Summit Therapeutics plc

National Account Director, Federal Accounts

Summit Therapeutics plc$220K — $250K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree required; MBA, PharmD, or other advanced degree preferred.
  • Minimum 10+ years in biopharmaceutical commercial experience.
  • 5+ years specifically in federal/government accounts.
  • Proven ownership of an FSS contract and command of pricing mechanics.
  • Direct relationships within VA PBM Services or DHA pharmacy operations.
  • Successful track record in securing VA and/or DoD formulary decisions.
  • Experience launching a specialty or oncology product in the federal channel.

Responsibilities

  • Build and maintain senior relationships with key federal healthcare stakeholders.
  • Lead the national formulary strategy and create supporting value dossiers.
  • Map the VISN landscape and create a targeted account plan for oncology volume.
  • Navigate care referral dynamics under the MISSION Act for product access.
  • Represent Summit at veteran service organizations and federal professional societies.
  • Manage relationships with DoD pharmacy and TRICARE benefits stakeholders.
  • Collaborate with Medical Affairs on relevant evidence needs for federal populations.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health and wellness benefits.
  • Opportunities for professional development and training.
  • Flexible work arrangements to support work-life balance.
Full Job Description
Overview of Role:

The National Account Director, Federal Accounts owns Summit's relationship with these systems end to end. This is a pre-launch build role: the person in this seat establishes federal contracting readiness, secures formulary and pathway access, and constructs the account architecture that will carry the oncology portfolio through launch and beyond. It is a senior individual contributor position with the expectation of building and leading a federal team as the portfolio expands.

Role and Responsibilities:
VA / VHA Access Strategy
  • Build and own senior relationships across VA Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) Services, the National Oncology Program Office, VA Central Office clinical leadership, the Medical Advisory Panel, and the VISN Pharmacist Executives Council.
  • Lead national formulary strategy: develop the value dossier and evidence package supporting VA National Formulary review, criteria-for-use development, and prior authorization drug request pathways.
  • Map and prioritize the VISN and facility landscape - the high-volume oncology centers, VA Cancer Care Navigation and TeleOncology programs, and the sites where treatment decisions get made - and build an account plan that reflects where veteran lung cancer volume concentrates.
  • Understand and navigate VA Community Care referral dynamics under the MISSION Act, including how care delivered outside VA facilities affects product access, site of care, and reimbursement.
  • Represent Summit with veteran service organizations and federal oncology professional societies as appropriate, in full coordination with Legal, Compliance, and Corporate Affairs.
DoD / DHA / TRICARE Access Strategy
  • Own relationships with the Defense Health Agency Pharmacy Operations Division, the DoD Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, and the TRICARE pharmacy benefit, including Uniform Formulary review timelines and submission requirements.
  • Build account plans for the major Military Treatment Facilities (MTFs) with oncology capability, including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Brooke Army Medical Center, Naval Medical Center San Diego, and the Murtha Cancer Center.
  • Navigate TRICARE medical benefit coverage pathways, TRICARE For Life coordination with Medicare, and the referral relationships between MTFs and the purchased care network.
  • Coordinate with the Uniformed Services University and DoD clinical research stakeholders where scientific engagement is appropriate and Medical-led.
Cross-Functional Leadership
  • Partner with Medical Affairs on federal-specific evidence needs, including health economics and outcomes research relevant to the veteran and military populations.
  • Develop and maintain the federal account plan, opportunity pipeline, and business review cadence for senior leadership.
Compliance
  • Conduct all activities in strict accordance with the Anti-Kickback Statute, the False Claims Act, FDA promotional regulations, PhRMA Code, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and VA Acquisition Regulation (VAAR), and Summit's compliance policies.
  • All other duties as assigned


Experience, Education and Specialized Knowledge and Skills:
  • Bachelor's degree required; MBA, PharmD, or other advanced degree preferred.
  • Minimum 10+ years of biopharmaceutical commercial experience, with at least 5+ years in federal/government accounts.
  • Demonstrated ownership of an FSS contract, including NAC negotiation and modification, and working command of Federal Ceiling Price and Big Four pricing mechanics.
  • Direct, documented relationships within VA PBM Services, VISN leadership, and/or DHA pharmacy operations.
  • Track record of securing national formulary or criteria-for-use decisions within VA and/or the DoD Uniform Formulary.
  • Experience launching a specialty or oncology product into the federal channel.
  • Working knowledge of buy-and-bill dynamics, Medicare Part B interaction with federal beneficiaries, and specialty distribution.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain access credentials required for entry to federal facilities.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Oncology, immuno-oncology experience.
  • Biologic launch experience, including permanent J-code acquisition and the coverage implications of the transitional Q-code period.
  • Prior military service or direct experience within VHA or the Military Health System.
  • Experience building a federal function from the ground up at a pre-commercial or newly commercial company.
  • Familiarity with the VA National Oncology Program's precision oncology and clinical pathway initiatives.


Competencies

Builds where there is no blueprint. Summit's federal function does not yet exist. This role requires someone who is energized by writing the first version rather than optimizing an inherited one.

Bridges federal and commercial perspectives. Translates federal contracting and acquisition mechanics into commercial terms for internal leadership and translates Summit's clinical value into terms that resonate with federal clinicians and pharmacy executives.

Long-horizon relationship discipline. Federal access is earned over years, not quarters. Cultivates trust with stakeholders who have no sales quota and no reason to move quickly.

Sound judgment under scrutiny. Operates in the most compliance-sensitive channel in U.S. pharmaceuticals with consistently conservative instincts.

Evidence-led. Comfortable leading with data on outcomes, total cost of care, and population burden rather than relationship capital alone.

This is the pay for this position

Pay Transparency

$220,000-$250,000 USD

Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, certifications, and specific work location. This may be different in other locations due to differences in the cost of labor. The total compensation package for this position may also include bonus, stock, benefits and/or other applicable variable compensation.

Summit does not accept referrals from employment businesses and/or employment agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site. All employment businesses/agencies are required to contact Summit's Talent Acquisition team at [email protected] to obtain prior written authorization before referring any candidates to Summit.

About Summit Therapeutics plc

Summit Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel medicines to treat rare diseases with high unmet medical need. The company's lead product candidate, Ridinilazole, is a precision antibiotic that has the potential to treat Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) with a superior clinical profile compared to existing CDI treatments. Summit Therapeutics is also developing a pipeline of additional product candidates targeting genetic diseases and other indications.
Learn more about Summit Therapeutics plc
Size
105 employees
Market Cap
$842.6 million
Industry
Founded
2003
5 Year Trend
+9910%
Revenue
$1 million
NASDAQ

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