Executive Director, Patient Services – Patient Education Field Lead

Ionis•Carlsbad, CA

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Executive Director, Patient Services — Patient Education Field Lead is a senior enterprise leadership role reporting to the Vice President, Patient Services, Trade & Distribution. This role is responsible for developing and providing the strategy, vision, and direction for Ionis’ U.S. patient education field capabilities and associated patient support programs across multiple brands and launch stages. The successful candidate will lead multiple field-based teams through subordinate directors and managers and will establish a scalable operating model, capabilities, and ways of working that deliver a differentiated, compliant, and consistent patient experience. This leader will translate enterprise patient services strategy into multi-functional objectives and field execution, partner closely with executive and senior leaders across Commercial, Market Access, Medical, Trade, Specialty Pharmacy, Reimbursement, and external partners, and may be accountable for budget, resource allocation, and functional performance associated with the patient education field organization.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
Minimum 15 years’ industry experience, including significant experience working with specialty pharmacies, hub operations, patient services providers, and field-based patient support models.
Experience building, scaling, and operationalizing enterprise or multi-brand patient services and patient education capabilities.
Demonstrated success leading large, specialty or rare-disease field-based teams through subordinate directors and managers, with a patient-centric approach and clear accountability for outcomes.
Visionary leader who has overcome complex challenges, shaped strategy, and successfully launched new capabilities or initiatives in a highly matrixed environment.
Cross-functional leader with experience building new functions and aligning multiple stakeholders around shared enterprise objectives.
Exceptional ability to influence without authority, support prioritization of resources, and drive decisions on highly visible, business-critical matters.
Deep commitment to understanding and championing the needs of patients and caregivers.
Strong understanding of the legal and regulatory environment in pharmaceutical services, pharmaceutical industry guidelines, and other compliance-related issues.
Exceptional executive communication skills and presence, with the ability to influence senior internal and external stakeholders and negotiate critical matters effectively.
Ability and willingness to travel domestically as required (up to 20%).
Results-oriented, highly organized, and self-directed, with a proven track record of strategic and operational results.

Nice To Haves

Experience using advanced technology, analytics, and data systems to drive performance, optimize operations, and measure exceptional customer experience preferred.
Experience with budget management, vendor oversight, and performance metrics strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop the long-term strategy, vision, and multi-year roadmap for Ionis’ field-based patient education capabilities and lead Patient Education Director and Manager teams to deliver patient support objectives across multiple brands.
Provide strategic leadership and direction across multiple cross-functional stakeholders, including co-commercialization partners, brand teams, Market Access, Medical, Reimbursement, Trade, and Patient Services, to shape patient education program design, priorities, and execution.
Establish and optimize the operating model, governance, and integration points between field-based patient education teams, the patient services hub, specialty pharmacy operations, and external partners to ensure aligned execution and a seamless patient experience.
Oversee the design and evolution of the end-to-end patient onboarding and treatment journey, including capabilities such as medication delivery, remote patient monitoring, adherence support, and other services that improve access, education, and persistence.
Ensure the field organization, in collaboration with reimbursement and patient services teams, supports patients, caregivers, and advocacy groups through compliant access-to-therapy, education, and support pathways.
Use field insights, market dynamics, and performance trends to influence strategy, define priorities, and align tactics with Sales, Market Access, Medical, and other customer-facing leaders in a compliant manner.
Partner with brand, marketing, and market access teams to ensure patient education strategy is embedded within broader launch, access, and customer engagement plans.
Lead the use of advanced analytics, AI, and adaptive engagement capabilities to improve decision-making, optimize field effectiveness, establish new methods of working, and elevate the patient experience.
Establish, implement, and reinforce policies, practices, controls, and standards that ensure compliant execution across the function and consistent alignment with Ionis requirements.
Provide input to executive management and partner with senior leadership to prioritize investments, capabilities, and resources required to support current and future launches.
May be accountable for budget planning, vendor oversight, resource deployment, and functional performance metrics associated with the patient education field organization.
Lead, develop, and mentor one or more functional areas through subordinate leaders, building organizational capability, succession strength, and high-performing teams.