Senior Director of Value, Access, & Trade (Commercial)

Location: Hybrid Role – based in Princeton, NJ or Frederick, MD

Reports to: Head of Commercial

About Cartesian Therapeutics:

Cartesian Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing mRNA CAR-T therapies for autoimmune diseases. Our mission is to expand the reach of cell therapy to patients living with serious autoimmune conditions through scientific rigor, collaboration, and innovation.

About the Role:

As we look ahead to the upcoming completion of our Ph3 Generalized Myasthenia Gravis trial, along with the continued progression of our trials in Myositis and Juvenile Dermatomyositis, Cartesian is further building-out our Commercial Organization.

Thus, we are seeking a Head of Value, Access, & Trade, which will report to the Head of Commercial and serve as a key member of the Commercial leadership team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Market Access Strategy & Value Architecture: Develop and lead an integrated market access and value strategyto support successful commercialization, ensuring optimal payer positioning, evidence generation, pricing, reimbursement, and access
• Pricing, Contracting, & Gross-to-Net Strategy: Establish and execute pricing and contracting strategies, including gross-to-net optimization, to balance access and value realization while ensuring compliance with all government pricing and reporting requirements; Support the Head of Commercial in the design and implementation of pricing and contracting governance frameworks to ensure executive alignment, disciplined decision-making, and compliant execution
• Payer Engagement & Negotiation: Build and maintain senior-level relationships and lead complex negotiations (national & regional commercial payers & government entities) to secure and sustain favorable access & reimbursement outcomes
• Value Proposition, Evidence & Payer Marketing: Define and deliver differentiated payer value propositions supported by robust clinical, economic, and real-world evidence strategies; lead payer marketing, payer market-shaping, and the development & deployment of HEOR resources to drive education and access; and implement rigorous measurement for impact and continuous improvement
• Reimbursement Strategy: Design and implement a reimbursement model aligned to HCO business models, site-of-care nuances, and company economics to ensure profitable patient access and favorable customer experience
• Trade & Distribution Model: Architect and optimize specialty distribution and trade (including government licensing) ensuring seamless and compliant product flow to patients
• Field Market Access Leadership: Build and lead high-performing field teams (payer accounts/NAMs and field reimbursement) to execute access strategy, drive pull-through, and deliver best-in-class stakeholder engagement
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with key commercial peers, as well as leadership across medical affairs, finance, regulatory, legal/compliance, manufacturing, and supply chain to ensure aligned and integrated execution of access strategies across the product lifecycle
• Team Development & Leadership: Recruit, develop, and lead a high-performing, agile market access team; foster a collaborative, accountable, and patient-centric culture aligned with company values.

Qualifications:

• BioPharma Experience: 15+ years of progressive BioPharma market access leadership experience across payer strategy, pricing, contracting, reimbursement, trade/distribution, and field execution, with demonstrated success operating at the executive level within a Biotech initiating a first commercial launch
• Leadership Profile: Purpose-driven leader that values and role-models innovation, collaboration, integrity, and patient-centric thinking. Proven "player-coach" with the agility & humility to operate seamlessly between strategy and execution; known for building and leading high-performing teams and driving impact in resource-constrained, fast-paced, high-science environments
• Market Access Expertise: Deep expertise in U.S. payer & reimbursement landscape, including government and commercial payers, buy-and-bill dynamics, trade & specialty distribution, pricing frameworks, gross-to-net, policy considerations, site of care models, and compliant payer engagement (including PIE)
• Therapeutic Experience: Experience within cell and/or gene therapy, rare disease, neurology, rheumatology, and/or hematology/oncology strongly preferred, including successful launch of novel or first-in-class therapies
• Strategic & Analytical Excellence: Strong ability to translate clinical and economic data into compelling value narratives and access strategies; experience linking access strategy to forecasting, financial planning, and commercial performance
• Collaboration & Influence: Exceptional communication, executive presence, and stakeholder influence skills, with a highly collaborative, cross-functional mindset
• Education: Advanced degree (MBA, MPH, PharmD, PhD, or equivalent) preferred; relevant work experience will be considered

Travel Expectations: ~30–40% travel, increasing to 40–60% during pre-launch and payer-critical periods