Associate Director, Patient Support Services Operations at Cytokinetics in Radnor, PA

Job description

Cytokinetics is a specialty cardiovascular biopharmaceutical company, building on its over 25 years of pioneering scientific innovations in muscle biology, and advancing a pipeline of potential new medicines for patients suffering from diseases of cardiac muscle dysfunction. The Associate Director, Patient Support Services (PSS) Operations is responsible for the execution, and optimization of patient support programs to ensure a seamless, patient-centric experience across the treatment journey. This role oversees day-to-day operations of patient support services—including access, reimbursement, affordability programs, adherence support, and specialty pharmacy coordination—typically delivered through third-party partners. This candidate will drive operational excellence, ensuring patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers receive high-quality, timely support that enables efficient access to therapy. The Associate Director will partner cross-functionally to align PSS strategy with business objectives while maintaining a strong focus on patient experience, compliance, and performance. This is a great opportunity to grow and develop in a fast, entrepreneurial collaborative environment, and help move the needle with a rapidly growing company. This position will report to the Head of Treatment Experience. Key Responsibilities Patient Support Operations Lead the operational execution of Patient Support Services, ensuring delivery of best-in-class support across access, affordability, and adherence programs Oversee relationships with outsourced vendors (e.g., hub providers), establishing governance, performance management, and accountability structures Ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery aligned with company standards and patient needs ensuring compliance across services Manage Escalations from Vendors and Field teams on individual patient cases Work closely with the REMS operations team to ensure a seamless experience for HCPS and Patients Be familiar with internal material review process submissions and content pull through. Design and continuously improve the end-to-end patient journey, from prescription through ongoing therapy Identify pain points across the patient and provider experience and implement solutions to enhance satisfaction and outcomes Establish and monitor key experience metrics (e.g., time to therapy, case resolution, patient/provider satisfaction) Oversee development and maintenance of SOPs, work instructions, and training materials Vendor & Program Management Act as the primary point of contact for external patient support vendors Monitor vendor performance against KPIs and SLAs, ensuring compliance and continuous improvement Lead regular business reviews, issue resolution, and program enhancements Cross-Functional Collaboration Partner with Market Access, Commercial, Medical Affairs, Trade & Distribution, Compliance, Legal, and Data & Insights teams Ensure alignment of patient support strategy with brand objectives, product lifecycle, and access strategy Data, Reporting & Continuous Improvement Define and track key performance indicators for PSS effectiveness and operational efficiency Leverage data and analytics to generate insights and inform decision-making Identify trends and proactively implement process improvements and innovations Financial & Resource Management Manage PSS operational budget, including vendor contracts and program costs for assigned vendors Optimize resource allocation to maximize program impact and efficiency Support forecasting and long-range planning for patient support programs Qualifications Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MPH, or equivalent) preferred 7+ years of experience in biopharma, with significant experience in patient support services, market access, or reimbursement operations Strong expertise in access and reimbursement processes, specialty pharmacy, and patient affordability programs Experience managing third-party vendors or hub service