Senior Director, Market Research and Competitive Intelligence

United Therapeutics•Rtp, NC

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

United Therapeutics (Nasdaq: UTHR) is seeking a Senior Director, Market Research & Competitive Intelligence to uncover market insights and guide strategic decisions for rare disease treatments and biotechnology innovations. This role involves blending deep analytics, strategic foresight, and executive influence to shape the future of the company's portfolio and patient care. The position is based in Durham, NC, and is currently a hybrid role requiring at least three days per week in the office, with potential for increased in-office requirements based on business needs.

Requirements

15+ years of progressive experience involving deep expertise in strategic market research, insights and analytics, and competitive intelligence with a Bachelor's Degree or 13+ years of progressive experience involving deep expertise in strategic market research, insights and analytics, and competitive intelligence with a Master's Degree.
10+ years of experience in leading market research and competitive intelligence within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology or medical device industry.
Demonstrated leadership of end-to-end primary market research (qualitative and quantitative), including study design, vendor oversight, budgeting, and executive-level insight delivery.
Proven ability to translate external market understanding into strategic influence, shaping portfolio, brand, launch, and lifecycle decisions.
Demonstrated record of serving as an objective, independent voice of insight, capable of challenging assumptions and constructively influencing senior leaders.
Demonstrated ability to lead complex strategic initiatives and drive organizational change.
Strong organizational skills, with the ability to set priorities and manage multiple projects and timelines simultaneously.
Data-driven mindset, with decisions grounded in sound analytics and continuous, rigorous study of data.
Exceptional critical thinking, problem-solving, and creative solution development skills, with high intellectual curiosity to identify non-obvious insights in ambiguous situations.
Excellent executive communication skills, with the ability to distill complex analyses into clear narratives and recommendations for commercial leadership.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree in a related field
Deep knowledge and understanding of rare diseases
Experience working with AI tools and concepts

Responsibilities

Lead the market research and competitive intelligence for all therapeutic areas and brands.
Serve as a critical thought partner to UT leadership, shaping objective, forward-looking market understanding, and driving foresight-driven decision making.
Define and lead the strategic research agenda that informs product positioning, messaging, brand planning, lifecycle management, and portfolio prioritization decisions.
Serve as an objective and proactive voice of customers, providing insight-driven support to business priorities.
Own and direct the end-to-end market research strategy across all in-line and pipeline brands, providing strategic insights leadership to commercial functions and ensuring alignment with broader business objectives.
Synthesize complex market, customer, competitive, and business intelligence inputs to provide strategic perspectives on market dynamics and their impact across business sectors.
Establish, oversee, and execute the primary market research strategy, including ATU studies, message testing, positioning, segmentation, and other critical research initiatives supporting franchise and pipeline brands.
Lead the enterprise competitive intelligence and market landscape strategy, translating insights into actionable recommendations that inform brand, portfolio, and business planning decisions ahead of key strategic milestones.
Present integrated market research findings, competitive intelligence, and strategic recommendations to Executive Leadership and senior cross-functional stakeholders to support decision-making.
Direct situation assessments, market evaluations, and competitive analyses that inform annual brand planning and longer-term business strategy.
Establish governance, policies, quality standards, and compliant practices for primary market research activities to drive consistency, rigor, and strategic value across the organization.
Partner with commercial and brand leadership to shape launch, growth, and lifecycle strategies through deep understanding of patient, healthcare provider, payer, and market dynamics.
Lead the development and application of patient and healthcare provider journey frameworks, unmet need assessments, and influence mapping to identify strategic opportunities that inform brand and portfolio strategy.
Oversee strategic relationships, contracts, and investments with primary research partners, syndicated data providers, and external vendors while maintaining accountability for research budget priorities and resource allocation.
Build and sustain strong partnerships with senior leaders across the organization, leading through influence to align stakeholders, balance competing priorities, and advance strategic initiatives that maximize the impact of the insights function.
Lead and contribute to cross-functional and interdepartmental initiatives that advance organizational objectives, strengthen decision quality, and enhance the strategic value of market insights across the enterprise.
Perform other duties as assigned.