Forecasting Lead, Rare Diseases

Ipsen•Cambridge, MA

About The Position

Reporting to the Senior Director, Forecasting, the Director, Forecasting, 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 ongoing 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

Bachelor’s degree
10 years of forecasting experience
Advanced skills in the creation of financial models for sales unit forecasts
Advanced knowledge of Excel, PowerPoint and Microsoft Word; working knowledge of business intelligence and predictive modelling tools
Understanding of relevant data sets (claims, national/subnational IMS, patient services, etc.), ideally IQVIA and/or Komodo Health data sets
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
Ability to effectively perform all functions in adherence with legal, compliance and regulatory guidelines in the pharmaceutical industry
Superior ability to work in a self-directed manner while balancing a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities and competing demands

Nice To Haves

Doctorate degree and 8 years of forecasting
Master’s degree and 12 years of forecasting experience
Demonstrated ability to quickly establish credibility and influence senior leadership, effectively communicating complex concepts and insights to drive strategic decision-making
Business acumen and experience partnering with business leaders to deliver high-quality predictions and insights to maximize commercial success
Oral, written and presentation skills, articulating complex concepts clearly and compellingly to diverse audiences, including senior management and cross functional stakeholders
Excellent analytical skills—ability to translate disparate and sometimes ambiguous data sets into actionable insights and recommendations
High degree of creativity and innovation in developing new approaches, processes and methodologies

Responsibilities

Lead forecasting efforts for the US Rare franchise, develop data driven, transparent and defendable revenue valuations
Partner with Finance to co-lead the annual commercial revenue forecast process, as well as short term forecasting and business reviews for the Rare franchise
Partner closely with US commercial leaders to understand market dynamics, identify emerging trends, and anticipate future opportunities and challenges for assigned products
Serve as a catalyst for critical and strategic thinking within the forecasting team and cross-functional partners, rigorously pressure test and debate assumptions to ensure the forecasts’ accuracy and reliability
Demonstrate a strong understanding of both commercial and clinical drivers of demand, enabling a holistic view of treatment decisions and market evolution beyond historical trends.
Liaise with Global Forecasting and New product planning to provide US specific input into BD and pipeline / LCM commercial assessments
Take a proactive approach to identify and address potential secondary data issues that could impact forecasts and our collective understanding of the business landscape
Stay ahead of industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies in forecasting, analytics and market research to drive innovation and elevate forecasting capabilities
Proactively identify opportunities to leverage innovative technologies and methodologies to improve forecasting accuracy and efficiency
Provide strategic leadership and deep technical skills to design robust methodologies, integrate real-world evidence, and align assumptions with commercial and finance strategies - capabilities beyond the current AD level
Significantly reduce and eventually eliminate reliance on vendors – we’ve spent significantly on Viscadia, driven largely by Rare TA requests.
Provide strategic support to the new product planning lead and liaise with Global NPP to deliver US-specific input for BD activities.