Role Summary
The Director, KOL Engagement (US) will play a critical role in building and sustaining deep, trusted relationships with key opinion leaders (KOLs) in advance of and through Scholar Rock’s first U.S. commercial launch. This role will be accountable for developing and executing the U.S. KOL engagement strategy and plan for apitegromab, ensuring meaningful, compliant interactions that generate insight, foster advocacy, and support launch readiness. This individual will work cross-functionally with Medical Affairs, Marketing, Sales, Market Access, and Field teams to design and deliver high-impact KOL engagement initiatives, including peer-to-peer programs, advisory boards, congress engagement, and innovative engagement formats. The role will serve as a connective tissue across functions, ensuring alignment, coordination, and consistency in how Scholar Rock engages with the external expert community.
Responsibilities
KOL Strategy & Engagement Planning
Develop and own the U.S. KOL engagement strategy and annual engagement plan, aligned with brand strategy, medical priorities, and launch objectives.
Identify, segment, and prioritize KOLs across key specialties and practice settings relevant to SMA.
Establish clear objectives, success metrics, and engagement principles to guide compliant, meaningful KOL interactions.
Execution & Program Leadership
Plan and execute KOL engagement tactics, including peer-to-peer programming, advisory boards and insight-generating forums, congress engagement and scientific meetings, and innovative engagement formats designed to deepen relationships and dialogue.
Ensure excellence in program design, execution, and follow-up, with a strong focus on insight capture and learning.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner closely with Medical Affairs to ensure alignment on scientific exchange, insight generation, and appropriate roles and responsibilities.
Collaborate with Marketing and Sales to align KOL engagement with brand strategy and field needs, while maintaining clear compliance boundaries.
Work with Field teams to support coordinated, high-quality KOL interactions at the regional and local level.
Serve as a central point of coordination to ensure consistent messaging, engagement cadence, and experience for KOLs.
Insights & Continuous Improvement
Capture, synthesize, and share insights from KOL engagements to inform brand strategy, launch readiness, and ongoing optimization.
Support the development of feedback loops to ensure learnings are incorporated across commercial and medical teams.
Continuously assess engagement effectiveness and evolve approaches based on insights and best practices.
Operational Excellence & Compliance
Ensure all KOL engagement activities are conducted in full alignment with regulatory, legal, and compliance requirements.
Partner with internal stakeholders to support promotional review, contracting, and fair market value processes as needed.
Manage external vendors and agency partners supporting KOL engagement initiatives.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
8–10+ years of experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology roles involving KOL engagement, medical education, marketing, or field leadership.
Demonstrated experience developing and executing KOL engagement strategies in specialty or rare disease environments.
Strong understanding of the U.S. healthcare landscape and the role of KOLs in shaping clinical practice.
Proven ability to work effectively across medical, commercial, and field teams in a matrixed organization.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills.
Strong organizational and project-management capabilities.
High level of integrity with a solid understanding of compliance requirements.
Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort operating in a first-launch, high-growth environment.
Willingness to travel as needed (anticipated up to 30%).
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Responsibilities
KOL Strategy & Engagement Planning
Develop and own the U.S. KOL engagement strategy and annual engagement plan, aligned with brand strategy, medical priorities, and launch objectives.
Identify, segment, and prioritize KOLs across key specialties and practice settings relevant to SMA.
Establish clear objectives, success metrics, and engagement principles to guide compliant, meaningful KOL interactions.
Execution & Program Leadership
Plan and execute KOL engagement tactics, including peer-to-peer programming, advisory boards and insight-generating forums, congress engagement and scientific meetings, and innovative engagement formats designed to deepen relationships and dialogue.
Ensure excellence in program design, execution, and follow-up, with a strong focus on insight capture and learning.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner closely with Medical Affairs to ensure alignment on scientific exchange, insight generation, and appropriate roles and responsibilities.
Collaborate with Marketing and Sales to align KOL engagement with brand strategy and field needs, while maintaining clear compliance boundaries.
Work with Field teams to support coordinated, high-quality KOL interactions at the regional and local level.
Serve as a central point of coordination to ensure consistent messaging, engagement cadence, and experience for KOLs.
Insights & Continuous Improvement
Capture, synthesize, and share insights from KOL engagements to inform brand strategy, launch readiness, and ongoing optimization.
Support the development of feedback loops to ensure learnings are incorporated across commercial and medical teams.
Continuously assess engagement effectiveness and evolve approaches based on insights and best practices.
Operational Excellence & Compliance
Ensure all KOL engagement activities are conducted in full alignment with regulatory, legal, and compliance requirements.
Partner with internal stakeholders to support promotional review, contracting, and fair market value processes as needed.
Manage external vendors and agency partners supporting KOL engagement initiatives.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
8–10+ years of experience in pharmaceutical or biotechnology roles involving KOL engagement, medical education, marketing, or field leadership.
Demonstrated experience developing and executing KOL engagement strategies in specialty or rare disease environments.
Strong understanding of the U.S. healthcare landscape and the role of KOLs in shaping clinical practice.
Proven ability to work effectively across medical, commercial, and field teams in a matrixed organization.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills.
Strong organizational and project-management capabilities.
High level of integrity with a solid understanding of compliance requirements.
Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort operating in a first-launch, high-growth environment.
Willingness to travel as needed (anticipated up to 30%).
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