Director, Patient Marketing – Ophthalmology

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

Summary:

Position Summary

The Director of Patient Marketing – Ophthalmology is a strategic commercial leader responsible for developing and executing the U.S. Patient marketing strategy for the company’s ophthalmology division. This leader will craft insight‑driven, omni‑channel programs that build disease awareness, increase proactive eye health behaviors, support treatment consideration, and elevate the overall patient experience. The role requires deep expertise in Patient health marketing, excellence in cross-functional partnership, and a strong understanding of the needs of individuals living with Geographic Atrophy. This role reports to the Senior Director, US Brand Lead – Ophthalmology and is located in Waltham, MA.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Key Responsibilities

Patient & Patient Strategy

· Lead development of the end‑to‑end patient marketing strategy for Geographic Atrophy.

· Translate patient insights, behavioral drivers, and market dynamics into compelling marketing plans that increase disease awareness and encourage informed, proactive care.

· Build segmentation, targeting, value propositions, and message architecture tailored to diverse patient populations.

Campaign Development & Execution

· Oversee the development of integrated Patient marketing campaigns, including digital, TV, print, social, and audio.

· Ensure all creative and media align with accessibility needs for patients experiencing vision impairment.

· Responsible for digital strategy, including CRM, website, content strategy, inbound/outbound campaigns, and full-funnel media activation.

Patient Experience & Support Programs

· Design initiatives that improve patient engagement, onboarding, adherence, and ongoing treatment experience.

· Oversee the development of patient education content, decision-support tools, and resources that empower individuals managing Geographic Atrophy.

· Collaborate with Patient Services, Medical, Access, and Field teams to ensure alignment across the patient journey.

Market Insights & Analytics

· Partner with Market Research team in the design and execution of Patient and Caregiver research to understand patient journeys, motivations, and unmet needs in Geographic Atrophy.

· Leverage analytics, KPIs, and performance dashboards to optimize Patient campaigns and media investments.

· Monitor competitive activity and evolving standards of care within the space.

Cross‑Functional Leadership

· Partner closely with ECP Marketing, Professional Education, Medical Affairs, Access, Regulatory, and Legal to ensure integrated, compliant, and effective strategies.

· Serve as the internal expert on patient and caregiver dynamics within ophthalmology.

· Manage external agency partners and oversee budget planning, allocation, and performance management.

Brand Stewardship & Launch Excellence

· Contribute to annual brand planning and long-range strategic plans.

· Support the launch of new products, indications, or life-cycle initiatives with Patient and Caregiver-focused strategies and campaigns.

· Ensure communication reflects the company’s commitment to improving eye health and patient outcomes.

Qualifications

Required

· Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business, Life Sciences, or related field.

· 5+ years leading high-performing teams.

· 10+ years of progressive marketing experience, including significant Patient marketing experience in biotech, pharma, or healthcare.

· Proven success leading multi-channel Patient marketing programs.

· Experience operating in a highly regulated environment with close Medical/Legal/Regulatory partnership.

· Strong leadership, communication, and strategic thinking capabilities.

Preferred

· Experience in ophthalmology, eye care, rare or chronic disease categories.

· Understanding of patient support programs, CRM, and digital experience platforms.

· Experience launching specialty or innovative treatments.

· MBA or advanced degree.

Key Competencies

· Patient‑centric mindset with demonstrated empathy for individuals navigating vision challenges.

· Insight-driven marketer skilled at turning complex research into actionable strategies.

· Operational excellence with strong prioritization and execution capabilities.

· Collaborative leader comfortable working across matrixed teams and engaging senior stakeholders.

· Creative problem solver able to simplify scientific information for Patient audiences.

Success Indicators

· Increased Patient and caregiver awareness and education in Geographic Atrophy.

· Improved patient and caregiver engagement and behavior change across full marketing funnel.

· Strong patient onboarding and adherence outcomes.

· Effective, compliant marketing campaigns with measurable ROI.

· Positive patient and caregiver feedback and strengthened brand reputation in eye health.

Travel Requirements:

30-35% travel required
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Education:

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 $200,000-$300,000. 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.