Director – Rare Disease Commercial Strategy Team Lead

Position Purpose

The Commercial Lead is accountable for the development and execution of the commercial strategy for a designated Specialty Care therapeutic area (TA) portfolio (for this role, Rare disease including Hemophilia and growth hormone) in Japan. This role leads an integrated therapeutic area commercial organization combining Brand Marketing, TA specific commercial SMEs (subject matter experts), including CST (Clinical Service team), and other commercial capabilities to maximize portfolio value, build scientific leadership, and deliver sustainable business growth while creating meaningful value for patients, healthcare professionals, and society.

The Commercial Lead serves as a core member of the Specialty Care Japan Leadership Team (LT) and is responsible not only for business performance within the assigned therapeutic area, but also for contributing to the overall strategy, culture, organizational effectiveness, talent development, and long-term success of the Specialty Care organization.

Key Responsibilities

Portfolio Strategy & Business Leadership

·       Lead the development and execution of the therapeutic area portfolio strategy, ensuring sustainable growth and long-term value creation.

·       Own portfolio performance (P/L), including Brand Plans, Operating Plans (OP), Long Range Forecasts (LRF), business reviews, and resource allocation decisions, to align with international guidance and Specialty Care overall / Pfizer Japan priorities.

·       Translate customer insights, market dynamics, competitive intelligence, healthcare policy developments, and data analytics into actionable commercial strategies.

·       Proactively identify growth opportunities, launch opportunities, business development opportunities, and portfolio optimization initiatives, working closely with the SC Lead to align with overall Pfizer Japan priorities.

·       Represent the therapeutic area in local, regional, and global business reviews and strategic decision-making forums.

Commercial Organization Leadership

·       Lead and develop a high-performing commercial organization consisting of Brand Marketing, Commercial SMEs, and other commercial capabilities.

·       Create alignment across customer-facing functions to ensure a seamless and integrated customer experience.

·       Establish clear priorities, accountability, governance, and performance management processes.

·       Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.

·       Lead commercialization planning and launch readiness activities for new products, indications, and pipeline assets, where applicable.

·       Ensure effective integration of current brands and future pipeline opportunities to maximize long-term portfolio value.

·       Provide strategic leadership for launch preparation, market shaping activities, customer engagement planning, and organizational readiness.

·       Collaborate with regional and global stakeholders to ensure alignment of launch priorities and execution plans.

Customer Engagement & Omnichannel Excellence

·       Champion innovative customer engagement strategies through omnichannel marketing and advanced analytics under solid and sound collaboration with Sales, Customer Excellence, Digital, CoLab, and other relevant teams.

·       Lead the implementation of agile, data-driven customer engagement models.

·       Ensure customer journeys, content strategies, and channel orchestration are continuously optimized to deliver exceptional customer experiences.

·       Partner with Customer Excellence, Digital, CoLab, and other relevant functions to implement best-in-class commercial excellence practices, including AI leveraged model.

Cross-Functional Leadership & External Engagement

·       Build strong partnerships with Sales, Customer Excellence, Medical Affairs, Access, Regulatory, PGS, Finance, Compliance, HR, Digital, and other key stakeholders.

·       Collaborate effectively with International Commercial Office (ICO), Global teams, alliance partners, and external agencies where applicable.

·       Maintain strong relationships with healthcare professionals, key opinion leaders, academic societies, and relevant healthcare stakeholders in the assigned TA, as the face of Pfizer in assigned TA.

·       Contribute to shaping the future therapeutic area environment and ecosystem strategy.

Specialty Care Leadership, Culture & Talent Development

·       Serve as a core member of the Specialty Care Japan Leadership Team and contribute to the overall success of the Specialty Care business beyond the assigned therapeutic area.

·       Champion Pfizer Values, Actionable Attitude, and a strong Speak Up culture.

·       Foster an inclusive, high-performing, and psychologically safe work environment.

·       Lead talent reviews, succession planning, coaching, mentoring, and capability development across Specialty Care.

·       Promote a One Specialty Care mindset through cross-TA collaboration, knowledge sharing, and organizational learning.

·       Drive the development of future leaders and strengthen the Specialty Care leadership pipeline.

·       Act as a role model in change leadership, organizational transformation, and continuous improvement.

·       Drive Actionable attitude leadership and Pfizer value culture with AI fluency capabilities.

Compliance, Integrity & Risk Management

·       Ensure all commercial activities, customer interactions, promotional programs, and business practices comply with applicable laws, regulations, industry codes, and Pfizer policies.

·       Maintain a strong compliance-first culture across the organization.

·       Ensure adherence to the MHLW Guidelines / promotion code and all relevant internal SOPs.

·       Identify, assess, and proactively mitigate business, operational, compliance, and reputational risks.

Desired Skills & Experience

Experience

·       Significant pharmaceutical industry experience with at least 5+ years of commercial leadership and brand marketing experience.

·       Proven track record of leading high-performing teams and delivering sustainable business results.

·       Experience in launching and growing specialty products is highly preferred.

·       Experience working in global and cross-functional environments.

·       Previous leadership responsibility for marketing, sales, HSP, or customer-facing organizations is preferred.

·       Experience in omnichannel marketing and customer engagement transformation is preferred.

Language Requirements

·       Japanese: Native-level or professional-level communication skills are required, including the ability to independently conduct scientific and business discussions with physicians, KOLs, and other external healthcare stakeholders.

·       English: Strong business-level proficiency is required, including the ability to actively participate in and lead business discussions with global, regional / ICO, and cross-functional stakeholders.

·       Speaking and listening: Ability to represent Japan in regional and global forums, advocate for local business needs, and influence stakeholders through clear, structured communication.

·       Reading and writing: Strong written communication skills in both Japanese and English are required, including the ability to understand complex business, scientific, policy, and compliance-related materials and translate insights into actionable strategies.

·       TOEIC score of 800 or above is preferred as a reference point; however, practical ability to use English effectively in real business settings is prioritized over standardized test scores alone.

Competencies

·       Strategic thinking and business acumen.

Result oriented and commit to deliver the target

·       Strong leadership, influencing, and stakeholder management capabilities.

·       Ability to lead through ambiguity and organizational change.

·       Strong analytical, financial, and problem-solving skills.

·       Demonstrated capability in talent development and succession planning.

·       Excellence in communication, coaching, and executive presentation.

·       Deep commitment to compliance, integrity, and patient-centered decision making.

Key Organizational Relationships

Internal

• Specialty Care Leadership Team

• International Commercial Office (ICO)

• Global Therapeutic Area Teams

• Medical Affairs

• Access / P&PA

• Regulatory Affairs | PGS

• Finance | Digital / CEI / IIS / CoLab

• Legal & Compliance | Human Resources

External

• Healthcare Professionals & KOLs

• Academic & Medical Societies

• Patient Advocacy Organizations

• Alliance Partners (as applicable)

• External Agencies & Consultants

 
Work Location Assignment: Hybrid

 
Work Location Assignment: Hybrid

Pfizer is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable equal employment opportunity legislation in each jurisdiction in which it operates.

To learn more about acceptable and prohibited uses of AI during the recruitment process, please review our candidate AI-use guidelines available on Pfizer Careers.

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