Senior Director, Channel Strategy & Operations

The Senior Director, Channel Strategy & Operations is the enterprise owner of how Denali’s rare disease therapies reach patients in the U.S. Reporting to the VP US Market Access, this leader will design and execute the trade and distribution strategy, select and contract with specialty distributors (SDs) and wholesalers, negotiate and manage distribution and customer agreements, and hold channel partners accountable for performance through structured governance, including quarterly business reviews (QBRs). The role also owns the commercial channel data ecosystem including inventory, sales, dispensing, and chargeback data flows and serves as a commercial lead for Denali’s SAP ERP implementation, ensuring that order-to-cash, contract administration, and gross-to-net processes are compliant, auditable, and launch-ready. This is a builder role in a company preparing for and executing launches: the ideal candidate brings strategic vision, operational expertise, strong negotiation skills, and the willingness to roll up their sleeves to stand up processes, systems, and a team. Key Accountabilities/Core Job Responsibilities: • Channel strategy: Own the U.S. trade and distribution strategy for current and future products, choosing the channel model (limited distribution, specialty distributors, specialty pharmacy, home infusion) to fit the patient journey, sites of care and handling needs. • Partner selection and launch readiness: Run RFP/RFI and financial evaluations of channel partners. Define trade terms, account eligibility, class of trade and onboarding so hospitals, infusion centers and government accounts can order on day one. • Trade policy and landscape: Set terms of sale (payment, returns, ordering) with Finance, Legal and Compliance. Track distributor consolidation, site-of-care shifts, 340B, IRA and specialty pharmacy trends, and work with Pricing and Market Access on gross-to-net impact. • Contracting: Negotiate and manage distribution services, data and customer agreements. Ensure fees are bona fide, fair-market-value service fees that support AMP, Best Price, ASP and Anti-Kickback compliance, and support government contracting (FSS, VA, DoD, 340B). • Partner performance: Build a governance framework with QBRs, scorecards and escalation paths. Track KPIs such as fill rate, order accuracy, data quality, days on hand and time-to-therapy, and enforce service levels with corrective plans or remedies. • Inventory policy and monitoring: Set target and maximum days-on-hand in inventory management agreements. Monitor inventory and sales daily and weekly via 852/867 and dispense data, reconcile to patient demand, review POs and apply order caps. • Ordering controls and supply: Prevent speculative buying around WAC changes and launches. Lead allocation during shortages, prioritizing patients already on therapy, and manage lot, expiry and returns with Supply Chain and Quality. • Period close: Own the channel side of monthly, quarterly and annual close. Supply inputs for gross-to-net reserves (chargebacks, fees, discounts, returns), reconcile ex-factory sales, partner data and invoices, and support ASC 606 revenue recognition and SEC disclosures. • Certification and controls: Certify quarterly that inventory is within policy and escalate unusual buying. Hand off data to Government Pricing on time, and design and run SOX controls with auditor support. • Trade customer service: Design and oversee the customer service model as the final escalation point. Handle inquiries on orders, availability, eligibility, pricing, disputes, credits and returns, route adverse events and complaints, maintain Legal-reviewed FAQs, and send proactive communications. • Data, systems and SAP: Serve as commercial lead for the SAP ERP implementation (customer master, pricing, order-to-cash, chargebacks, contracts). Own EDI data flows (852, 867, 844/849), manage data and analytics vendors, and deliver dashboards for forecasting and gross-to-net. • Contract administration: Support chargeback processing, distribution fee payments, accurate loading of contract pricing and eligibility, and correct classification of payments with Finance. • Compliance and risk: Ensure compliance with state licensing, Anti-Kickback safe harbors, government pricing rules and DSCSA. Maintain SOPs and audit-ready documentation, and build continuity plans to protect patient access. • Cross-functional leadership: Be the single point of accountability for channel matters across Market Access, Pricing, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Supply Chain, IT and Commercial. Coordinate hub-to-SP-to-site handoffs, advise on packaging and serialization, and present to the VP, Market Access and senior leadership. • Team and budget: Build and lead the channel team as the portfolio grows, and own the channel operations budget (fees, data, vendors) while driving cost efficiency. Qualifications/Skills: • Typically requires a Bachelors degree in business, finance, supply chain, or a related field and 12+ years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, with at least 8 years in trade, channel strategy, distribution, or market access, and 3+ years in a leadership role. • Proven experience designing and launching specialty or limited distribution networks, ideally for rare disease, specialty, or buy-and-bill products. • Demonstrated success negotiating distribution services, specialty pharmacy, and data agreements, including fee-for-service and bona fide service fee structures. • Track record of managing channel partner performance through QBRs, scorecards, and SLAs. • Deep knowledge of channel data (852/867/844/849, SP dispense data), chargebacks, contract administration, and their impact on gross-to-net and government price reporting. • Hands-on experience managing channel inventory to days-on-hand targets, including inventory management agreements and controls against channel loading. • Experience supporting quarter-end close, gross-to-net accruals, and revenue recognition (ASC 606) in partnership with Finance in a public company. • Experience as a business lead on ERP implementations (SAP strongly preferred) and with contract administration / revenue management systems. • Working knowledge of government pricing (AMP, Best Price, ASP, 340B, FSS) and relevant compliance requirements (AKS safe harbors, state licensing, DSCSA). • Experience overseeing trade customer service operations, including escalation management and adverse event/product complaint routing requirements. • Exceptional negotiation, executive communication, and stakeholder management skills. Preferred Qualifications: • MBA or other advanced degree • Experience in rare disease, lysosomal storage disorders, or neurology • Product launch experience in a small to mid-size biotech, including building channel infrastructure from the ground up • Experience supporting SOX compliance and external audits Other Critical Competencies: • Strategic and Hands-On: Shapes long-term channel strategy while personally driving operational execution in a build-stage environment. • Commercial Negotiator: Secures favorable, compliant terms and maintains strong, accountable partner relationships. • Patient-Centered: Designs the channel around reliable, timely patient access for rare disease communities. • Systems and Data Fluency: Translates business needs into system requirements and uses data to drive decisions. • Compliance Mindset: Builds controls and documentation into every process from the start. • Financial Discipline: Treats channel data, inventory, and close deliverables with the rigor of a public-company financial process. • Collaborative Leader: Influences across functions without direct authority and builds a positive, solution-oriented culture. • Agility: Thrives amid ambiguity, competing priorities, and the pace of launch. Salary Range: $233,000.00 to $302,000.00 . Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidates qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience. Denali offers a competitive total rewards package, which includes a 401k, healthcare coverage, ESPP and a broad range of other benefits. Learn more at https://www.denalitherapeutics.com/careers This compensation and benefits information is based on Denalis good faith estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future.