Director, Government Affairs (South) - Remote - Ardelyx, Inc.

Ardelyx was founded with a mission to discover, develop and commercialize innovative, first-in-class medicines that meet significant unmet medical needs. Ardelyx has two commercial products approved in the United States, IBSRELA®(tenapanor) and XPHOZAH® (tenapanor), as well as early-stage pipeline candidates.                                         

Ardelyx is seeking a passionate individual who works with integrity and determination, to make a difference for patients. Reporting to the Vice President and Head of Global Patient Advocacy, the Director of Government Affairs will be responsible for leading and executing the Ardelyx government affairs strategy at the state and federal levels in close alignment with our gastrointestinal and renal business leaders.  This person will skillfully engage policymakers and advocacy groups to ensure public policies support the needs of patients and advance our company’s goals.                                  

Position Responsibilities:         

• Responsible for leading state government engagement across the Southern region of the country with attention to the federal delegation, and stakeholders in Texas, Georgia, and New Mexico on key policy issues.
• Develops and implements appropriate strategies and tactics to achieve the desired outcomes through a combination of direct lobbying and legislative coalition-building.
• Leading public policy efforts in collaboration with national consultants.
• Managing a team of legislative and alliance development consultants to strategically deliver results in a compliant way.
• Developing and executing strategies to ensure patients have access to our medicines in collaboration with Market Access and Marketing.
• Collaborating with the Directors of Patient Advocacy to work with government stakeholders on patient awareness initiatives.
• Working collaboratively with Marketing, Communications, Policy, and Medical Affairs teammates to ensure that efforts are aligned to meet company objectives and most effectively serve the needs of patients.
• Working closely with the commercial organization on key issues of importance for patients and patient advocates, including pricing and access, patient support and disease awareness programs.
• Provide strategic input into the development and resource prioritization for the Company’s annual government affairs plan.
• Identifying and pursuing additional opportunities to advance our company’s business objectives.

• Minimum of 10 years current and relevant experience in the pharmaceutical industry and 10 years prior experience in government affairs, patient advocacy, public health policy, communications, or related field(s);
• Bachelor’s degree required. An advanced degree is highly desired;