Associate Director, Marketing Operations

Headquartered in Carlsbad, California, and with offices in Boston, Massachusetts, and Dublin, Ireland, Ionis has been at work for more than three decades discovering medical breakthroughs that have redefined life for people with serious diseases. We’re pioneers in RNA-targeted medicines, and our platform continues to revolutionize drug discovery and transform lives for patients with unmet needs.  With multiple marketed medicines and a leading pipeline in neurology, cardiology and select areas of high patient needs, we continue to drive innovation in RNA therapies in addition to advancing new approaches in gene editing to provide greater value to patients and are well positioned financially to deliver on our strategic goals.

At Ionis, we pride ourselves on cultivating a challenging, motivating and rewarding environment that fosters innovation and scientific excellence. We know that our success is a direct result of the exceptional talents and dedication of our employees. 

With an unprecedented opportunity to change the course of human health, we look to add diverse individuals, skill sets and perspectives to our exceptional team. We continue to invest time, money and energy into making our onsite, hybrid and remote work environments a place where solid and lasting relationships are built and where our culture and employees can thrive. 

We’re building on our rich history, and we believe our greatest achievements are ahead of us. If you’re passionate about the opportunity to have meaningful impact on patients in need, we invite you to apply and join us. Experience and contribute to our unique culture while you develop and expand your career!

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, MARKETING OPERATIONS

SUMMARY

The Associate Director, Marketing Operations (Meetings & Events) is a key member of Ionis’ Commercial Operations team, reporting to the Head of Marketing Operations. This role is responsible for shaping and advancing the strategic direction, operational excellence, and scalability of Ionis’ meetings, events, and congress capabilities in support of brand and portfolio objectives.

This leader will serve as a strategic partner across Marketing, Medical Affairs, Compliance, Field Teams, Informatics, and external agencies to ensure that all engagements—ranging from speaker programs to major congresses—are insight-driven, compliant, and aligned to enterprise priorities. In addition to driving flawless execution, this role will focus on building and continuously improving the underlying processes, systems, and governance that enable high-impact, efficient, and measurable engagement strategies.

The ideal candidate brings a balance of strategic thinking and operational rigor, proactively identifying opportunities to enhance effectiveness, mitigate risk, and elevate Ionis’ presence across all commercial interactions. This role offers significant cross-functional visibility (including senior leadership) and the opportunity to influence how Ionis engages with key stakeholders across its growing portfolio.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership & Cross-Functional Alignment

• Define and evolve the strategic framework for meetings, events, and congress engagement to support brand and therapeutic area objectives
• Lead cross-functional coordination across Marketing, Medical Affairs, Compliance, Field Teams, Patient Advocacy, and Corporate Affairs to ensure aligned, integrated planning and execution
• Influence stakeholders without direct authority and provide strategic insights and updates to senior leadership
• Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure effectiveness, inform decision-making, and drive continuous improvement

Congress & Event Strategy and Execution

• Lead end-to-end planning and execution of priority congresses, ensuring a cohesive, high-impact presence aligned to cross-functional and brand objectives
• Partner with key stakeholders to define congress strategy, including objectives, messaging, and engagement plans
• Lead strategic planning and execution of commercial meetings (e.g., POAs, launch meetings, national meetings), ensuring alignment to business goals and high-quality delivery
• Serve as the central point of contact for internal stakeholders during congresses and major events
• Ensure all activities are executed in full compliance with internal policies and external regulatory requirements, including oversight of contracts, documentation, and required approvals
• Proactively identify and mitigate operational risks, and drive adoption of best practices across planning and execution processes

Speaker Bureau & Field Engagement Excellence

• Design and optimize Speaker Bureau strategy and operations to maximize effectiveness, compliance, and field impact and execution
• Ensure appropriate targeting, utilization, and performance tracking of speaker programs and field local exhibits aligned with brand priorities
• Own and enhance systems and tools (e.g., speaker and rep portals) to enable efficient program execution and user experience
• Develop and maintain SOPs, training materials, and user guides to support consistent, compliant execution of speaker programs and local exhibits
• Ensure all speaker-related activities adhere to legal, regulatory, and internal compliance standards, while continuously improving processes for scalability and efficiency

Vendor & Budget Management

• Oversee vendor strategy and performance across congresses, speaker programs, and meetings to ensure quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness
• Manage budgets across events and programs, including forecasting, tracking, reconciliation, and reporting
• Drive accountability and optimization in external partnerships

REQUIREMENTS

The individual who will be successful in this role will have existing experience with meeting and event operations and execution. The individual must also be highly organized, self-motivated, approachable, and an articulate team player who has the highest level of integrity and core value system consistent with our culture and core principles.

• Bachelor’s degree with 12+ years’ or equivalent with relevant marketing/operational experience in the biopharmaceutical industry
• Demonstrable understanding of legal and regulatory environment in pharmaceutical promotions, pharmaceutical industry guidelines, and other compliance-related issues
• Proven ability to manage without authority, independently lead high visibility strategic projects and translate strategies into defined resource needs, tactics, and metrics to achieve results and operational excellence
• Strong project management skills: proven ability to manage multiple tasks to conclusion, within allotted timelines/deadlines, and without compromise to quality of work
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills, ability to develop important relationships with key stakeholders, good conflict management and negotiation skills
• Ability to travel routinely as part of role responsibilities (30% travel)

Please visit our website, http://www.ionis.com for more information about Ionis and to apply for this position; reference requisition # IONIS004013

Ionis offers an excellent benefits package! Follow this link for more details: Ionis Benefits

Full Benefits Link: https://ionis.com/careers#:~:text=Highly%20competitive%20benefits

The pay scale for this position is $150,000 to $175,000

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE. PRINCIPALS ONLY.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and all its subsidiaries are proud to be EEO employers.

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