Associate Director, Congress Strategy Lead - Ophthalmology

Opportunity awaits those up to the challenge of developing transformative therapies across a broad range of debilitating diseases. 

Summary:

The Associate Director, Congress Strategy Lead is a high visibility position responsible for defining and executing the congress engagement strategy across the ophthalmology business unit.

This role owns how Apellis and SYFOVRE show up at scientific and clinical forums - from flagship national congresses to targeted regional programs—and leads the design of commercial (non-CME) peer-to-peer education that advances disease understanding and clinical practice. Operating in a lean, high-growth biotech environment, the Associate Director partners closely with Marketing, Sales, Medical, Compliance, Operations, and Sr. Executives to ensure congress investments and peer programs are intentional, differentiated, and aligned to brand priorities.

This is a high-visibility role requiring strategic thinking, cross-functional leadership, strong project management and comfort operating with both autonomy and accountability. The role will need to align and communicate congress strategy to senior and executive leadership in a compelling manner to instill confidence in plans. This role will report to the VP of Sales & Marketing, will be based in Waltham MA, and will have travel expectations of up to 30%.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Roles & Responsibilities Cross-Functional Leadership

• Act as a strategic integrator across Marketing, Medical, Field, Operations, Comms/IR, and Compliance.
• Develop assets for communication and planning clarity and structure.
• Influence without authority to align stakeholders around clear congress and education strategies.
• Provide clear communication, structure, and leadership across multiple workstreams in a fast-paced environment.
• Communicate updates and strategies in various EC leadership forums to build confidence in plans.
• Collaborate closely with Compliance, Legal, Marketing Operations, and external partners to ensure high-quality, compliant, and scalable programs.
• Manage pieces through our Promotional Review Committee (PRC) process

Congress Strategy & Leadership

• Own the US congress strategy across Retina/Ophthalmology, aligning congress presence, sponsorships, and programming to brand strategy and objectives and lifecycle needs.
• Evaluate and prioritize congresses and sponsorship opportunities to maximize scientific impact, brand visibility, and return on investment.
• Lead cross-functional planning and execution for major US meetings (e.g. Hawaiian Eye, Macula Society, Retina World Congress, ARVO, CTS, ASRS, OSN, AAO, Retina Society, etc.).
• Partner with US Field leadership to align on program targets, executional excellence, and performance monitoring.
• Serve as the primary US relationship lead with key congress organizations and societies.
• Drive booth strategy and execution, sponsorship activation, and on-site experience planning.
• Lead KOL engagement planning, inclusive of executive meetings and calendars.
• Translate congress learnings into actionable insights and recommendations for brand and senior leadership.
• Manage budget and vendor partners.
• Manage assets through our Promotional Review Committee (PRC) process

Strategic Partnerships & Sponsorships

• Build and manage US partnerships with key professional organizations and foundations.
• Evaluate and execute corporate sponsorships that support congress and peer-to-peer education objectives.
• Partner with Medical Affairs to ensure appropriate use of sponsorship benefits and alignment with enterprise priorities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of US commercial and/or medical experience with strong depth in congress strategy and peer-to-peer engagement.
• Project management and/or management consulting experience.
• Retina or general ophthalmology experience strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to think strategically, execute with excellence, and lead cross-functionally in a lean organization.
• Strong communication skills and executive presence.

Travel Requirements: Approximately 30% Travel

Travel Requirements:

30% travel
‎

Education:

Bachelor's Degree 

Pay Information:

Base salary for this role will consider multiple factors, including but not limited to, candidate qualifications, relevant expertise, specialized skills, and industry experience in complement-targeted therapies. The targeted base salary range for this position is $178,900-$268,400. This range represents the base salary only and reflects Apellis' commitment to competitive compensation within the biopharmaceutical industry. The final salary offered may vary based on individual qualifications, business needs, and current market conditions.

Work Arrangement:

Benefits and Perks:

Apellis offers a comprehensive benefits package, including a 401(k) plan with company match, inclusive family building benefits, flexible time off, summer and winter shutdowns, paid family leave, disability and life insurance, and more! Visit https://apellis.com/careers/benefits/ to learn more.

Company Background:

Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a global biopharmaceutical company leading the way in complement science to develop life-changing therapies for some of the most challenging diseases patients face. We ushered in the first new class of complement medicine in 15 years and now have two C3-targeting medicines approved to treat four serious diseases. Breakthroughs for patients include the first-ever therapy for geographic atrophy, a leading cause of blindness, and the first treatment for patients 12 and older with C3G or primary IC-MPGN, two severe, rare kidney diseases. We believe we have only begun to unlock the potential of targeting C3 across many serious diseases.

 

For more information, please visit http://apellis.com or follow us on LinkedIn and X.

EEO Statement:

Apellis is an equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state and local fair employment practices laws. Apellis strictly prohibits and does not tolerate discrimination against employees, applicants or any other covered persons because of race, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, ethnicity, sex (including pregnancy), gender (including gender nonconformity and status as a transgender or transsexual individual), age, physical or mental disability, citizenship, past, current or prospective service in the uniformed services, genetic information, marital status, AIDS/HIV status, smoker/nonsmoker, and occupational pneumoconiosis or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local law.

For San Francisco postings: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.