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Otsuka Pharmaceutical

Global pharma maker of Abilify

Director of Field Strategy and Operations

Full-Time
$186.5k - $278.9k/yr+ Incentive opportunity
Senior, Expert
Bachelor's
Princeton, NJ, USA
In Person
Business & Strategy

About the job

Requirements
  • Seven to ten years of pharmaceutical industry experience in sales or field operations, or similar consulting experience.
  • Significant experience designing, developing, implementing, communicating, managing change for, and assessing field-force alignment.
  • Strong working knowledge of Samples/PDMA operations and sample programs, speaker bureau and promotional program processes and compliance, Pharma Code regulations, fleet, and field compliance reporting.
  • Solid understanding of field systems, including customer relationship management and field reporting systems.
  • Experience working with all levels of management and consulting with key business stakeholders.
  • Ability to work effectively across Commercial functions, including Sales, Marketing, and Managed Markets, as well as Information Technology, Finance, Compliance, and Human Resources.
  • Strong oral and written communication, critical-thinking, and active-listening skills.
  • Attention to detail and ability to work individually, within a multidisciplinary team, and with external partners and vendors.
  • Ability to lead and coach others in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with multidisciplinary and multilevel teams.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word.
  • A bachelor's degree is required.
Responsibilities
  • Provide overall oversight and leadership of field operations supporting commercial, market access, and medical affairs field teams.
  • Serve as the key point of contact for sales and non-sales field leaders and teams across multiple business units, market access, and medical affairs.
  • Lead the field operations team in coordinating sample management and compliance, territory sizing and alignment, speaker bureau and promotional programs, fleet, field onboarding and offboarding, credentialing, business cards, and related activities.
  • Lead strategic and tactical field-force sizing and territory-alignment initiatives across commercial and field medical affairs, and provide territory-deployment analyses to cross-functional leadership teams.
  • Support sales-force deployment initiatives that improve sales-force effectiveness, serve as the overall project lead for alignment projects, coordinate with field leadership, analytics, Information Technology, Human Resources, and other cross-functional teams, and report regular updates on alignment activities.
  • Support trimesterly alignment and call-planning updates.
  • Collaborate with business analytics and field-force effectiveness teams to fulfill data-analysis needs for strategic sales-force initiatives and deliver recommendations to improve territory deployment and sales-force performance.
  • Collaborate with internal partners to execute business operations and continuously improve field-operations processes, ensuring operational integration with measurable cost or revenue impact.
  • Develop processes for capturing, cataloging, analyzing, and disseminating lessons learned from initiatives.
  • Lead a team of professionals and manage performance and talent management for the team, including coaching, mentoring, development, and direction of direct reports.
Desired Qualifications
  • An advanced degree is preferred.
  • Direct experience with Samples/PDMA operations and sample programs is preferred.

About the company

Otsuka Pharmaceutical develops and markets medicines and health products worldwide, including prescription drugs and nutraceutical beverages. Its product lineup ranges from pharmaceutical treatments such as Abilify (an antipsychotic) to consumer health drinks like Pocari Sweat, which helps replenish electrolytes. Abilify works as a psychiatric medication used to treat conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, while Pocari Sweat is an ion-replacement beverage designed to restore minerals and fluids after activity or heat. The company differentiates itself through a long history dating back to its founding in 1921, a broad, globally scaled portfolio spanning drugs and health beverages, and a focus on health improvements across populations. Its stated goal is to create new products for better health worldwide.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Tokyo, Japan

Founded

1921

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • VOYXACT's August 2026 two-year data supports a supplemental FDA approval filing.
  • Transcend acquisition closed June 15, 2026, adding a differentiated neuropsychiatry pipeline.
  • Paradise renal denervation gained Japan insurance coverage March 1, 2026, accelerating sales.

What critics are saying

  • Abilify patents keep expiring through 2027, pressuring a legacy revenue engine.
  • Otsuka v Sun Pharma in Australia threatens ABILIFY MAINTENA patent-extension protection.
  • Transcend's PTSD asset, TSND-201, reaches Phase 3 completion only in late 2027.

What makes Otsuka Pharmaceutical unique

  • Otsuka pairs pharmaceuticals, devices, and diagnostics across renal, psychiatric, and cardiovascular care.
  • SIMTRIYO, approved July 23, 2026, is the first approved NDSRI for ADHD.
  • VOYXACT delivered 24-month eGFR stabilization, strengthening Otsuka's IgA nephropathy leadership.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Company Match

Tuition Reimbursement

Student Loan Assistance

Paid Holidays

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

0%

2 year growth

0%
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Sep 20th, 2026
Otsuka Completes Acquisition of Transcend Therapeutics to Advance Next-Generation Neuropsychiatric Treatments | Otsuka US

Otsuka America, Inc., a subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. has completed the acquisition of Transcend Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a rapid-acting treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is the latest in a series of investments Otsuka has made to advance next-generation treatments for serious neuropsychiatric conditions.

Associated Press
Jul 25th, 2026
FDA approves Otsuka's Simtriyo, first-in-class ADHD treatment for adults and children 6+

Otsuka Pharmaceutical has received FDA approval for SIMTRIYO (centanafadine), the first norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin reuptake inhibitor for treating ADHD in adults and children aged six years and older weighing at least 20kg. The once-daily extended-release capsule will be available later this year following DEA scheduling. The approval is based on four Phase 3 clinical trials showing statistically significant improvements in ADHD symptoms compared to placebo, with benefits observed as early as week one. Common side effects include decreased appetite, nausea, rash, and headache. ADHD affects approximately 7 million children and 15.5 million adults in the US. The drug carries boxed warnings for suicidal ideation in pediatric patients and potential for abuse and addiction.

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SAN FRANCISCO–SonoThera, a biotechnology company developing next-generation genetic medicines to address the root causes of disease, today announced the closing of an oversubscribed $125 million Series B financing round to advance its lead programs in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) into the clinic and expand its pipeline of targeted, redosable genetic medicines.

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Otsuka buys Transcend Therapeutics for $700M upfront in psychiatric drugs deal

Otsuka Pharmaceutical has acquired Transcend Therapeutics for $700 million upfront through its subsidiary Otsuka America, with potential milestone payments of up to $525 million. The deal gives Otsuka access to Transcend's MDMA analogue for psychiatric conditions currently in development.