Sr. Director/Executive Director, Global Medical Communications & Operations

About Stoke:

Stoke Therapeutics (Nasdaq: STOK), is a biotechnology company dedicated to addressing the underlying cause of severe diseases. The company is pursuing an entirely new approach to treating severe diseases. We are initially focused on diseases of the central nervous system and the eye, with an emphasis on haploinsufficiencies, which are diseases caused by a loss of about half of the normal protein levels. Rather than replace, repair or edit faulty genes, we aim to increase – or stoke – protein output from healthy genes to restore functional protein levels using our proprietary TANGO (Targeted Augmentation of Nuclear Gene Output) platform. In all, Stoke has identified ~6500 genes with a TANGO signature, representing broad potential for our approach to help people with severe diseases.

We recently announced landmark data that support the potential for STK-001 to be the first disease-modifying medicine for Dravet syndrome, a severe and progressive genetic epilepsy that is characterized by frequent, prolonged and refractory seizures, beginning within the first year of life. The disease is classified as a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy due to the developmental delays and cognitive impairment associated with the disease.

Stoke is also advancing STK-002, a potential treatment for autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA), the most common inherited optic nerve disorder. Currently there are no approved treatments for ADOA. Clinical studies of STK-002 are anticipated to start in 2024. The company is pursuing potential new medicines for three additional neurodevelopmental disorders, including Syngap1 and Rett syndrome, in collaboration with Acadia Pharmaceuticals.

Position Purpose:

The Senior Director/Executive Director, Global Medical Communications & Operations will be responsible for leading external medical affairs communications and operations strategy, including oversight of publications strategy and execution. The role is responsible for cultivating partnerships with cross-functional senior and executive leaders such as corporate communications, program leadership, clinical development, legal, regulatory, patient advocacy and marketing to provide leadership in support of development of a medical communications strategy that advances the awareness, understanding and credibility of Stoke science in our disease areas of focus. The role is responsible for interacting with various investigators, KOLs, HCPs and internal Stoke departments to ensure the medical and scientific merit of medical communications. This role will initially be an individual contributor, leading external contract and publication vendor work with significant matrix leadership responsibilities, eventually building a team as the pipeline and related work advances. This position will report into SVP of Global Medical Affairs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Fosters collaboration with Senior Leadership to inform and understand corporate strategy and ensure alignment of External Medical Communications.
• Oversees execution of Medical Affairs strategic operations needs including Vendor Management, budget management and internal systems (e.g., Veeva CRM, Publications planning software, etc).
• Communications Strategy and Planning, and Field Medical Operations (e.g., Veeva CRM management).
• Provide matrix leadership to teams that manage program publications, including management of external vendors/medical agencies assisting with medical content planning and execution.
• Leads development of Scientific Communication Platforms and Core Communication Objectives in collaboration with program team functions.
• Establish and ensure consistent adherence to publications policies in accordance with good publication practices through oversight and leadership of publications activities.
• Lead cross-functional strategic external Med Communications efforts in alignment with product development teams to ensure prioritized submission and publication of data to address unmet educational needs.
• Work with internal review committees in submission and review of all external medical communications and materials, to ensure accuracy, compliance and consistency of materials for medical presentations and education.
• Collaborate closely with finance for budget management for all Medical Affairs contracts, and correspondence with grant recipients as applicable.
• Develop strategic medical congress plans and oversee development of materials for booths, sponsored symposia, advisory boards, and resources for Field Medical.
• Conduct ongoing assessments of MA capabilities, processes and systems to identify and address gaps.
• Oversee ongoing development and evolution of Medical Affairs standard operating procedures.
  
  

Required Skills & Experience:

• This position requires an advanced degree, ideally with 10 or more years of combined industry, clinical and/or medical communications experience.
• Must possess excellent communication skills, including ability to strategically synthesize and simplify complicated scientific topics into understandable messages for broad audiences.
• Leadership and influence skills, including a passion for working within multiple teams and proven ability to achieve results in a matrix organization.
• Must be able to actively manage and track many complex projects in parallel, structuring the actions of many people toward shared outcomes.
• Highly motivated, decisive, and results-oriented individual with the flexibility and creativity to excel in a rapidly growing and changing environment.
• Experience working with all levels of management and consulting with key business stakeholders. An ability to positively influence stakeholders in a team environment for greater outcomes.
• Strong team player that has a customer service approach and is solution oriented.
• Attention to detail and the ability to work individually, within a multi-disciplinary team, as well as with external partners and vendors.
• Embrace our core values
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, as required, in a fast-paced start-up environment consisting of internal and external team members.
• Analytical thinker with excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to changing priorities and deadlines.
• Excellent planning, organization and time management skills including the ability to support and prioritize multiple projects.
  
  

Location(s):

Stoke operates sites in Bedford, MA, and Cambridge, MA. This position is hybrid/remote based position that will require a consistent presence with our office-based staff.

Travel:

This position will require approximately ~10-20% travel, including presence at international conferences as required.

Culture & Values:

At Stoke, we believe that innovation, the ability to successfully advance our ground-breaking science and having fun as a team are enhanced by being together in person, at least periodically. We allow for flexibility in work arrangements that balance individual’s needs and preferences with the needs of our business and our desire to foster a culture of collaboration and innovation.

Our values guide our work to deliver meaningful medicines for people who need them. We are committed to being true to ourselves, to our colleagues, and to the people with severe diseases who are counting on us. We embrace diversity within a unique culture that is defined by our values. Our employee-led Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee (DIB) underscores the importance of DIB to who we are and what we do.

Benefits & Compensation:

At Stoke Therapeutics we are proud to offer comprehensive and competitive employee benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance; life, long and short-term disability insurance; Paid Parental Leave; a 401K program with company match, unlimited vacation time, and an Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP). Compensation is market competitive for the industry and directly commensurate with experience. All positions are bonus and stock eligible.

Interested candidates: Please visit Stoke’s website to learn more and apply directly to the position listed on our Career Center:

https://www.stoketherapeutics.com/careers/

For more information, visit https://www.stoketherapeutics.com/ or follow the company on Twitter at @StokeTx.

All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, physical or mental disability or protected veteran status.

Stoke participates in E-Verify.