Upsher-Smith · 1 day ago
Director National Accounts - Rare Disease & Specialty
United States
Full-time
Remote
Director/Executive
$196K/yr - $280K/yr
10+ years expUpsher-Smith Laboratories (USL) is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on advancing innovative therapies for rare diseases. The Director, National Accounts will lead the national payer strategy for rare diseases, managing relationships with key stakeholders and ensuring access to therapies through strategic engagement and compliance with regulations.
Health CareInformation Technology
Responsibilities
Translate USL’s rare-disease access strategy into targeted, data-driven national account plans that shape policy, reimbursement, and formulary positioning across priority payers and PBMs
Anticipate and model evolving market trends, including benefit design shifts, specialty drug cost management, and rare-disease utilization dynamics, to guide long-term strategic decision making
Serve as the internal subject-matter expert on national payer strategy, channel economics, reimbursement models, and rare-disease policy
Lead all strategic engagement with assigned national payers, PBMs, and large health-system/IDN accounts; cultivate relationships across pharmacy, medical, care management, trade, and health economics functions
Negotiate access, formulary placement, value-based discussions, and reimbursement policies that maximize appropriate patient access for the current in-line portfolio as well as portfolio expansion efforts
Identify account-specific access barriers and execute targeted solutions leveraging clinical, HEOR, contracting, and policy resources
Oversee development of payer-focused value propositions, contracting frameworks, and clinical/economic materials for the rare-disease portfolio
Lead cross-functional account teams (KAMs, MSLs, Trade, Patient Services, HEOR, Sales, Marketing, Advocacy) to ensure fully integrated execution of access strategies
Translate payer insights into strategic recommendations for pipeline, launch, marketing, forecasting, and brand strategy
Ensure seamless communication with Specialty Pharmacies, HUB/Patient Services, and distribution partners to support patient onboarding, adherence, and fulfillment in limited distribution networks
Drive deep insight generation across payer trends, drug policy, rare-disease reimbursement, and competitive landscapes; synthesize insights for senior leadership and brand teams
Represent USL at national payer meetings, trade associations, and rare-disease industry forums to elevate the company’s visibility and influence
Proactively identify new opportunities for strategic partnerships, innovative reimbursement models, and access-enhancing programs
Ensure all payer engagements, contracting activities, and educational programs comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and internal compliance standards
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MS, MPH) preferred
10+ years of progressive responsibility in biotech or pharmaceuticals, with deep experience in Managed Care, National Accounts, Trade, Access & Reimbursement, and/or Specialty Distribution
Demonstrated success securing access for rare, orphan, or specialty products, particularly within national payer and PBM ecosystems
Established relationships with major national payers, PBMs, and specialty channel stakeholders
Proven track record building and executing complex access strategies and achieving measurable reimbursement wins
Strong proficiency in MS Office and business analytics tools
Ability to travel domestically as needed, 15%
Exceptionally strong strategic planning, business acumen, and problem-solving capabilities
Advanced negotiation skills, with ability to influence senior-level decision makers across diverse payer organizations
Adept at leading within a matrix environment and driving accountability across cross-functional partners
Comfortable operating in a high-growth, entrepreneurial environment with competing priorities
Excellent communication skills, written, verbal, and executive-level presentations
Company
Upsher-Smith
Upsher-Smith Laboratories, LLC is a trusted U.S.
501-1000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
unknown2024-01-16Acquired
Leadership Team
Taku Nakaoka
chairman and CEO
Recent News
2025-11-26
Company data provided by crunchbase