POSITION TITLE: Director, Data Strategy and Operations
STATUS: Exempt
DEPARTMENT: Commercial
REPORTS TO: Executive Director, Commercial Operations
PURPOSE
Reporting to the Executive Director, Commercial Operations, the Director, Data Strategy and Operations is the accountable commercial data leader for a pre-commercial life sciences organization, responsible for designing and operating the data foundation behind launch readiness, field execution, customer engagement, market access, patient services, and executive decision-making.
The Director owns the commercial data roadmap, sets direction on data sourcing, architecture, governance, and operating model, and drives hands-on execution with internal stakeholders, technology partners, and external data vendors. This is a build role in a lean, launch-stage environment: the successful candidate will be as comfortable specifying a match/merge rule as presenting a roadmap to the executive team.
ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Data Strategy
- Own the commercial data strategy and align it to brand objectives, launch readiness milestones, and the Company’s overall commercialization plan.
- Set a phased data capability roadmap that sequences data acquisition, warehouse design, integration, governance, reporting, and advanced analytics investments against launch timing, budget, and organizational capacity.
- Identify and prioritize high-value use cases — segmentation and targeting, omnichannel engagement, field force effectiveness, patient journey analytics, demand forecasting, payer analytics, and executive performance management — and quantify the expected business impact of each.
Data Operations & Master Data Management
- Lead day-to-day commercial data operations across the external partner ecosystem, including hub, specialty pharmacy, specialty distributor, 3PL, institutional channels, and data aggregators, covering file intake, exception handling, and service-level performance.
- Own the acquisition, integration, validation, and ongoing management of HCP, HCO, patient, claims, prescription, payer, field activity, and third-party syndicated data sources.
- Design and implement the commercial master data management program, including HCP/HCO identity management, affiliations, alignment, hierarchy, stewardship, and match/merge rules, and integrate it with CRM, field reporting, and downstream analytics.
- Establish data governance, stewardship, metadata, lineage, access, privacy, and quality processes that support compliant promotional activity, privacy-safe analytics, and audit-ready operations.
Analytics & Reporting
- Develop a commercial analytics and reporting framework that defines launch KPIs, metric definitions, refresh cadence, report ownership, and dashboard governance for leadership and field-facing stakeholders, establishing a single trusted source of truth for launch performance.
- Lead build-versus-buy recommendations across the commercial data stack — data warehouse, business intelligence, MDM, data quality, field reporting, CRM integrations, and AI-enabled analytics — sized to the Company’s stage and resource constraints.
- Translate complex data into clear insights, executive-ready narratives, and decision-support materials that enable launch planning, resource allocation, and performance management.
Cross-Functional Partnership & Leadership
- Serve as the internal subject matter expert and decision owner for commercial data strategy and operations. The role begins as an individual contributor supported by vendors and consultants, with the expectation of recruiting, developing, and leading a data and analytics team as the organization scales.
- Partner with Sales and Sales Operations, Marketing, Market Access, Patient Services, Medical, Finance, Legal/Compliance, IT, and external vendors to translate business priorities into scalable data capabilities and decision-ready support across pre-launch, launch, and post-launch execution.
- Build scalable, fit-for-purpose processes and operating rhythms, prioritizing the highest-impact work and managing the commercial data budget with discipline.
- Manage data vendors, consultants, and partner relationships, including requirements definition, onboarding, service levels, issue resolution, contract renewals, budget tracking, and value realization.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor’s degree required, ideally in a quantitative, business, technology, or life sciences discipline; advanced degree, such as an MBA or relevant master’s degree, preferred.
- 10+ years of pharmaceutical or biotechnology experience, including substantial time in commercial data strategy, commercial operations, analytics, data management, or launch-readiness functions.
- Direct experience building commercial data capabilities for at least one U.S. specialty pharmaceutical or biotech launch, spanning data sourcing, vendor integration, master data management, governance, launch KPI definition, and executive reporting.
- Prior Director-level accountability for commercial data strategy, including owning cross-functional decision forums, managing vendor delivery, and influencing senior commercial, medical, finance, compliance, and technology stakeholders.
- Hands-on experience defining requirements for and overseeing delivery of CRM, commercial data warehouse, business intelligence, field reporting, and MDM platforms, including integrations, user adoption, and vendor execution.
- Deep familiarity with the commercial data vendors and sources used by emerging pharma companies, including prescription, claims, specialty pharmacy, hub, specialty distributor, payer, CRM, HCP/HCO reference, patient services, and field activity data.
- Working knowledge of the compliance and privacy constraints on commercial pharmaceutical data, including HIPAA and de-identified patient data, permissible-use restrictions on prescription and claims data, aggregate spend and transparency reporting, and state privacy laws such as CCPA/CPRA.
- Technical fluency sufficient to engage credibly with engineers and vendors on data models, integration patterns, and cloud data platforms; working SQL proficiency preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to build fit-for-purpose processes in a lean, fast-moving environment, balancing scalability, compliance, cost discipline, and speed to impact from pre-commercial through launch and early commercialization.
- Executive presence and communication skills, with the ability to frame strategic choices, clarify trade-offs, and translate technical data concepts into commercial business implications.
KEY COMPETENCIES
- Data Governance & Quality Mindset: Builds trusted, well-governed data assets with clear ownership, quality controls, stewardship, access standards, and compliant use across commercial stakeholders.
- Analytical Rigor & Business Judgment: Applies disciplined analysis, sound assumptions, and practical business judgment to convert complex data into clear recommendations and executive-ready insights.
- Cross-Functional Influence: Earns credibility with Commercial, Medical, Finance, Legal/Compliance, IT, and external partners by translating business priorities into practical data solutions.
- Execution & Resource Discipline: Operates with urgency and accountability, moving priorities from strategy to implementation while prioritizing the highest-impact capabilities and managing ambiguity, dependencies, vendors, and launch-stage constraints.
COMPENSATION
The anticipated base salary range for this position is $225,000-$250,000 USD annually. This range represents a good-faith estimate of what Achieve reasonably expects to pay for this position at the time of hire. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including relevant experience, skills, qualifications, and internal equity. This position is also eligible for an annual target bonus and equity compensation as determined by the Company’s compensation committee.
BENEFITS
Achieve offers a comprehensive benefits package, which currently includes: medical, dental, and vision insurance; a 401(k) retirement plan; participation in the Employee Stock Purchase Plan; company-paid life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage; and paid time off and paid company holidays.
LOCATION & TRAVEL
This is a remote, field-based position. Candidates may reside anywhere in the United States. This role requires travel of up to 10% for conferences, and company meetings.
ABOUT ACHIEVE LIFE SCIENCES
At Achieve, we are committed to bringing medicines forward that contribute to a healthier world. Achieve is a specialty pharmaceutical company committed to advancing cytisinicline as a widely available treatment option to help people battling nicotine dependence.
If you enjoy working in a dynamic team environment and are passionate about making a difference, we invite you to apply. We strive to attract, develop, and retain highly qualified individuals representing the diverse communities we serve.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Achieve Life Sciences is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, please contact hr@achievelifesciences.com.
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