Director, Launch Preparedness, Policy & Advocacy Strategy, and Execution Lead, non-MD

Job description

ROLE SUMMARY The Launch Preparedness, Policy & Advocacy Strategy, and Execution Lead is a leadership role within the U.S. Vaccines Field Medical organization, accountable for launch preparedness, policy integration, advocacy strategy, and field medical readiness across priority vaccine and drug assets. Reporting to the Vaccines National Accounts, Organized & Retail Customer, Policy Lead, this role provides senior‑level leadership for U.S. launch readiness and execution, ensuring that policy, access, coverage, and advocacy considerations are proactively anticipated and effectively integrated into field medical strategy, enablement, and deployment across the Vaccines portfolio. The role operates at individual contributor level, with an initial focus on the Lyme Vaccine (LB6V) and responsibility to support additional vaccine and drug launches as portfolio priorities evolve. This role partners closely with Vaccines HQ Medical, Scientific Engagement Leads (SELs), Commercial leadership, Medical Analytics, Medical Engagement & Impact (MEI), National Accounts leadership, and external medical societies to ensure coordinated, policy‑informed, and field‑ready execution that supports successful launches and sustained adoption. Serving as a principal strategic advisor to Vaccines Field Medical leadership, U.S. Medical Affairs Vaccines Policy, and cross‑functional partners, this role acts as a critical connector between HQ strategy and field medical execution. It plays a central leadership role in shaping launch readiness expectations, field engagement approaches, and medical execution models, with a strong emphasis on anticipating policy, coverage, and advocacy dynamics to enable effective launch preparation and sustained impact across the U.S. Vaccines portfolio. ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES Launch Preparedness & Execution ***(Initial Focus: Lyme Vaccine, LB6V; Broader Portfolio Scope) Set and govern national launch preparedness strategy and operating standards for priority U.S. vaccine and drug launches, with an initial focus on the Lyme Vaccine (LB6V) and flexibility to support additional assets as portfolio priorities evolve. Define, maintain, and govern enterprise‑wide launch readiness standards, success metrics, and policy‑related readiness expectations for Vaccines Field Medical, ensuring consistent application across assets and field teams. Serve as the escalation authority for policy‑driven risks and access barriers that may impact launch timing, uptake, or sustainability, providing strategic recommendations and decision support to U.S. Medical Affairs and Commercial leadership. Partner with HQ Brand Medical leads and cross‑functional stakeholders, including Commercial, Operations, Medical Analytics, and Vaccines Field Medical leadership, to anticipate and shape national field deployment models, engagement priorities, and enablement strategies, without duplicating asset‑level strategy ownership. Provide enterprise oversight and strategic direction for Pre‑Approval Information Exchange (PIE) readiness and execution, ensuring consistent governance, insight synthesis, and readiness expectations across launches. Leverage enterprise‑level medical insights, analytics, and engagement data to continuously refine launch preparedness frameworks and optimize field medical effectiveness at scale. Provide strategic oversight and direction for the development and deployment of launch‑related training, playbooks, and field readiness materials, ensuring alignment with enterprise standards and policy‑informed engagement expectations. Ensure scalable, repeatable, and policy‑integrated launch preparedness approaches are applied across pipeline and in‑line assets, rather than asset‑specific or ad hoc execution models. Policy Strategy & Advocacy Execution Serve as the Field Medical Policy Lead for U.S. Vaccines, with enterprise accountability for how field medical policy and advocacy engagement is operationalized, in close alignment with, but distinct from, the U.S. Medical Affairs Vaccines Policy team, which retains ownership of policy development. Set national strategic direction for field medical policy and advocacy engagement models that support launch readiness, lifecycle management, and access outcomes across the Vaccines portfolio. Provide enterprise‑level oversight and guidance for field medical engagement with key medical societies that influence vaccine recommendations, clinical guidelines, and access, ensuring consistent national standards rather than individual asset approaches. Lead and shape enterprise field medical engagement across national organizations, including ACOG, AAP, IDSA, ACP, AAFP, and other relevant professional societies, governing engagement frameworks rather than executing all interactions directly. Apply deep expertise in ACIP processes, medical society governance, payer coverage dynamics, and state‑level regulatory environments to proactively identify policy‑driven risks and opportunities requiring enterprise coordination or escalation. Translate policy, guideline, and coverage developments into clear, compliant, and standardized field medical engagement expectations, supporting appropriate utilization, access, and population health outcomes. Represent Vaccines Field Medical in enterprise policy forums, cross‑functional governance bodies, and leadership discussions, ensuring Field Medical perspectives inform decision‑making without duplicating policy ownership. Cross‑Functional Partnership & Field Enablement Act as a strategic bridge between HQ and Field Medical teams, ensuring bidirectional communication, enterprise alignment, and executional clarity related to launch, policy, and advocacy strategy. Influence Scientific Engagement Leads, Field Medical society leads, and Field Medical stakeholders through subject‑matter expertise, strategic guidance, and escalation authority, rather than formal people leadership. Establish and reinforce enterprise standards and guidance for policy‑related field medical messaging and engagement approaches, ensuring consistency and confidence across teams and assets. Incorporate field feedback, external insights, and evolving policy dynamics to continuously refine enterprise launch preparedness and advocacy execution frameworks. BASIC QUALIFICATIONS Candidate demonstrates a breadth of diverse leadership experiences and capabilities including: the ability to influence and collaborate with peers, develop and coach others, oversee and guide the work of other colleagues to achieve meaningful outcomes and create business impact. Bachelor’s degree in a health, life sciences, or related field required. Advanced degree strongly preferred, including PharmD, PhD, or equivalent terminal degree. Requires 12+ years of relevant experience with a Bachelor’s degree, 10+ years with a Master’s degree, 7+ years with a PhD Demonstrated success operating with enterprise or national accountability and influencing outcomes across highly matrixed organizations. Deep expertise in U.S. vaccine policy, ACIP processes, medical society engagement, and payer and coverage landscapes. Proven ability to lead complex, high‑visibility, and policy‑sensitive initiatives through influence and governance, without direct people management responsibility. Experience serving as a strategic advisor to senior and executive leadership, including VP‑level stakeholders. Strong strategic mindset with the ability to operate effectively in ambiguity and translate complexity into clear enterprise direction and executional standards. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated success engaging senior internal and external stakeholders. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS Prior experience supporting U.S. vaccine or specialty product launches, including pre‑approval readiness and cross‑functional field enablement. Experience working closely with or engaging U.S. medical societies, guideline‑setting bodies, or policy‑infl