Sr. Director/Executive Director, Strategic Accounts

Achieve Life Sciences•Bothell, WA

2d•$260,000 - $310,000•Remote

About The Position

The Sr. Director or Executive Director, Strategic Accounts is a senior national leader responsible for designing, building, and scaling Achieve Life Science's Strategic Account team — a field team of Strategic Account Directors (SADs) calling on targeted strategic accounts, which include Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs), Academic Medical Centers (AMCs), Federal healthcare systems (VA/DoD), and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). This individual will establish the strategic vision, account targeting strategy, operating model, ways of working, and performance standards for the Strategic Account function. They will lead, coach, and develop a team of regionally deployed SADs who are responsible for driving health system/organizational access, adoption, EHR integration, and expanded cytisinicline utilization in appropriate and indicated patients across their accounts. This individual and their team of SADs will engage C- and D-suite leaders and health system executives on behalf of Achieve, while also orchestrating internal Achieve stakeholders and resources to meet the needs of their customers. This role requires deep expertise in health system selling, institutional account management, and team leadership. The ideal candidate combines the strategic sophistication to navigate complex IDN and federal ecosystems with the authentic field credibility to coach and develop a team of high-performing account directors. They are a builder who is energized by the ambiguity and opportunity of building a first-of-its-kind commercial function from scratch.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required; MBA, PharmD, or advanced degree preferred
12+ years of progressive pharmaceutical or biotech commercial experience, including significant tenure in institutional/health system account management at a specialty pharma company
Demonstrated experience leading and developing a team of strategic/key account managers or directors, including performance management, coaching, and talent development in a field-based sales organization
Direct, hands-on experience engaging IDNs, AMCs, Federal accounts (VA/DoD), or ACOs at senior administrative and clinical levels, with a track record of achieving formulary access and institutional adoption
Experience navigating complex contracting, formulary, and procurement environments across multiple institutional account types
Proven ability to orchestrate internal cross-functional resources (Medical Affairs, Market Access, HEOR, Marketing) in support of complex account strategies
Deep understanding of pharmaceutical promotional compliance requirements (PhRMA Code, OIG guidance, Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law, FDA promotional regulations); experience engaging Federal channels compliantly (FSS, CMOP, DoD)
Experience building an account management function or team from the ground up, including account selection/prioritization, playbook development, and KPI design, in a launch or early commercial context
Strong CRM proficiency (Veeva or equivalent); ability to use data to diagnose team performance and drive account strategy
Exceptional communication, executive presence, and stakeholder influence skills; comfortable presenting to internal senior leadership and external health system C-suite audiences alike
Willingness to travel extensively (up to 50–60%) to support field rides, national accounts, conferences, and company meetings

Nice To Haves

Experience in respiratory medicine, addiction medicine, smoking cessation, or a primary care-intensive specialty with significant population health relevance
Prior launch experience at a small or mid-sized specialty pharma company entering the health system channel for the first time
Familiarity with EHRs and ePrescribing
Quality measures and value-based healthcare
Experience with GPO or direct contracting strategies; IDN/GPO pull-through planning
Established network of senior relationships within major health systems, academic medical centers, or Federal pharmacy/clinical leadership

