Bayer is committed to delivering Health for All by advancing a portfolio of innovative treatments. The company has the passion and determination to develop and commercialize medicines that help improve patients’ lives. To position the company for the future, Bayer has significantly invested in new fields of R&D. One major area of innovation has been Cell & Gene Therapy (CGT), where we have driven rapid advances via the acquisition of two leading companies in this space, AskBio and BlueRock. With this investment, Bayer has rapidly built a broad pipeline of assets across a multitude of disease areas.

Our two lead assets at the forefront of this pipeline have the potential to transform care for patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Bemdaneprocel is a cell therapy that has been granted both Fast Track Designation and the Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). AB-1005 is a gene therapy, which has also been granted Fast Track designation by the US FDA. While entry into any new therapeutic area requires thoughtful pre-commercialization, the CGT space brings additional complexities with advanced science, complex delivery & distribution models, as well as unique value propositions. Building new capabilities, relationships, and partnerships requires significant lead time prior to US commercialization under the leadership of an experienced entrepreneurial talent who can build and lead an organization in a cutting-edge therapeutic area from its earliest planning phases through to launch and full commercialization.

This is a key leadership position that will serve as the Visionary, Architect, Catalyst, and Coach for CGT products in the United States, with a focus on our lead PD assets, Bemdaneprocel and AB-1005. This role will be accountable for all pre-launch preparations; setting ambitions for the brand and delivering on these goals; owning the P&L; and being the lead for the brand across all Bayer functions and externally. The Product Lead will also be a key member of the Product & Pipeline (P&P) Leadership Team and the US Pharma Operating Team, acting with an enterprise mindset in co-creating key priorities across our entire US Pharma portfolio and building our P&P and US Pharmaceuticals Dynamics Shared Ownership (DSO) culture. In addition, the Product Lead will be a key member of the CGT Global Product Team and work closely with colleagues across Bayer, BlueRock, and AskBio.

YOUR TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The primary responsibilities of this role, Vice President, Cell & Gene Therapy, Parkinson’s Disease, US Product Lead, are to:

• As Visionary, Architect, Catalyst, and Coach, provides leadership in setting and executing priorities and developing our talent and culture for colleagues working on CGT products and across the US Pharma Product & Pipeline team;
• Drives critical pre-launch activities, including understanding the market, shaping the product strategy, ensuring manufacturing and distribution readiness, establishing the payer/reimbursement model, shaping the hospital and thought leader network, anticipating US regulatory considerations, building the cross-functional team, and other aspects of tackling high priority initiatives to use the pre-launch period to prepare the organization and market for successful CGT commercialization;
• Prepares the organization for future clinical trial readouts, including sharing these with the scientific and broader PD community and ensuring we understand the implications of the data for our commercialization efforts;
• Closer to launch, sets and achieves brand ambitions and outcomes to reach appropriate patients;
• Builds and leads a cross-functional CGT Product Squad that creates essential pre-launch commercialization plans and, as we progress toward launch, establishes a compelling brand call to action and energizing culture that inspires the team to commit itself to achieving at the highest levels;
• As we prepare for launch, develops effective marketing strategies, programs, and tactics through well-supported market, customer, and competitive insights. Brands must be able to establish a new, cutting-edge treatment option with prioritized stakeholders, e.g., healthcare providers (HCPs), key opinion leaders (KOLs), key accounts/health systems, payers, advocacy groups, patients, and others;
• Actively monitors the competitive and scientific landscape to scan for, and capitalize on, emerging drivers & barriers;
• Takes full ownership for the CGT P&L; Develops financial forecasts based on deep insights and drives resource allocation to maximize growth and shape and deliver the financial frame;
• Nearer to launch, defines key brand performance metrics; Post-launch, actively monitors based on primary and secondary data, field and customer input, and other sources; acts rapidly to optimize performance based on learnings to inform key outcomes and execution priorities in 90 day-cycles;
• Works as part of the Global Product Team, and in partnership with BlueRock and AskBio, to align strategies/priorities and shape the future for these products and the therapeutic area;
• Collaborates with our US Pharma Customer Squads to ensure strong pre-launch planning and post-launch execution, developing aligned Outcomes and fostering a culture that brings out the full richness of local insights;
• Develops and manages relationships with KOLs and other key external partners, e.g., advocates, hospital/key account leadership, policy makers, and others, collaborating appropriately with Medical, Customer Engagement colleagues, and other key functions;
• Co-creates aligned priorities and resourcing across the US Pharma portfolio within the US Pharma Operating Team and the P&P Leadership Team;
• Creates a high-performing culture that embraces and maximizes the impact of DSO across the full cross-functional Product Squad;
• Contributes to developing our Bayer talent across the P&P Community;
• Transparently shares launch planning needs and, later, post-launch business updates that drive internal alignment and understanding about brand potential, investment cases, key strategies/plans, and support/investment required;
• Shapes lifecycle management based on deep insights, strong strategic thinking, outstanding execution, and broad ambition for the brand and the patients we serve; Ensures we are building the capabilities needed across Bayer Pharma (supported by strong business cases) to fully capitalize on opportunities;
• Ensures team remains patient-focused, operating in full compliance with US legal, medical, and regulatory requirements; create a culture/environment in which business decisions evaluate benefits and risks, weighing key cross-functional perspectives.

WHO YOU ARE 

Bayer seeks an incumbent who possesses the following:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree;
• Experience in healthcare field, with a mix of marketing, sales, market access;
• Prior experience in CGT and/or other high-complexity hospital-administered therapeutics is required;
• Experience building and leading complex marketing and cross-functional organizations in the pharma/biotech industries at both the pre-launch planning and US post-launch execution phases is required;
• Prior successful experience in leading large US product launches required;
• Entrepreneurial skills to shape and build a successful business and team in a cutting-edge area from the earliest phases of planning;
• Strong leadership skills with ability to lead as a Visionary, Architect, Catalyst and Coach;
• Excellent communication capabilities;
• High level of interpersonal skills and intercultural skills;
• High degree of flexibility and commitment;
• Demonstrated ability to develop financial forecasts and manage a P&L;
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving capabilities and able to simplify complex challenges;
• Willingness for domestic and international travel (30% to 40%) is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• MBA or advanced degree preferred;
• 15+ years of relevant industry experience;
• Pre-launch planning experience preferred;
• Global marketing experience is preferred.

Employees can expect to be paid a salary between $270,125 to $405188. Additional compensation may include a bonus or commission (if relevant).  Additional benefits include health care, vision, dental, retirement, PTO, sick leave, etc. This salary range is merely an estimate and may vary based on an applicant’s location, market data/ranges, an applicant’s skills and prior relevant experience, certain degrees and certifications, and other relevant factors.

This posting will be available for application until at least: 8/18/2025.