Portugal Operations Director

Are you passionate about bringing innovative pharmaceutical products to market? Do you have extensive experience establishing, growing and managing affiliates, and are you driven to bring products to patients?

If so, now is your chance to join Ascendis Pharma Iberia as our new Portugal Operations Director. You will join a rapidly expanding global commercial organization responsible for driving success in the rare disease endocrinology field. You have the chance to “help write the story” of Ascendis Pharma in Iberia.

Ascendis Pharma is a fast-growing biopharmaceutical company with locations in Denmark, United States and EU Commercial offices in Munich, Madrid, Milan, London and Paris.

We are applying our TransCon technology to build a leading, fully integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on making a meaningful difference in patients’ lives. Guided by our core values of patients, science, and passion, we use our TransCon® drug development platform to fulfill our mission of developing new and potentially best-in-class therapies to address unmet medical needs. Today, we have a growing pipeline of product therapies in development, each designed to be a best-in-class therapy. 

The role

As a pivotal member of our growing Iberia team, you will be instrumental in shaping Ascendis’ evolution, bringing innovative therapies to market, and building brand equity for our TransCon endocrinology rare disease products across Spain and Portugal. You will drive strategic marketing initiatives, from pre-launch to post-launch, ensuring success every step of the way

The position reports to the General Manager, Ascendis Pharma Iberia. 

Your key responsibilities will be

• Take P&L accountability to build Portuguese team and operations “from scratch” and deliver financial results
• Develop launch plan in collaboration with Ascendis Pharma Iberia colleagues and global team to ensure market access, drive customer engagement, build external awareness and advocacy, and execute successful launches of our endocrinology products
• Establish affiliate operations “from scratch”, including office setup, legal documentation, policies, distribution model
• Develop and implement robust marketing plans, supported by financial analysis, planning and ROI; manage overall marketing budget
• Identify and recruit an experienced, hands-on, high-quality team for key positions in launch plan
• Strengthen the reputation of Ascendis and TransCon technology with KOLs, regulators, payers, patient organizations, and other relevant stakeholders
• Engage with external stakeholders to launch Ascendis as an emerging leader in Endocrinology Rare Diseases and our products as best-in-class treatments in Portugal
• Develop and execute pre-launch awareness strategy and execute launch for palopegteriparatide and future products
• Collaborate with Iberian, European, and Global resources to achieve success

Qualifications and skills 

• Relevant academic degree – preferably a master’s degree in Business Administration, Health Policy, or Health Economics
• 10+ years of experience within Market Access, Pricing/reimbursement, Marketing, and/or Sales in biotech/pharmaceutical industry, preferably within rare diseases and/or oncology
• Demonstrated success in launching innovative products
• Solid track record of prior country management and P&L responsibility
• Operational experience, e.g., with policies and SOPs, distribution, navigating regulatory requirements, office setup, hiring
• Fluent in Portuguese and English
• Ability to travel as needed, estimated 25%-50% of the time

Key competencies

You bring excellent leadership skills, paired with significant operational experience across areas like policy and SOPs, distribution processes, regulatory navigation, office setup, and hiring. Your strategic and critical thinking abilities are robust, and you possess extraordinary communication skills, both oral and written, enabling you to effectively influence internal and external stakeholders.

With a proven track record of success in entrepreneurial environments, you have a strong willingness to “roll up your sleeves” and take decisive action in fast-paced, dynamic settings where collaboration and multi-tasking are essential. You are highly self-driven, skilled at prioritizing and managing multiple tasks efficiently. Your solid scientific understanding is balanced with business acumen, empowering you to translate complex scientific concepts into actionable business outcomes. Additionally, your unbridled curiosity drives you to continuously seek knowledge and growth.

Please not that this position is offered on a contractor basis with an attractive rate, milestone payments, and additional benefits.

Apply now

Applications will be evaluated when received, so please apply as soon as possible.

For more details about the position or the company, please contact Tina Lorenzen, Talent Acquisition Partner at tlo@ascendispharma.com

If you are passionate about contributing to the field of rare diseases and eager to make a difference at Ascendis Pharma, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity. Join us in our mission to advance therapeutic innovations and improve patient lives worldwide.