Sr. Director/VP, Consumer

Zealand Pharma•Cambridge, MA

5d•$275,000 - $325,000•Remote

About The Position

As Head of US Consumer (Metabolic & Obesity Franchise), the role builds and leads Zealand Pharma’s global consumer strategy across an emerging obesity and metabolic health portfolio, including petrelintide in collaboration with Roche/Genentech. The position shapes consumer-driven demand (especially in primary care), integrated patient activation, and persistence—bridging consumer brand building with biotech rigor and compliance. This is a hands-on, build-and-scale leadership role, US-based with regular travel to Denmark and key partner hubs. Because the portfolio is co-commercialized with Genentech (Roche), you will also carry the ideas into the alliance and push a large, sophisticated partner organization to be braver than the category norm.

Requirements

A senior consumer and DTC leader with a track record of building high-performing brands and translating consumer insight into measurable commercial outcomes.
Thrives in ambiguity and enjoys creating new capabilities, playbooks, and operating models.
Works effectively in highly matrixed, partnership-driven environments with a strong integrity and compliance mindset.
You are a self-starter who is energized rather than unsettled by a blank page, and you are as comfortable in the detail of execution as in the strategy that precedes it.
You challenge conventional thinking, and you can bring partners with you when you do.
Genuine curiosity about the field is a necessity.
10+ years of extensive consumer marketing and brand-building experience in healthcare, CPG, FMCG, or a comparable non-traditional consumer environment, at least part of it in a highly competitive category
Demonstrated results with non-traditional activation models — creator and community ecosystems, DTC and subscription, retail media, experiential, or commerce-led growth
Previous product launch experience a must
Proven ability to influence and mobilize large partner, franchise, or retailer organizations without direct authority
Strong experience working with large-cap partners on alliance-based launches and/or co-commercialization models
Track record of building teams, capabilities, and processes where none previously existed
Advanced capability in consumer insights, patient journey design, and measurement—linking funnel KPIs to prescription demand, adherence, and outcomes
Understanding of the healthcare environment and the discipline of operating in a regulated category; direct healthcare experience is an advantage, but not mandatory

Nice To Haves

A healthcare background is a plus, not a requirement

Responsibilities

Own the US consumer vision and strategy across the obesity/metabolic portfolio, including segmentation across specialist-led and consumer-driven primary care opportunities
Build the US consumer strategy for the obesity portfolio from the ground up including target customer, positioning, demand-creation architecture, and the metrics that demonstrate impact.
Partner with Medical Affairs to develop pre-launch/market shaping initiatives with consumers and advocacy partners.
Translate product profiles into compliant, motivating consumer value propositions and narratives across channels
Lead the consumer agenda inside joint commercialization forums with Genetech, bringing provocative ideas and securing the alignment needed to execute them at scale
Apply AI, data, and marketing technology to compress the distance between insight and activation — audience modeling, creative testing at volume, personalization, and in-market optimization
Build, brief, and challenge the agency and partner ecosystem, holding it to CPG grade standards of speed, originality, and accountability
Build and lead integrated consumer and patient activation plans, including omnichannel execution (e.g., digital, social, search, CRM, point-of-care, and TV/CTV where permitted)
Build the consumer capability and operating model (team, agency ecosystem, decision rights, measurement), partnering tightly with Medical, Regulatory, Market Access, Policy, and global/regional commercial stakeholders