Executive Director, HEOR Field Liaison

General Scope and Summary

Sage Therapeutics is searching for a creative, resourceful, integrative thinker for an important role that is responsible for building and leading a team of field-based health economists. The Executive Director, HEOR Field Liaison will be part of the HEOR leadership team and serve as a conduit between the research activities performed in-house and the appropriate dissemination of scientific and health care economic information through the field-based team. The incumbent will be responsible for the development and implementation of the field engagement strategy, partnering with the leaders of other field-based teams and ensuring appropriate representation and engagement of the HEOR team with external stakeholders. In addition, this individual may lead HEOR projects, taking full responsibility for alignment on goals with internal colleagues, assessment and coordination of resources, and management of timelines, budgets, and vendors/consultant partners. 

Roles and Responsibilities

• Recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing HEOR field team. Establish a strong, collaborative team culture and ensure team performance objectives are established and achieved according to HEOR strategic priorities.

• Develop field engagement strategy and ensure the development of sustainable payer relationships through the field-based team, allowing comprehensive scientific, health economic, epidemiology, and patient-reported outcomes data to be generated.

• Direct the approved scientific, medical, financial, and healthcare economic data utilization to health care coverage, formulary, and reimbursement decision-makers and, as needed, participate in the communication of the data.

• Develop a comprehensive payers/hospital research strategy to collaborate in generating real-world outcomes and effectiveness data.

• Act as a conduit between the external payer environment and the Sage HEOR in-house and field-based teams, ensuring activities are robust in addressing critical success factors and evidence gaps from a payer perspective.

• In collaboration with in-house HEOR strategic asset leads, conceptualize and implement all field-facing materials (slide decks, model adaptations, and dossiers).

• Develop and implement plans to support regional and national managed care/healthcare systems congresses.

• In partnership with HEOR franchise leads, market access, medical, and external affairs, lead external peer-to-peer engagement discussions with HEOR experts within payer organizations and value assessment organizations (ICER< DERP like HTA bodies).

• Collaborate with Legal and Compliance departments to establish and follow processes for compliant proactive and reactive communication and scientific exchange with payers/population health decision makers/hospital formularies, and to ensure that all other activities undertaken by the field-based HEOR team comply with applicable laws, regulations, and Sage policies.

Experience, Education and Specialized Knowledge and Skills

Must thrive working in a fast-paced, innovative environment while remaining flexible, proactive, resourceful, and efficient. Must have excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to develop important relationships with key stakeholders, good conflict management and negotiation skills, and the ability to analyze complex issues to develop relevant and realistic plans, programs, and recommendations. Must have a demonstrated ability to translate strategy into action, excellent analytical skills, and an ability to communicate complex issues in a simple way and to orchestrate plans to resolve issues and mitigate risks.

Basic Qualifications

• Minimum of a Master’s degree in Public Health, Health Economics, or a related field is required.

• Minimum of 15 years of HEOR experience, including field-based experience and managing a field-based team is required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hospital, CNS, and/or women’s health experience is a plus.

• Advanced degree (doctorate) in Public Health, Health Services Research, Health Economics, Epidemiology, Pharmacy, or a related field is strongly preferred.

• Previous experience building and leading a HEOR field team is strongly preferred.

• Proven track record of success, especially in the area of establishing relationships with Pharmacy, HEOR Key Opinion Leaders, professional Managed Care organizations, and Value Assessment Organizations (e.g. ICER, IVI, DERP like HTA bodies).

• Demonstrated leadership in developing and executing HEOR strategies (including real world evidence) for field-related activities with a proven ability to anticipate key customers’ needs with sufficient lead time for execution of tactical plans.

• This role is a field-based position and the ideal candidate must be able to travel approximately 50% of the time, including the ability to travel overnight and occasionally on weekends for congresses/meetings.

• Must possess strong scientific and clinical knowledge as well as excellent presentation and teaching skills.

• Comprehensive understanding of the US payer market landscape as well as a proven ability to implement a horizon scanning program to identify and assess US-health policy and regulatory changes that impact SAGE medicines and investigational drugs.

• Experience working with all levels of management and consulting with key business stakeholders. An ability to influence for greater outcomes

• Strong team player that has a customer service approach and is solution-oriented.

• Attention to detail and the ability to work individually, within a multi-disciplinary team, as well as with external partners and vendors.

• Possesses strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Embrace our Core Values.

• Excitement about the vision and mission of Sage.

All Sage new hires will be required to provide documentation that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or, if not, that they are legally entitled to an accommodation due to a medical condition or a sincerely held religious belief.  Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and Sage will consider, among other things, whether the proposed accommodation would create an undue hardship.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.

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