Cytokinetics is a specialty cardiovascular biopharmaceutical company, building on its over 25 years of pioneering scientific innovations in muscle biology, and advancing a pipeline of potential new medicines for patients suffering from diseases of cardiac muscle dysfunction.
The Associate Director, Patient Support Services (PSS) Operations is responsible for the execution, and optimization of patient support programs to ensure a seamless, patient-centric experience across the treatment journey. This role oversees day-to-day operations of patient support services—including access, reimbursement, affordability programs, adherence support, and specialty pharmacy coordination—typically delivered through third-party partners.
This candidate will drive operational excellence, ensuring patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers receive high-quality, timely support that enables efficient access to therapy. The Associate Director will partner cross-functionally to align PSS strategy with business objectives while maintaining a strong focus on patient experience, compliance, and performance.
This is a great opportunity to grow and develop in a fast, entrepreneurial collaborative environment, and help move the needle with a rapidly growing company. This position will report to the Head of Treatment Experience.
Key Responsibilities
Patient Support Operations
Lead the operational execution of Patient Support Services, ensuring delivery of best-in-class support across access, affordability, and adherence programs
Oversee relationships with outsourced vendors (e.g., hub providers), establishing governance, performance management, and accountability structures
Ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery aligned with company standards and patient needs ensuring compliance across services
Manage Escalations from Vendors and Field teams on individual patient cases
Work closely with the REMS operations team to ensure a seamless experience for HCPS and Patients
Be familiar with internal material review process submissions and content pull through.
Design and continuously improve the end-to-end patient journey, from prescription through ongoing therapy
Identify pain points across the patient and provider experience and implement solutions to enhance satisfaction and outcomes
Establish and monitor key experience metrics (e.g., time to therapy, case resolution, patient/provider satisfaction)
Oversee development and maintenance of SOPs, work instructions, and training materials
Vendor & Program Management
Act as the primary point of contact for external patient support vendors
Monitor vendor performance against KPIs and SLAs, ensuring compliance and continuous improvement
Lead regular business reviews, issue resolution, and program enhancements
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner with Market Access, Commercial, Medical Affairs, Trade & Distribution, Compliance, Legal, and Data & Insights teams
Ensure alignment of patient support strategy with brand objectives, product lifecycle, and access strategy
Data, Reporting & Continuous Improvement
Define and track key performance indicators for PSS effectiveness and operational efficiency
Leverage data and analytics to generate insights and inform decision-making
Identify trends and proactively implement process improvements and innovations
Financial & Resource Management
Manage PSS operational budget, including vendor contracts and program costs for assigned vendors
Optimize resource allocation to maximize program impact and efficiency
Support forecasting and long-range planning for patient support programs
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MPH, or equivalent) preferred
7+ years of experience in biopharma, with significant experience in patient support services, market access, or reimbursement operations
Strong expertise in access and reimbursement processes, specialty pharmacy, and patient affordability programs
Experience managing third-party vendors or hub service…