Otsuka America Pharmaceutical
Senior National Director, Strategic Accounts Rare Neurology
The Senior National Director, Strategic Accounts is a strategic commercial leader responsible for building, leading, and scaling a high-performing national account management organization while driving sales strategy, execution, and business performance.
This role will recruit, develop, and lead a team of ~10 Account Managers, focusing on complex, high-touch healthcare ecosystems requiring advanced account management, access expertise, and strong clinical acumen.
The position requires a strategic, hands-on leader who thrives in a fast-changing environment, can navigate ambiguity, and brings a strong sense of ownership in delivering results while embedding Otsuka’s values and patient-centric mission.
Key Responsibilities
Sales Leadership & Team Build-Out
Recruit, hire, onboard, and develop a team of ~10 Account Managers, establishing best-in-class account management capability.
Act as a player-coach, providing hands-on coaching in the field to elevate team performance and impact.
Build a high-performance, high-accountability culture grounded in Otsuka values.
Drive engagement, retention, and talent development, including succession planning and capability building.
Establish clear goals, performance metrics, and operating cadence to ensure consistent execution.
Strategic Account Management Excellence
Lead the development and execution of strategic account plans across key centers of excellence.
Ensure Account Managers effectively navigate complex stakeholder ecosystems, including HCPs and multi-disciplinary care teams, hospital pharmacy, and financial decision makers within the hospital system including c-suite members.
Personally engage with top-tier accounts to model best-in-class partnership behaviors.
Sales Strategy, Execution & Performance
Serve as a key member of the commercial leadership team, shaping national sales strategy and execution priorities.
Own and drive performance across sales targets and account performance metrics.
Translate national strategy into actionable, field-level center-specific execution plans.
Ensure agility and rapid recalibration of strategies in response to market dynamics.
Access, Reimbursement & Treatment Logistics Expertise
Navigate and coach teams through complex treatment logistics, including site of care considerations, patient onboarding, and therapy initiation barriers.
Partner closely with Market Access and Patient Support to compliantly remove barriers to therapy.
Ensure team demonstrates understanding of complex reimbursement dynamics and specialty pharmacy and distribution networks.
Clinical & Disease Area Leadership
Maintain a strong clinical understanding of disease state, treatment paradigm, and clinical profile.
Enable the team to confidently engage in scientifically grounded, compliant discussions with healthcare stakeholders.
Support execution in complex treatment pathways, including rare and specialty disease dynamics.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Ensure alignment of account strategy, customer engagement, and patient support initiatives.
Provide field insights to inform brand strategy, access strategy, and lifecycle planning.
Compliantly align cross‑functional stakeholders behind a shared vision, breaking down silos and fostering collaboration to bring the full power of the organization to customers.
Operating in Ambiguity & Driving Change
Thrive in a fast-paced, evolving commercial environment, making decisions with incomplete data.
Lead team through change, ambiguity, and new ways of working, including evolving engagement models.
Identify and implement new approaches to account engagement and performance optimization.
Qualifications
Required
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree desirable
12+ years of progressive experience in pharmaceutical/biotech sales leadership
7 years of leadership experience
Proven rare and/or ultra-rare disease launch experience
Demonstrated success in leading high-stakes launches with urgency and accountability
Proven success in building and leading high-performing sales/account management teams
Experience working in strategic account management in complex healthcare ecosystems including centers of excellence
Strong working knowledge of complex reimbursement landscapes
Demonstrated ability to drive sales performance and deliver results, think strategically and execute tactically, and operate effectively in ambiguity and fast-changing environments
Strong clinical acumen and ability to navigate complex treatment pathways and logistics
Excellent organizational, prioritization, and time management skills
Strong coaching, influencing, and leadership capabilities
High emotional intelligence and ability to lead through change
Deep understanding of industry compliance, regulatory environment, and standards of practice
Strong alignment with a patient-centric, values-driven culture
#LI-Remote
Competencies
Accountability for Results - Stay focused on key strategic objectives, be accountable for high standards of performance, and take an active role in leading change.
Strategic Thinking & Problem Solving - Make decisions considering the long-term impact to customers, patients, employees, and the business.
Patient & Customer Centricity - Maintain an ongoing focus on the needs of our customers and/or key stakeholders.
Impactful Communication - Communicate with logic, clarity, and respect. Influence at all levels to achieve the best results for Otsuka.
Respectful Collaboration - Seek and value others’ perspectives and strive for diverse partnerships to enhance work toward common goals.
Empowered Development - Play an active role in professional development as a business imperative.
Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 5 business days.
Company benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, prescription drug coverage, company provided basic life, accidental death & dismemberment, short-term and long-term disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, student loan assistance, a generous 401(k) match, flexible time off, paid holidays, and paid leave programs as well as other company provided benefits.
Come discover more about Otsuka and our benefit offerings; https://www.otsuka-us.com/careers-join-otsuka.
This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the people assigned to this position. It is not intended to include every job duty and responsibility specific to the position. Otsuka reserves the right to amend and change responsibilities to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.
Otsuka is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will be given consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity or gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, national origin, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristic.
If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation, if you are unable or limited in your ability to apply to this job opening as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by contacting Accommodation Request.
Statement Regarding Job Recruiting Fraud Scams
At Otsuka we take security and protection of your personal information very seriously. Please be aware individuals may approach you and falsely present themselves as our employees or representatives. They may use this false pretense to try to gain access to your personal information or acquire money from you by offering fictitious employment opportunities purportedly on our behalf.
Please understand, Otsuka will never ask for financial information of any kind or for payment of money during the job application process. We do not require any financial, credit card or bank account information and/or any payment of any kind to be considered for employment. We will also not offer you money to buy equipment, software, or for any other purpose during the job application process. If you are being asked to pay or offered money for equipment fees or some other application processing fee, even if claimed you will be reimbursed, this is not Otsuka. These claims are fraudulent and you are strongly advised to exercise caution when you receive such an offer of employment.
Otsuka will also never ask you to download a third-party application in order to communicate about a legitimate job opportunity. Scammers may also send offers or claims from a fake email address or from Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc, and not from an official Otsuka email address. Please take extra caution while examining such an email address, as the scammers may misspell an official Otsuka email address and use a slightly modified version duplicating letters.
To ensure that you are communicating about a legitimate job opportunity at Otsuka, please only deal directly with Otsuka through its official Otsuka Career website https://vhr-otsuka.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/External.
Otsuka will not be held liable or responsible for any claims, losses, damages or expenses resulting from job recruiting scams. If you suspect a position is fraudulent, please contact Otsuka’s call center at: 800-363-5670. If you believe you are the victim of fraud resulting from a job recruiting scam, please contact the FBI through the Internet Crime Complaint Center at: https://www.ic3.gov, or your local authorities.
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical Inc., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc., and Otsuka Precision Health, Inc. (“Otsuka”) does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs/resumes submitted by search firms to any Otsuka employee directly or through Otsuka’s application portal without a valid written search agreement in place for the position will be considered Otsuka’s sole property. No fee will be paid if a candidate is hired by Otsuka as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.
Similar Jobs
What you need to know about the San Francisco Tech Scene
Key Facts About San Francisco Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 365,500; 13.9% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Google, Apple, Salesforce, Meta
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, fintech, consumer technology, software
- Funding Landscape: $50.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, Greylock Partners, Khosla Ventures, Kleiner Perkins
- Research Centers and Universities: Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley; University of San Francisco; Santa Clara University; Ames Research Center; Center for AI Safety; California Institute for Regenerative Medicine
