Associate Director, Product Marketing

Nearly 37 million Americans are currently affected by Chronic Kidney Disease. 37 million.

At Akebia we take that number very seriously and every day we come to work, with the purpose of bettering the lives of each person impacted by kidney disease and the renal community that serves them. Our tenacious, passionate employees’ challenge the status quo and work to develop unique therapeutics that have the potential to set new standards of care for people living with kidney disease.

This is life‑changing work, and we are all in, are you?

Akebia is seeking an experienced, mission-oriented and collaborative Associate Director to play a pivotal role in driving adoption and sustained growth of recently launched Vafseo. This position will focus on executing brand strategies, optimizing launch performance, deepening engagement with key nephrology stakeholders, and implementing AI-enabled tools to support operational efficiencies. The ideal candidate is a hands‑on, data-driven marketer who excels at translating insights into compelling value stories, brings a mix of strategic thinking and tactical agility, and has experience or interest in AI technologies.

Akebia has a strong cross‑functional team, and this position will serve as an integral member to advance the strategic and tactical plans for Vafseo. The Associate Director will partner closely with Field Sales, Sales Training, Commercial Analytics, Legal, Regulatory and Medical Affairs colleagues in order to successfully develop and execute marketing programs and initiatives.

• Lead development of personal promotion strategy and creation of all assets and content for HCPs and patients, collaborate effectively with Promotional Review Committee (PRC) partners.
• Measure and optimize promotional material effectiveness.
• Work with the broader Marketing team and agency partners to refine and implement post‑launch brand strategies and positioning that continue to build awareness, reinforce clinical value, and support long‑term therapy use.
• Lead implementation of AI‑enabled solution(s) to increase promotional effectiveness and operational efficiencies.
• Lead activities and materials supporting field sales, sales training team, and national accounts.
• Champion strategic project initiatives to support future brand growth.
• Drive agency activities to ensure tactics align with broader strategy and meet timelines/budget.
• Ensure alignment across brand messaging, promotional materials, and customer engagement initiatives.
• Lead advisory boards, congresses, and symposia to strengthen scientific and brand credibility.
• Manage marketing budget and external partners efficiently.
• Lead development of annual brand plan for all personal promotion activities.

• Bachelor’s Degree required.
• 7+ years of professional experience in pharmaceutical marketing, renal experience a plus.
• Minimum of 3 years of HCP or patient product management experience.

• MBA.
• Go‑to‑market execution – support performance optimization for Vafseo.
• Cross‑functional leadership – influence and collaborate effectively with PRC partners.
• Stakeholder influence – communicate persuasively with other internal teams and external agencies.
• Forecasting & financial acumen – manage marketing budget and align spend with commercial impact.
• Sales enablement – create impactful tools and support training/rollout to the Key Account Managers (KAMs).
• Agency management – direct creative partners effectively.
• Communication – strong written and presentation skills.

Boston area based hybrid role. Up to 15% travel to attend sales meetings, customer visits, and relevant medical meetings/congresses within the U.S.

Targeted Base: $177,175-$218,863*

* Base compensation for this role will depend on a number of factors including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies, and experience, and may fall outside of the range shown. Base pay is only one component of the company’s total rewards package, all regular employees are also eligible for the corporate bonus program or the incentive compensation program (if applicable), as well as equity.

Additional…