Location: Princeton, NJ (on-site)
About Summit:
Ivonescimab, also known as SMT112, is a novel, potential first-in-class investigational
bispecific antibody combining the effects of immunotherapy via a blockade of PD-1 with the anti-angiogenesis effects associated with blocking VEGF into a single molecule. Ivonescimab displays unique cooperative binding to each of its intended targets with multifold higher affinity when in the presence of both PD-1 and VEGF.
Summit has begun its clinical development of ivonescimab in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with three active Phase III trials:
- HARMONi is a Phase III clinical trial which intends to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with EGFR-mutated, locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC who have progressed after treatment with a 3rd generation EGFR TKI (e.g., osimertinib).
- HARMONi-3 is a Phase III clinical trial which is designed to evaluate ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy compared to pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC.
- HARMONi-7 is a Phase III clinical trial which is intended to evaluate ivonescimab monotherapy compared to pembrolizumab monotherapy in patients with first-line metastatic NSCLC whose tumors have high PD-L1 expression.
Ivonescimab is an investigational therapy that is not approved by any regulatory authority in Summit’s license territories, including the United States and Europe. Ivonescimab was approved for marketing authorization in China in May 2024. Ivonescimab was granted Fast Track designation by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the HARMONi clinical trial setting.
Overview of Role:
The Executive Director of Market Research will lead the vision, strategy, and execution of all in-line, launch Indications market research activities to inform strategic decision-making across the organization. This role is critical to shaping our understanding of customer needs, competitive dynamics, product performance, and market opportunities in the pharmaceutical space. The VP will serve as a key strategic advisor to executive leadership, supporting commercial, R&D, and medical affairs with high-impact insights that guide in-line product strategies.
Role and Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute a forward-looking, integrated market research in line and launch strategy aligned with the company’s commercialization goals and growth objectives
- Serve as a thought leader and strategic partner to senior leadership across commercial, R&D, and medical functions
- Design and oversee qualitative and quantitative research programs to support product lifecycle stages—from early development through launch and post-market phases
- Deliver actionable insights on customer behavior, unmet needs, market trends, in line competitive intelligence, and brand performance
- Translate complex data into clear, concise, and impactful recommendations for stakeholders
- Partner with commercial, brand, access, HEOR, medical affairs, and business development teams to shape strategies using evidence-based insights
- Provide input into forecasting, segmentation, positioning, and go-to-market planning.
- Ensure research practices comply with regulatory standards, industry guidelines, and internal policies
- Promote innovation and adoption of emerging methodologies, technologies, AI and analytics tools
- All other duties as assigned
Experience, Education and Specialized Knowledge and Skills:
- Advanced degree in Business, Marketing, Life Sciences, or a related field (MBA, MS, or PhD preferred)
- Minimum of 10+ years of experience in market research, insights, or commercial analytics within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry
- Minimum of 15+ years' experience in the pharma, biotech, or life sciences industry with a minimum of 10+ years' experience in Market Research
- Oncology experience is strongly preferred, including I/O experience
- Proven leadership experience, with a track record of building and mentoring high-performing teams
- Launch experience is a plus
- Strong analytical skills to craft meaningful market research to inform business strategies
- Exceptional critical thinking skills to translate the MR into key insights, and can triangulate the insights across several sources
- Ability to spot trends, identify patterns, and make connections between different pieces of data
- Communication findings and insights in a clear conscience manner, with the appropriate caveats
- Ability to take complex data and distill it to the most important insights without bias
- Must be up to date on the latest technologies and have a good understanding of the statistical analysis software that vendors may be using
- Attention to details is very important to ensure that the most reliable insights
- Deep understanding of oncology across various solid tumors including the science and the evolving market landscape
- Competencies across a wide range of Market Research needs including: positioning, message development, customer insights, marketing material development and testing target product profiles as well as insights development for forecasting
- Project management skills and ability to gain input from key stakeholders before the research is conducted to ensure clarity of the MR objectives
- Good understanding of marketing principles, customer behavior, and product strategies in oncology
The pay range for this role is $260,000-$280,000 annually. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, certifications, and specific work location. This may be different in other locations due to differences in the cost of labor. The total compensation package for this position may also include bonus, stock, benefits and/or other applicable variable compensation.
Summit does not accept referrals from employment businesses and/or employment agencies in respect of the vacancies posted on this site. All employment businesses/agencies are required to contact Summit’s Talent Acquisition team at recruiting@smmttx.com to obtain prior written authorization before referring any candidates to Summit.