Product Manager, US Patient Marketing – EMPAVELI

Summary

Apellis Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company developing therapies through complement science. The Product Manager will execute the US patient marketing plan for EMPAVELI, lead patient and caregiver content strategy, manage agency partners, and develop patient-facing programs and resources. The role also leads digital content marketing across hematology and nephrology while partnering cross-functionally on omnichannel execution, compliance, analytics, and field enablement.

Responsibilities

• Execute the US PNH patient marketing plan for EMPAVELI, branded and unbranded, in line with the brand strategy set by the US Hematology Marketing Lead; manage agency partners in the execution of that plan
• Lead patient and caregiver content strategy and orchestration: patient brochures and print education, patient website updates (branded and unbranded), patient stories and videos, social content, and the patient podcasts (episode creative and per-episode social feedback with the podcast vendor)
• Partner with Patient Services, Advocacy, and Corporate Communications on PNH patient program planning and promotion, including the PNH Patient Summit, Ambassador program, Meet-a-Peer, and event registration and follow-up; own the patient field team handoffs
• Develop patient-facing resources and enablement for Patient Access Managers, ACEs, and sales, including NSM/POA patient sessions, in partnership with Training and Field Leadership
• Generate and apply patient insights (advisory boards, market research, competitive insights) and translate them into messaging and tactics
• Define and track the patient marketing KPI plan; recommend courses of action based on results
• Administer the patient marketing budget efficiently and thoughtfully (SOWs, POs, accruals)
• Work closely with Regulatory, Legal, Compliance, and Privacy on patient-facing policies and procedures, including consent and data capture for patient forms and programs
• Serve as digital content lead for patient marketing across PNH and nephrology (C3G/IC-MPGN): content strategy and orchestration, creative briefs, brand-connected assets, CRM/email, banners, paid and organic social, online video, and website content, with creative direction from brief through PRC approval to handoff with creative agencies
• Act as the brand-side counterpart to the Omnichannel team: hand off approved assets, align segment-specific and sequential messaging to brand objectives, and ensure digital drivers ladder to patient program and website goals
• Own PNH field digital enablement: NPI leads handoff and post-handoff feedback loop with the field, the monthly field team cadence, and RTE templates for Patient Access Managers and Account Managers
• Own measurement beyond media for PNH: email, RTE/CVA, congress, leads, and podcast reporting, in partnership with Analytics; bring insights into the monthly performance cadence
• Support nephrology patient digital content, including influencer program assets, landing pages, and online video, in partnership with the US Nephrology Patient Marketing Lead
• Maintain working knowledge of the martech and compliance stack (Veeva, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, patient data platform, cookie consent) to brief work correctly and flag privacy/consent requirements early
• Support 2027+ brand planning on digital innovation, including vendor sourcing, vetting, and onboarding and AI-enabled tools

Skills

• Bachelor's degree required
• 3+ years of biotech/pharma marketing experience, with direct experience in patient/DTC marketing
• Experience developing digital content (email/CRM, web, social, video) through MLR/PRC review is required; Veeva PromoMats experience preferred
• Passion for understanding and championing the needs of people living with rare diseases and their caregivers, translating them into market-moving insights
• Proficiency with high-science data and a demonstrated ability to convert it into compliant, patient-friendly messaging
• Working fluency in digital content development and performance metrics, with the judgment to know what the brand should say and how to brief it so Omnichannel can execute
• Ability to navigate and be successful in a fast-paced, results-driven environment, managing through ambiguity
• Commitment to collaboration and engagement, with a history of success leading in a matrix environment and with agency partners
• An entrepreneurial spirit coupled with the drive to embrace innovation and develop creative but well-reasoned solutions to business challenges
• Motivation to build the patient programs, content, and processes that sustain a growing in-market brand
• Demonstrated integrity on the job, including an understanding of relevant rules and regulations (promotional compliance, PRC/MLR, patient privacy and consent)
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence across functions and varying levels of the organization
• Willing to travel domestically up to 30% of the time and attend events outside of business hours (e.g., occasional weekends and evenings)
• Veeva PromoMats experience preferred
• MBA or other advanced degree is a plus
• Experience in rare disease and/or hematology is preferred; experience with an in-market brand with a label update or new-indication expansion is a plus
• Experience working alongside omnichannel, media, and analytics teams, and managing multiple agency partners, is a plus
• Experience in patient services, field, or customer-facing roles is a plus

Qualifications

Must Haves

• Bachelor's degree required
• 3+ years of biotech/pharma marketing experience, with direct experience in patient/DTC marketing
• Experience developing digital content (email/CRM, web, social, video) through MLR/PRC review is required; Veeva PromoMats experience preferred
• Passion for understanding and championing the needs of people living with rare diseases and their caregivers, translating them into market-moving insights
• Proficiency with high-science data and a demonstrated ability to convert it into compliant, patient-friendly messaging
• Working fluency in digital content development and performance metrics, with the judgment to know what the brand should say and how to brief it so Omnichannel can execute
• Ability to navigate and be successful in a fast-paced, results-driven environment, managing through ambiguity
• Commitment to collaboration and engagement, with a history of success leading in a matrix environment and with agency partners
• An entrepreneurial spirit coupled with the drive to embrace innovation and develop creative but well-reasoned solutions to business challenges
• Motivation to build the patient programs, content, and processes that sustain a growing in-market brand
• Demonstrated integrity on the job, including an understanding of relevant rules and regulations (promotional compliance, PRC/MLR, patient privacy and consent)
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence across functions and varying levels of the organization
• Willing to travel domestically up to 30% of the time and attend events outside of business hours (e.g., occasional weekends and evenings)

Nice to Haves

• Veeva PromoMats experience preferred
• MBA or other advanced degree is a plus
• Experience in rare disease and/or hematology is preferred; experience with an in-market brand with a label update or new-indication expansion is a plus
• Experience working alongside omnichannel, media, and analytics teams, and managing multiple agency partners, is a plus
• Experience in patient services, field, or customer-facing roles is a plus

Benefits

• Health insurance with full premium coverage
• 401K with company match
• Paid time off (PTO)
• Long-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Inclusive family building benefits
• Flexible time off
• Summer and winter shutdowns
• Paid family leave
• Disability and life insurance
• Hybrid work arrangement