Rare Disease Sales Specialist - Grand Rapids MI

Position Summary:

The Rare Disease Sales Specialist will serve as a key commercial ambassador for Vera’s first product launch in rare kidney disease. Reporting to the Senior Director, Regional Sales, this individual will be responsible for driving awareness, education, and adoption of atacicept within assigned accounts, focusing on nephrologists and key treatment centers managing patients with IgA nephropathy.

The ideal candidate brings a team-oriented, goal-directed, and ownership mindset – someone who thrives in a collaborative, high-performance environment and takes pride in finding solutions. Vera seeks individuals who demonstrate grit, resilience, and determination in the face of challenged and continuously strive to improve through feedback and learning.

This is a rare opportunity to help shape the commercial foundation of a growing biotech and make a direct impact on patients’ lives.

Key Responsibilities:

Account Ownership & Territory Management

• Serve as the business owner for your territory, developing and executing a strategic plan to achieve or exceed sales targets.
• Identify, engage, and educate key healthcare professionals (HCPs), including nephrologists, nurse practitioners, and clinic staff.
• Build and maintain deep relationships across community and academic centers to support appropriate patient identification and treatment.
• Analyze territory dynamics to uncover growth opportunities and inform regional strategies.
• Demonstrate strong business and market acumen, translating insights into actionable strategies and call plans.

Customer Engagement & Education

• Deliver compelling, compliant clinical presentations to educate HCPs on atacicept’s mechanism of action, efficacy, safety, and patient benefits.
• Execute in-office and regional educational initiatives to enhance disease awareness and treatment understanding.
• Communicate complex clinical data in a clear and engaging way that drives informed decision-making.
• Apply advanced selling skills to influence HCP behavior, foster accountability, and create urgency around patient care.
• Partner cross-functionally with Field Reimbursement, Medical Affairs, and Patient Support teams to ensure seamless patient access.

Collaboration & Culture

• Model Vera’s values of accountability, integrity, and compassion in every interaction.
• Collaborate with regional and cross-functional colleagues to ensure “One Vera” alignment in the field.
• Share best practices and insights to strengthen collective performance.
• Provide real-time feedback from the field to inform marketing and access strategies.

Operational Excellence

• Deliver consistent, compliant, and high-quality execution.
• Maintain accurate CRM records, submit expense reports, and timely completion of required training.
• Ensure adherence to all company policies, regulatory guidelines, and industry compliance standards.
• Travel approximately 60% of the time (depending on territory geography).

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 5+ years of pharmaceutical or biotech sales experience, including at least 3 years in rare disease or specialty markets (nephrology experience strongly preferred).
• Proven track record of sales excellence and successful product launch experience.
• Demonstrated success in competitive selling environments, ideally within rare or specialty therapeutic areas.
• Strong clinical acumen and ability to translate complex science into meaningful, patient-focused dialogue.
• Skilled in business planning, territory management, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Passionate about improving outcomes for individuals living with serious immunologic and kidney diseases.
• Must reside within the assigned territory and possess a valid driver’s license.