Director, HEOR

Director, Health Economics & Outcomes Research

Who we are:

Agios is a biopharmaceutical company that is fueled by connections. We thrive in a supportive, fun, and flexible environment full of people empowered to bring their whole selves to work. We care deeply about our work, each other, and the patients who count on us. Our teams cultivate strong bonds with patient communities, healthcare professionals, partners and colleagues, which helps us discover, develop and deliver therapies for genetically defined diseases – and make a bigger difference in their lives. In the U.S., Agios markets a first-in-class pyruvate kinase (PK) activator for the treatment of hemolytic anemia in adults with PK deficiency. Building on the company’s leadership in the field of cellular metabolism, Agios is advancing a robust clinical pipeline of investigational medicines with active and planned programs in alpha- and beta-thalassemia, sickle cell disease, pediatric PK deficiency and MDS-associated anemia.

The impact you will make:

Agios Pharmaceuticals is searching for a dynamic Director to join our Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) team, as the HEOR asset lead for mitapivat. The person in this role will play an integral leadership role in the development and commercialization activities across the pyruvate kinase deficiency, thalassemia, and sickle cell disease indications. The HEOR team is part of the R&D organization and is responsible for three pillars of activities:

• Real world evidence generation (e.g. studies of natural history, burden of illness, treatment patterns, etc. using a variety of data sources including EMR, claims data, registries, chart reviews, and qualitative research);
• Market access support (e.g. cost-effectiveness and budget impact modeling, AMCP and global value dossiers); and,
• Clinical development program support (e.g. patient-reported outcomes strategies for clinical trials)
  
  

As the mitapivat asset lead, the successful candidate will develop and drive the HEOR strategy across all three pillars of activities, in collaboration with other HEOR team members. He/she will oversee a talented team of individuals who have responsibility for the tactical execution of quantitative real world evidence generation and market access support. Additionally, he/she will have tactical responsibilities to ensure the mitapivat HEOR needs across indications are met. To support the launch and commercialization activities of our expanding portfolio, he/she will collaborate with the HEOR ex-US launch lead on materials for value demonstration and access outside the U.S. The successful candidate will also partner with the HEOR patient-centered research team to ensure our in-trial and ex-trial patient-reported outcomes and qualitative research activities align with the programs’ broader HEOR and access strategies.

The Director, HEOR will ensure the mitapivat HEOR team designs and conducts superior quality research that is medically relevant, scientifically valid, and aligned with the evidence generation and communication needs of the mitapivat program. The position is best suited for an individual who has the skills and drive to oversee a broad spectrum of research activities across multiple therapeutic areas, the HEOR training and experience to provide guidance and mentorship to direct reports and to independently manage a variety of projects, and a desire to serve in a highly regarded and visible role. The dynamics of our teams and the culture of the organization offer unique opportunities for growth and development by allowing individuals to stretch outside of the typical boundaries of HEOR activities. This role will report to the Senior Director of Health Economics & Outcomes Research.

What you will do:

• Work closely with Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, Commercial, and U.S. and Global Market Access teams to understand the HEOR needs of the business
• Provide HEOR functional expertise and perspective on cross-functional strategy teams and workstreams
• Oversee internal and external teams to execute on HEOR tactics, and oversee and provide guidance to a team of direct reports responsible for the design and execution of HEOR projects, including but not limited to retrospective database analyses, survey studies, epidemiological research to support regulatory submissions, systematic literature reviews, HTA- or ICER-grade economic models, and value dossiers
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners on the development of evidence-based and impactful product value messages and identification of HEOR-related evidence generation priorities
• Present HEOR findings at scientific congresses and participate in the development, writing, and/or review of HEOR manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals
• Translate output from HEOR initiatives into tools and resources for medical and/or commercial field teams
• Monitor and manage team budgets with vendors to ensure timely completion of high quality, customer-relevant projects
• Maintain in-depth knowledge of the disease states, market & customer dynamics, the competitive landscape, and reimbursement matters
• Build strong relationships with internal partners and ensure continuous and consistent communication regarding HEOR projects
• Ensure compliance with all applicable laws, Agios policies, regulations and regulatory guidelines governing commercial and scientific interactions with healthcare professionals, payers, advocacy and other business partners.
  
  

What you bring:

• Master’s or doctoral degree in health economics, epidemiology, health services research, public health, or related field
• Minimum of 8 years of HEOR experience with a Master’s or 6 years with a PhD within the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry
• Proven leadership skills
• Demonstrated technical and strategic excellence in designing, conducting, interpreting and communicating health economics and outcomes research
• Experience working in rare diseases
• Solid understanding of healthcare delivery systems and reimbursement processes for pharmaceuticals in the U.S. and major international markets
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to collaborate on cross-functional teams
• Ability to navigate ambiguous, complex, and difficult situations
• Ability to interface with multiple stakeholders, including clinicians and payers
• Excellent project management skills
• Ability to travel approximately 10-15% of the time
  
  

Work Location:

Location Agnostic: Work location for this role is based on employee's individual preference. This role has the ability to be either remote in the US or hybrid in our Cambridge Headquarters. Hybrid schedules vary but are generally less than 3 days per week onsite and hybrid employees are expected to live within commutable distance to our Cambridge Headquarters. Remote employees work entirely from home except for attending Company sponsored events/ meetings. For employees who choose to work remotely, travel may be required for certain company events commensurate to the above job description.

What we will give you:

• Deliberate Development. Your professional growth as one of our top priorities.
• Flexibility. We’re all about individual needs. We embrace different perspectives, work styles, health and wellness approaches, care of families and productivity. When you’re at your best, we’re at our best.
• Premium benefits package. We invest in the health, wellbeing and security of our people with a premium benefits package that is well-rounded and flexible to help meet the varied personal and professional needs of every member of our team.
• Competitive performance-based compensation . This includes both short- and long-term incentives that are connected to our business strategy.
• Psychological safety. We support an environment of fearlessness. We want you to share your ideas, speak candidly and take data-informed risks to help push the boundaries.
• Commitment to diversity. We strive to foster a welcoming workplace where everyone can thrive. We’re continuously looking to improve the inclusivity of our workforce.
• Commitment to community. We’re an active participant in the communities that surround us – the communities where we live, and the community of people and their loved ones in need of better treatment options for conditions that are often overlooked.
  
  

Interested in learning more about what makes our culture unique? Visit the Inside Agios section of our website.