Plant Operations
Associate Director, Trade and Operations Strategy
Office Location: Pasadena, California, United States; San Diego, California, United States; Verona, Wisconsin, United States
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARWR) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company that develops medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Using a broad portfolio of RNA chemistries and efficient modes of delivery, Arrowhead therapies trigger the RNA interference mechanism to induce rapid, deep, and durable knockdown of target genes. RNA interference, or RNAi, is a mechanism present in living cells that inhibits the expression of a specific gene, thereby affecting the production of a specific protein. Arrowhead’s RNAi-based therapeutics leverage this natural pathway of gene silencing.
Arrowhead is focused on developing innovative drugs for diseases with a genetic basis, typically characterized by the overproduction of one or more proteins that are involved with disease. The depth and versatility of our RNAi technologies enables us to potentially address conditions in virtually any therapeutic area and pursue disease targets that are not otherwise addressable by small molecules and biologics. Arrowhead is leading the field in bringing the promise of RNAi to address diseases outside of the liver, and our clinical pipeline includes disease targets in the liver and lung with a promising pipeline of preclinical candidates.
Arrowhead’s corporate headquarters is in Pasadena, CA with research and development teams in Madison, WI & San Diego, CA, and a state of the art manufacturing facility in Verona, WI. Our employees are nimble, science-driven innovators who are collaborating to bring new therapies to patients in need.
The Position
The Associate Director, Trade and Operations Strategy is a member of a team charged with ownership of end-to-end supply chain for Arrowhead products. They will define and lead enterprise-wide trade and channel operations strategy in partnership with Market Access and Commercial Leadership. This role ensures that trade architecture, distribution design, contracting infrastructure, and operational models enable optimal patient access, financial performance, and scalable growth.
This position serves as the strategic integrator between Trade & Distribution and broader Market Access strategy.
This role is based in onsite with an expectation to be in the office five days a week.
Responsibilities
Enterprise Trade Strategy
- Co-develop enterprise trade and distribution strategy aligned with access and brand objectives
- Define channel architecture across buy-and-bill, specialty pharmacy, retail, and alternative distribution pathways
- Lead limited distribution network design and evolution
Strategic Gross-to-Net Leadership
- Own trade-related GTN strategy in partnership with Finance
- Optimize trade terms, distribution service agreements, and fee structures
- Assess financial risk exposure related to inventory, returns, and channel mix
Launch & Lifecycle Leadership
- Lead trade readiness strategy for new product launches
- Develop scalable operational playbooks for pipeline assets
- Support lifecycle expansion and geographic growth strategies
Data & Performance Optimization
- Establish KPIs for channel health, inventory management, and distribution performance
- Leverage 867/852 data, specialty pharmacy data, and channel reporting to inform strategic decisions
- Drive analytics integration across Market Access and Trade
Organizational & Cross-Functional Leadership
- Lead a team responsible for trade operations strategy
- Serve as executive partner to:
- VP Market Access
- Head of Trade & Distribution
- Finance Leadership
- Supply Chain
- Present trade strategy and financial implications to executive leadership
Risk Management & Governance
- Ensure government pricing and compliance considerations are embedded in trade design
- Oversee audit preparedness and pricing integrity
Requirements
- BS in Business Administration, Supply Chain/Logistics, Engineering, or other field related to the essential duties of this role.
- 10+ years of relevant industry experience (7+ years in fast paced cGMP environments; 5+ years in a supply chain leadership role within the pharmaceutical industry.)
- Exhibits excellent interpersonal communication, project management, collaboration, and analytical skills.
- Strong MS Excel, PowerPoint, and Word skills.
- Experience using Smartsheet or other work management software.
- Proficient generating and presenting operational and financial metrics/KPI’s.
- Thorough understanding of and experience with some aspect of technical operations or CMC.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively lead and influence cross-functional teams not under direct organizational reporting lines to communicate challenging goals and achieve objectives.
- Quick learner with the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously, maintain focus, and adapt to a variety of challenges.
- Exhibits creativity in adapting to changing situations, development of contingency plans and comfortable with making decisions.
Preferred
- Able to lead and coordinate large, complex strategy projects, with minimal direction
- Experience developing operations network strategies for a growing global market
Arrowhead provides competitive salaries and an excellent benefit package.
All applicants must have authorization to work in the US for a company.