Director, US Evidence & Access Strategy – Ion

Intuitive•Sunnyvale, CA

About The Position

This role leads the US upstream clinical and economic evidence strategy for the Ion Business Unit, with a focus on generating the evidence required to unlock and scale coverage, vet and pursue traditional and innovative payment models, and secure requisite codes for new and evolving Ion-enabled procedures and technologies. You own the strategy that connects product and procedural innovation to credible clinical outcomes, health-system impact, and payer decision needs—translating that evidence into coverage-ready narratives, bespoke payment models, and implementation plans tailored to Ion’s unique value propositions. You will work closely with US Commercial, Medical Office, Product Management, Clinical Affairs, Regulatory, Clinical Development Engineering, Clinical Marketing, and Legal/Compliance.

Requirements

Advanced clinical, scientific, or health-economics degree (e.g., MD, PharmD, PhD, MPH, MSc).
10+ years of progressive experience in clinical evidence, medical affairs/clinical strategy, HEOR, reimbursement/coverage strategy, or market access for medical devices or interventional procedures in the US.
Demonstrated experience designing or leading evidence programs tied to US coverage and/or payment outcomes (commercial payers and/or Medicare/CMS/MAC).
Strong understanding of US reimbursement mechanics and evidence expectations (payer medical policy, CMS/MAC considerations, coding/payment levers), with the ability to translate innovation into coverage-ready endpoints and narratives.
Ability to communicate effectively with senior clinical leaders, payer stakeholders, and internal executives; strong writing skills for evidence packages and policy-facing materials.
Proven success leading complex, matrixed programs spanning multiple functions and external partners.

Nice To Haves

Experience in interventional pulmonology, thoracic oncology, bronchoscopy, lung nodule management, or adjacent procedural domains.
Experience supporting coding and/or CMS payment processes, including evidence strategy for submissions.
Experience with RWE/registry programs and large US data sources (claims, EMR, integrated delivery networks).
Prior people leadership and/or substantial matrix leadership responsibility.

Responsibilities

Set the US upstream evidence strategy: Define a 3–5 year US evidence roadmap for Ion upstream initiatives, tied to clear coverage, coding, payment, and adoption milestones.
Drive coverage-oriented study design: Lead design and prioritization of clinical and economic studies that answer US payer, CMS/MAC, and provider decision-maker questions, including clinical outcomes, safety, utilization, site-of-service, pathway/resource use, and budget impact.
Own "coverage-grade" evidence packages: Build cohesive evidence narratives and submission-ready materials (clinical summaries, evidence tables, economic analyses, RWE plans) to support payer medical policies, CMS/MAC discussions, and external technology assessments where applicable.
Upstream policy and pathway strategy: Partner with market access and policy teams to map and influence US pathways for new capabilities: coding strategy inputs, payment adequacy, coverage routes (commercial payers, Medicare, MAC LCDs/NCDs where relevant), and development of product-specific reimbursement models (e.g. bundled payments, episode-based models, value-based agreements). Provide the Ion-specific evidence strategy, analytics, and materials that support both traditional payment pathways and novel reimbursement frameworks.
Drive launch pricing or work with cross-functional pricing owners to align strategy to commercial tactics.
Clinical-economic translation for new procedures: Translate new procedure concepts into measurable endpoints and value drivers, ensuring relevance to US reimbursement and provider economics.
Drive commercial integration of bespoke payment models: Work with payers, health systems, and policy stakeholders to design and pilot evidence-supported reimbursement models tailored to Ion's product portfolio and pipeline, including alternative payment arrangements that capture unique clinical and economic value not addressed by traditional fee-for-service coding.
Lead payer engagement and contracting support: Direct interactions with national and regional payers to secure favorable coverage policies, formulary placement, and reimbursement terms; provide clinical and economic evidence to support contract negotiations.
Develop and execute pull-through strategies: Design and implement programs to convert coverage wins into market adoption, including provider education, reimbursement support tools, and site-of-service optimization.
Own field reimbursement enablement: Lead development of reimbursement resources, coding guidance, claims support tools, and training materials for sales teams, healthcare economics liaisons (HELs), and customer-facing staff.
Manage accounts receivable and claims optimization: Partner with revenue cycle and commercial operations to monitor denial rates, appeals processes, and payment velocity; implement interventions to improve clean claims rates and reduce reimbursement friction.
Provider economic modeling and ROI tools: Create and maintain customer-facing economic models, budget impact calculators, and ROI analyses that demonstrate financial value to hospitals, health systems, and physician practices.
Coverage gap analysis and mitigation: Continuously monitor coverage landscape, identify gaps in access, and develop tactical plans (e.g., case-by-case appeals, prior authorization support, patient assistance programs) to address barriers.
Payer medical policy monitoring and response: Track updates to commercial and Medicare policies, assess impact on business, and coordinate cross-functional responses including policy amendments, supplemental dossiers, or reconsiderations.
Customer reimbursement support infrastructure: Establish and oversee hotlines, portals, or dedicated teams that provide real-time coding, billing, and reimbursement guidance to customers and patients.
External engagement and scientific positioning: Build senior relationships with US KOLs, societies, guideline influencers, health-system leaders, and payers to shape evaluation criteria, payment model design, and adoption for emerging Ion workflows.
Identify and build collaborations (registries, RWE networks, data partnerships) to accelerate evidence generation and support novel payment pathways.
Cross-functional leadership and governance: Act as the upstream evidence and reimbursement "single-threaded leader" for US initiatives, aligning Product, Clinical, Medical, HEOR, Regulatory, and Market Access on priorities, trade-offs, and timelines; represent upstream evidence and payment strategy in governance forums and leadership reviews.
Lead vendors, budgets, and execution: Manage CROs, HEOR vendors, data partners, and consultancies. Own or co-own budgets for upstream evidence programs, focusing spend on initiatives that measurably advance coverage and adoption.
Track impact and adapt: Define and monitor KPIs (e.g., policy milestones, coverage outcomes, coding/payment progress, reimbursement model pilots, evidence-generation milestones, adoption indicators). Use payer feedback, policy updates, and competitive moves to continuously refine the roadmap.