Responsibilities

Define the Strategic Accounts function vision, structure, and go-to-market model; determine the optimal number, geography, and specialization of regional Strategic Account Directors to support launch and growth objectives
Lead the full-cycle recruitment, hiring, and onboarding of the SADs, in partnership with HR and the Enablement & Training team; establish and maintain a strong hiring bar for institutional account expertise
Set clear performance expectations, role-specific KPIs, and accountability standards for each SAD; align metrics to account coverage, access milestones, pull-through activity, and patient-level outcomes
Coach, develop, and inspire a collaborative, high-performance team culture built on scientific credibility, customer-centricity, and ethical excellence
Conduct regular field rides, joint account calls, and coaching debriefs to assess and develop individual SADs; provide structured, actionable feedback tied to measurable performance improvement
Lead regular team business reviews and quarterly performance calibrations; identify high-potential team members and develop accelerated growth plans
Partner with the ED, Enablement & Training to develop SAD-specific onboarding, competency frameworks, and ongoing professional development programs
Manage individual performance issues proactively and compliantly, in partnership with HR and commercial leadership
Develop and communicate the national Strategic Accounts strategy in alignment with Achieve's commercial plan, brand strategy, and market access priorities; ensure strategy is tailored to each account segment (IDN, AMC, Federal, ACO) given their distinct procurement, formulary, and care delivery models
Guide and coach SADs in the development of robust, data-driven Account Business Plans for each target account, incorporating system-level goals, stakeholder maps, access barriers, pull-through tactics, and defined success metrics
Provide direct coaching to SADs on engaging and influencing key institutional stakeholders across the full C- and D-suite, including but not limited to: C-Suite: CEOs, CMOs, CMIO, CNOs, CFOs, and COOs; Service Line Leaders: Primary Care, Pulmonology, Internal Medicine, Population Health leadership, etc.; Quality & Performance: Quality Officers, Value-Based Care leads, etc.; Pharmacy: Chief Pharmacy Officers, Drug Information Directors, P&T Committee members, Formulary Managers; Case Management & Care Coordination: Case Management Directors, Transition of Care Managers, Discharge Planning leadership; Clinical Informatics / IT: EHR implementation and clinical decision support leads
Compliantly orchestrate internal cross-functional resources (Medical Affairs, Market Access, Marketing, Government Affairs, HEOR) on behalf of strategic accounts to develop integrated, customer-specific value propositions addressing access, quality, outcomes, and economics
Represent Achieve at national health system conferences, IDN and GPO summits, and VA/DoD pharmacy leadership forums to build institutional relationships and elevate brand presence
Maintain a prioritized national account list and ensure disciplined CRM documentation of account strategy, stakeholder engagement, and progress against account plans
Identify, prioritize, and pursue health system-level opportunities to expand access to cytisinicline, with particular focus on: Formulary and P&T approval: Driving formulary inclusion across targeted institutional accounts and GPO contracts; EHR workflow optimization: Working with clinical informatics and pharmacy leadership to embed cytisinicline into order sets, referral pathways, clinical decision support alerts, and discharge medication workflows; Provider adoption: Enabling the education and activation of physicians, advanced practice providers, and pharmacists on appropriate patient identification and prescribing practices; Patient access and support: Ensuring institutional awareness of and connectivity to patient support programs, affordability programs, and adherence resources that remove barriers to treatment initiation and continuation
Coach SADs to navigate the complex contracting, procurement, and policy-driven environments unique to each account segment
Translate health system performance data (e.g., tobacco treatment rates, readmission data, population health dashboards) into meaningful, patient-centered dialogues with institutional decision-makers
Compliantly communicate and collaborate with internal stakeholders on health system needs, account-level opportunities, barriers to access, and progress against cytisinicline adoption goals; serve as the voice of the strategic account customer to the home office
Identify and develop advocacy relationships with key clinical champions (e.g., service line Medical Directors, tobacco treatment specialists, pharmacy champions) who can support formulary decision-making and peer-to-peer adoption
Own the strategic accounts P&L and territory performance against defined revenue, access, and activity targets; deliver regular business reviews to VP, Sales and Enablement and senior commercial leadership
Monitor account-level adoption data, call activity, formulary status, and pipeline progress through CRM and sales analytics tools; identify and address performance gaps proactively
Analyze account performance trends across the team; develop and share best practices to replicate success and course-correct underperformance
Manage the Strategic Accounts operating budget, including T&E, speaker programming, medical education activities, and account-specific investments, in full compliance with PhRMA Code and company policies
Establish and maintain a disciplined Quarterly Business Review (QBR) rhythm with top-tier accounts, ensuring Achieve's value proposition is consistently demonstrated, and partnership opportunities are identified and advanced
With commercial leadership, serve as a liaison to Market Access on applicable contracting strategy, GPO pull-through planning, and Federal channel access (FSS/CMOP)
Partner with Medical Affairs on scientific exchange programs, medical education initiatives, and clinical champion development within strategic accounts, operating within compliant field engagement frameworks
Collaborate with HEOR and Marketing to develop account-specific economic models, budget impact tools, and value dossiers that support formulary and access decisions
Work closely with the ED, Enablement & Training to ensure SADs are trained and certified on disease state expertise, institutional selling competencies, access tools, and compliance requirements
Partner with Market Access and Legal/Regulatory on Federal channel strategy, FSS pricing, TRICARE reimbursement, and VA formulary engagement, ensuring all activity is compliant with applicable laws and regulations (including OIG, Stark, and Anti-Kickback Statute)
Represent the Strategic Accounts function in commercial leadership team meetings, launch readiness reviews, and Board-level business updates as needed