efficiency
Oversee vendor strategy and performance across congresses, speaker programs, and meetings to ensure quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness
Manage budgets across events and programs, including forecasting, tracking, reconciliation, and reporting
Drive accountability and optimization in external partnerships