Senior Director, Patient Services, Rare Diseases

Ipsen•Cambridge, MA

About The Position

The Senior Director, Patient Services, Rare Disease is responsible for leading the strategy, execution, and continuous improvement of patient support programs within Ipsen’s Rare Disease portfolio. This role ensures that all Rare Disease patient services operate with excellence, are fully aligned to brand and access priorities, and meet the unique needs of patients and caregivers navigating complex, high‑burden, low‑prevalence conditions. The Sr. Director oversees the day‑to‑day management and optimization of Rare Disease patient service offerings—including leading the Director of Patient Access Managers, the Director of Patient Education Liaisons, the Rare Disease external hub operations, and our Patient Assistance and Co‑Pay programs. This leader ensures all Rare Disease services are integrated, compliant, and designed to reduce barriers to therapy initiation and adherence. This role partners closely with Rare Disease Brand teams, Field Access, Field Leadership, and cross‑functional stakeholders to support national execution plans that improve patient access and streamline provider interactions. The Sr. Director brings forward insights from operations, payers, and patient touchpoints to proactively shape strategy, elevate the patient experience, and respond to evolving market and policy dynamics affecting Rare Disease access pathways. The Sr. Director maintains deep expertise in the Rare Disease ecosystem, including reimbursement challenges, competitive programs, site‑of‑care considerations, and caregiver support needs. This role plays a critical part in ensuring that Ipsen delivers best‑in‑industry patient support designed for the complexity and urgency inherent in Rare Disease treatment journeys.

Requirements

15+ years of relevant experience, including 12+ years of progressive leadership experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or healthcare industry with deep expertise in patient access, support services, and operational excellence.
8+ years of leadership overseeing enterprise patient support (hub) programs, including strategic design, implementation, operational optimization, and governance of performance and service delivery.
Extensive experience leading and managing external vendors and strategic service partners, driving accountability, service quality, performance management, and continuous improvement across outsourced operations.
Proven success collaborating with field reimbursement, market access, and commercial teams to enhance patient access, streamline provider engagement, and support product adoption.
Deep expertise in patient services operations, including strict adherence to HIPAA, regulatory requirements, compliance frameworks, and patient privacy standards.
Comprehensive knowledge of reimbursement and access pathways, including benefits verification, prior authorization, co-pay programs, Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial payer dynamics.
Strong understanding of life sciences compliance, quality standards, monitoring practices, and internal audit expectations within patient support environments.
Demonstrated ability to solve complex operational challenges, drive process innovation, and implement scalable patient-centric solutions that improve access and experience.
Executive-level communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence senior leadership, represent the function across the enterprise, and communicate effectively in high-visibility forums.
Advanced proficiency with patient services technologies, including CRM platforms, digital engagement tools, operational systems, and data analytics used to optimize patient support ecosystems.
Proven track record of consistently achieving or exceeding operational, quality, and experience-based performance metrics.
Bachelor’s degree in health sciences or a related field required.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated success building and leading high-performing teams within complex, fast-paced environments while effectively prioritizing competing initiatives.
Strong ability to synthesize and interpret complex data sets (operational, financial, CRM, and patient insights) to inform strategy and guide business decisions.
Proven capability to deliver compelling executive-level presentations, influence cross-functional stakeholders, and drive alignment across commercial, medical, market access, and compliance teams.
Highly adaptable and strategic leader capable of navigating evolving business priorities, portfolio expansion, and dynamic payer and regulatory environments.
Deep awareness of industry trends, patient experience innovation, emerging CRM technologies, and evolving pharmaceutical access models.
Experience applying advanced analytics, forecasting, segmentation, or predictive modelling to inform patient services strategy and operational planning.
Disciplined approach to program and project management, with clear visibility into progress, risks, mitigation strategies, and cross-functional dependencies.
Skilled at translating operational and patient insights into actionable strategies, training programs, and scalable best practices across teams and partners.
High learning agility and strategic curiosity, with the ability to rapidly absorb new information and translate insights into program improvements and organizational capability building.
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple national-level priorities simultaneously, maintaining focus on service excellence, patient outcomes, and business performance.
Master’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Contribute to the development and lead the execution of Rare Disease–specific patient services strategies that enhance access, adherence, and patient/caregiver experience, ensuring alignment with brand plans and Patient Services enterprise direction.
Oversee Rare Disease patient support operations—including external hub performance, Rare Disease Patient Access Teams, and Rare Disease Patient Education Liaisons—to ensure consistent, high‑quality service delivery tailored to complex patient journeys.
Translate the enterprise Patient Services vision into Specialty/Rare Disease operational plans, ensuring fit‑for‑purpose solutions that reflect the unique needs of low‑prevalence conditions and specialized sites of care.
Manage day‑to‑day Rare Disease patient service programs, ensuring operational excellence, efficient processes, and timely issue resolution across hubs, case management, reimbursement support, and affordability solutions.
Implement scalable improvements and innovation within Rare Disease support offerings (e.g., streamlined benefit verification, advanced case management models, enhanced caregiver resources) to reduce barriers and accelerate time‑to‑therapy.
Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to ensure Rare Disease service offerings remain compliant, patient‑centric, and optimized for evolving market, payer, and policy dynamics.
Partner closely with Rare Disease Brand, Field Access, Commercial, Medical, Legal, and Compliance teams to integrate patient service strategies with broader therapeutic area and corporate priorities.
Provide Rare Disease insights and recommendations to influence brand planning, access strategies, and field execution, ensuring that patient services are embedded in overall business strategy.
Lead the execution and monitoring of Rare Disease affordability programs—including copay, patient assistance, and other financial support options—ensuring appropriate use, compliance rigor, and alignment with market dynamics.
Work with Compliance, Legal, and Regulatory to proactively identify and mitigate risks unique to high‑cost specialty therapies.
Track Rare Disease program KPIs and collaborate on dashboard development to monitor hub performance, access bottlenecks, case progression, time‑to‑therapy, and patient experience metrics.
Leverage hub analytics, patient insights, field feedback, and payer trend data to identify opportunities for enhancements and inform strategic recommendations.
Evaluate vendor performance and ensure contractual commitments meet Rare Disease program needs and expectations.
Lead and develop a high‑performing team supporting Rare Disease patient services, providing coaching, performance management, and career development opportunities.
Foster a culture of accountability, cross‑functional partnership, and deep patient centricity in support of complex Rare Disease populations.
Ensure Rare Disease patient services operations adhere to all legal, regulatory, and corporate policies, including privacy, affordability program rules, and reimbursement guidelines.
Stay abreast of Rare Disease market trends, access barriers, competitive program benchmarks, and policy changes to inform continuous evolution of service strategies.