Forecasting Lead, Rare Disease

Ipsen•Cambridge, MA

About The Position

Reporting to the Head of North America Forecasting, the Forecasting Lead, Rare Disease will play a key support role in developing and communicating global forecasts across Ipsen’s Rare Disease Franchise in North America. The Lead will oversee budget management and forecasting, manage strategic initiatives, perform data analysis and oversee critical internal/external partnerships. The Lead will liaise with key stakeholders in marketing, finance, and market access to ensure cross-functional alignment on forecasting assumptions and inputs. The Lead will ensure and prepare monthly forecasting analysis to review with the cross functional US team. In addition, the Lead will collaborate with project and department leaders to manage budgets on an on-going basis and will prepare analysis and present forecast results at key planning sessions such as budget planning, current year planning, and 5 Year plan. The Lead will possess a strong combination of technical, problem solving, communication, and interpersonal skills. This individual will optimize existing models, collaborate with the Global Forecasting COE to share best practices in forecasting and be able to partner with US New Product Planning on Business Development Commercial Assessments.

Requirements

BA/BS in a quantitative or related field is required
8+ years of pharmaceutical and life sciences experience preferred
5+ years of experience in forecasting, market research, finance and competitive intelligence preferred, ideally with exposure to rare disease
Experience with segmenting by lines
Strong presentation skills with ability to distil a lot of information and summarize for presentation to Senior Leadership.
Advanced skills in the creation of financial models for sales unit forecasts
Understanding of relevant data sets (claims, national/subnational IMS, patient services, etc.), ideally IQVIA and/or Komodo Health data sets
Deep knowledge of cost accounting and budget management strategy
Demonstrated success using research to drive insights and strategic implications that lead to business decisions
Ability to transition easily from technical research to practical business considerations
Ability to anticipate internal and / or external business challenges and recommend process, product, or service improvements
High degree of creativity and innovation in developing new approaches, processes and methodologies
Ability to effectively perform all functions in adherence with legal, compliance and regulatory guidelines in the pharmaceutical industry
Excellent analytical skills—ability to translate disparate and sometimes ambiguous data sets into actionable insights and recommendations
Advanced knowledge of Excel, PowerPoint and Microsoft Word; working knowledge of business intelligence and predictive modeling tools, such as SAS and Spotfire
Superior ability to work in a self-directed manner while balancing a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities and competing demands
Advanced oral and written communication, interpersonal, public relations, facilitation, management, decision making, collaboration, and organizational skills
Ability to advise senior-level executives and coach teammates on applying listening, problem definition, problem solving, hypothesis generation, data analysis, insights generation, insight application, and presentation skills

Nice To Haves

MBA or MS in a related field and/or CPA is preferred

Responsibilities

Develop commercial sales unit forecasts taking into consideration supply chan inventory fluctuation and non-demand related adjustments to the unit-based forecast
Refresh models with latest actuals at the product or patient level as they become available
Assess existing forecast models across franchise, and prioritize areas for improvement
Design and build improved tools (with or without support from vendors) to meet customized needs of each franchise
Demonstrate comfort with various types of sales audit, patient hub, and specialty pharmacy data
Work with New Product Planning and Global Forecasting on Business Development Commercial Assessments.
Work closely with franchise teams and other stakeholders to incorporate latest thinking in forecast assumptions such as launch timing, patent expiry, and competitive entry
Collect forecasting inputs, elaborate on forecasting assumptions and facilitate the cross-functional forecasting process
Determine short-term and long-term forecasts for inline and pipeline products to determine mid-term planning and product valuations
Oversee a repository of product forecasts and help create simple, standardized output tools for fast, clear communication to stakeholders
Engage in official forecast readouts with senior management
Respond to ad hoc scenario requests related to business development and other strategic initiatives
Deliver effective presentations of findings and recommendations to multiple levels of leadership, creating visual displays of quantitative information
Collaborate with and influence internal stakeholders to process and prioritize new insights and analytics requests, provide feedback on vendor performance, and review data quality assurance policies and procedures