The Position

The Medical Affairs Payer Director serves as the senior scientific leader responsible for national payer engagement across Arrowhead’s cardiometabolic RNAi portfolio. This role leads high-level, compliant scientific exchange with U.S. payers to ensure Arrowhead’s clinical, real-world, and health economic evidence is clearly articulated and aligned with evolving reimbursement expectations. This position plays a critical role in shaping payer perception early in development and supporting optimal access at launch. The Medical Affairs Payer Director partners cross-functionally to integrate payer insights into evidence generation, development strategy, and value communication planning. This role reports directly to the Medical Affairs Strategic Executive Director.

Responsibilities

Strategic Payer Scientific Engagement

• Lead compliant, non-promotional scientific exchange with national commercial payers, PBMs, government payers, and IDNs regarding Arrowhead’s cardiometabolic RNAi assets.
• Present and contextualize Phase II/III data, outcomes data, real-world evidence, and long-term safety and durability findings in a payer-relevant framework.
• Support proactive pre-launch and peri-launch payer engagement strategies to inform coverage policy development.
• Establish Arrowhead as a credible scientific partner in discussions related to lipid management, cardiovascular risk reduction, and metabolic disease.

Evidence Strategy & Value Alignment

• Identify payer-relevant evidence gaps and translate them into actionable recommendations for clinical development and RWE planning.
• Partner with Medical Value Evidence and Outcomes, Medical Affairs to ensure AMCP dossiers, value narratives, and budget impact models reflect the scientific and economic drivers most relevant to cardiometabolic payers.
• Provide medical input into discussions supporting value-based reimbursement models while maintaining clear compliance boundaries.
• Contribute to endpoint and subpopulation strategy discussions to ensure alignment with future reimbursement expectations.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the Medical Affairs representative in cardiometabolic payer strategy and launch planning discussions.
• Collaborate with Market Access to ensure scientific consistency in payer-facing materials and engagement strategy.
• Align closely with Medical Value Evidence and Outcomes to incorporate payer insights into trial design and long-term evidence planning.
• Partner with Field Medical leadership to ensure consistent scientific messaging across stakeholder audiences.

Landscape Monitoring & Strategic Insights

• Monitor evolving payer policies, prior authorization trends, step therapy frameworks, and specialty management approaches within cardiometabolic disease.
• Provide regular strategic updates on payer sentiment, competitive positioning, and reimbursement risk considerations.
• Translate payer feedback into clear, prioritized insights for senior Medical Affairs leadership.

 Requirements

• 8 years of experience in Medical Affairs, HEOR, or related biopharmaceutical function.
• Demonstrated expertise in cardiometabolic disease, including lipid disorders, cardiovascular risk reduction, or metabolic conditions.
• Strong understanding of U.S. payer decision-making processes, formulary review frameworks, and coverage policy development.
• Experience supporting AMCP dossiers, value narratives, and payer evidence discussions.
• Launch experience in specialty or cardiometabolic therapeutic areas preferred.
• Proven ability to operate cross-functionally,  influence without direct authority and with external stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent executive communication skills with strong scientific credibility and compliance judgment.

Preferred

• Direct experience engaging national or regional payer organizations