Aurinia is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies in disease areas of high unmet medical need. We are currently developing voclosporin, an investigational drug, for the treatment of lupus nephritis (LN) and focal segmental glomerularsclerosis (FSGS). Additionally, we are advancing voclosporin ophthalmic solution (VOS), a topical formulation, for the treatment of dry eye syndrome (DES).

Reporting to the VP of Market Access, the Director of Patient Services will be responsible for building and implementing Aurinia’s patient support platform for patients prescribed voclosporin for lupus nephritis. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, implementing and overseeing Aurinia’s patient access and affordability programs through a patient-centric reimbursement HUB as well as the broader marketplace with the goal being to enhance and optimize the patient and prescriber experience and ultimately the patients’ outcomes during the entire treatment cycle – from initial rx through to the maintenance phase and the end of treatment. Responsibilities include but are not limited to Patient Reimbursement HUB, Financial Support Programs, Case Management Support and related patient support programs. The role functions as a subject matter expert on patient reimbursement support services and collaborates cross functionally within the commercial organization to design and implement programs that support the company’s patient access objectives.

Primary Responsibilities

• Aligning with marketing to implement a best-in-class patient services program
• Run the RFP process for vendor selection and direct the execution of all contracts  related to the HUB
• Write and execute the SOW for HUB services
• Work with the Head of Distribution to ensure all specialty pharmacy partners and distributers are online with the HUB together set and maintain the triage mechanism
• Works closely with several other cross-functional stakeholders including US Market Access, Commercial Operations, Marketing, Patient Advocacy, Sales, Compliance, Legal, Medical and Market Analytics along with relevant external customers and stakeholders.
• Has significant interaction with Senior Commercial and Legal leadership to accomplish overall business objectives.
• Oversees the building of our patient access programs, then the day to day operations with a focus on operational excellence in support of patient need, including the develop and implementation our copay program and patient assistance programs.
• Ensure the tight integration of program development and continuous improvement of HUB operational processes and systems to deliver exceptional customer experience.
• Define and manage the delivery of partner-related business reports, dashboards/ scorecards, and business analysis.
• Liaise with Commercial Business Analytics, Reporting and Forecasting teams regarding operational reporting, data measurement, analysis and data quality related to HUB activities.
• Provide input and guidance for HUB related collateral materials and service provider communications and participate in review of collateral materials and communications through Legal, Compliance, and regulatory processes.
• Contribute subject matter expertise to patient access platform field training initiatives and support the creation of knowledge management content, while being a key communications link between the corporate office and the field sales team.
• Work with pertinent internal stakeholders to develop and implement outreach programs to assist with adherence and improve patient engagement.
• Help foster a culture that places first and ensures operational excellence through effective internal and external partnerships and effective integration of CRM platforms to connect with patients effectively and compliantly.
• Partner with Aurinia’s Sales Leadership / Commercial Field Teams and Channel Distribution leadership to ensure best in class service delivery.
• Lead the development, implementation, and documentation of partnered programs for future product launches.
• Plan, lead and execute the Patient Access Strategy functional business reviews. Develops performance dashboards and interprets hub data for purposes of assessing market access trends, hub program utilization, and performance against defined KPIs.
• Develops and maintains SOPs and business rules related to all US patient support.
• Supports the annual brand planning process with data driven reimbursement insights. Demonstrates fiscal discipline and accountability to effectively and efficiently manage external partners and vendors performance through appropriate metrics.
   

• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into action and to orchestrate plans to resolve issues and mitigate risks.
• Extensive knowledge of the HCP office processes regarding patient flow, prescription flow, and back office operations
• Direct experience managing vendors and developing partnered programs, including the development of detailed process workflows, SOPs, and KPIs in the healthcare or pharmaceutical/biotech industry. Rare disease experience a plus.
• Solid understanding of the healthcare environment specifically in the area of delivering services to Health Care Professional and Patient customers.
• Functional knowledge of health insurance and benefits (private and public payers), with a solid understanding of the following processes: insurance eligibility and benefit verification, securing insurance authorizations, advocating for maximum reimbursement coverage, appealing insurance denials and application of financial assistance for eligible patients.
• In depth knowledge of pharmaceutical manufacturer compliance requirements, patient confidentiality (HIPAA regulations), product reimbursement and product access
• Knowledge and experience in Medicare Part D, Medicaid, and private payer policies, reimbursement process, health policy, areas of coverage, and Specialty Pharmacy
• Experience with Commercial Brand Planning process, able to translate brand disease state and business drivers into patient support programs and operational requirements
• Customer First customer service orientation. Puts the customer at the center of all business activities
• Highly knowledgeable in all types of patient savings programs including copay support, PAP support, and bridge programs.
• Strong cross-functional awareness and commercial leadership ability (marketing, sales, managed markets, reimbursement, market research, technical operations, regulatory, legal and HIPAA, etc.).
• Experience collaborating with a broad range of cross-functional teams, influencing, gaining consensus and executing in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Possess strong critical thinking, problem solving, and analytical skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent project management skills with demonstrated ability to lead multiple projects.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to travel at least 40%.
• Willing to relocate to Rockville, MD area or have the ability to be in the office 2-3 days/week when needed.

Preferred Experience

• Specialty oral product launch experience strongly desired
• Advanced degree (e.g. MBA, RPh., PharmD)
• Experience hiring and developing successful people
   

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.