Associate Director, Thought Leader Liaison
About The Position
At Day One, we are focused on advancing first- or best-in-class medicines for childhood and adult diseases with equal intensity. We were founded to address the lack of new therapies resulting from the traditional drug development model, that has left children with cancer and their families waiting too long for new, life-changing treatments. Our aim is to accelerate better, targeted treatments so patients of any age can look forward from ‘day one’ to the future they’ve envisioned. POSITION SUMMARY: The Associate Director, Thought Leader Liaison is a strategic, field-based commercial role responsible for building trusted relationships with key opinion leaders and driving the execution of the organization’s thought leader and regional marketing strategy. This position reports to the Director, HCP and KOL Marketing and plays a critical role in connecting field insights to brand strategy, ensuring scientific credibility in customer engagements, and fostering advocacy through peer-to-peer education and regional initiatives. The ideal candidate brings deep clinical knowledge, commercial acumen, customer skills, and a collaborative mindset to bridge brand strategy with field execution. This position will require 60-75% travel, including attendance at national and regional meetings, congresses, and customer engagements
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MS, PharmD, or equivalent) preferred.
- 8+ years of biotech or pharmaceutical industry experience, including at least 5 years in a customer-facing or marketing role (e.g., Sales, MSL, KOL Management, Field Marketing/TLL).
- Strong understanding of the U.S. healthcare landscape and experience engaging with thought leaders in specialty therapeutic areas.
- Proven ability to build and sustain trusted professional relationships.
- Strong collaboration and communication skills with demonstrated cross-functional leadership.
- Experience developing and executing thought leader engagement or regional marketing strategies.
- Strong clinical and scientific acumen.
- Excellent presentation, communication, and storytelling abilities.
- Deep understanding of compliance and regulatory frameworks governing HCP engagement.
- Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
Responsibilities
- Thought Leader Engagement & Advocacy Identify, cultivate, and maintain professional relationships with national, regional, and emerging KOLs and other key stakeholders.
- Assess where customers are in their engagement and advocacy journey and deploy tactics to deepen engagement and advocacy Identify and secure KOLs for key projects and initiatives.
- Conduct 1:1 and small-group engagements to strengthen advocacy and enhance understanding of the disease area and product data.
- Collaborate with the thought leader strategy lead and other cross-functional teams to develop/update KOL strategy and engagement plans
- Insights Generation & Market Intelligence Gather and share actionable insights from KOL interactions to inform brand strategy and execution.
- Identify and monitor emerging trends, sentiment shifts, and competitive activity, ensuring timely communication to the broader commercial organization.
- Stay current on data readouts, congress presentations, and scientific developments to support informed KOL discussions.
- Regional Marketing & Cross-Functional Collaboration Translate national brand strategy into actionable regional marketing plans including key account strategy and plans that address regional opportunities and barriers.
- Lead regional cross-functional initiatives in collaboration with Sales, Medical Affairs, and other cross functional partners in a compliant manner.
- Partner with sales and medical leadership teams and field teams to ensure strategic alignment across KOLs, accounts and customer segments.
- Act as a collaborative, field-based marketing partner to Sales and Medical, supporting account access and relationship development, especially in hard-to-reach or strategically important accountsIdentify and facilitate educational and partnership opportunities with professional societies and centers of excellence.
- Peer-to-Peer Education & Speaker Programs Lead compliant execution of regional speaker programs and P2P educational events.
- Provide ongoing coaching and feedback to ensure message consistency and speaker excellence.
- Partner with field teams to identify, vet, and contract qualified speakers based on regional needs.
- Collaborate with regional business directors to plan and execute programs aligned with educational priorities.
- Congress Planning & External Engagement Lead thought leader engagement planning and execution at key national and regional congresses.
- Coordinate on-site KOL meetings, non-CME educational events, and customer receptions in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
- Partner across Sales, Medical Affairs, and cross-functional teams to ensure coordinated and compliant external engagement.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
