Pharma Field Sales - Obesity Care Specialist - Bakersfield California

About the Department                                                                                                                               

In the US, more than 100 million adults and a growing number of children live with the disease of obesity, yet only 2% of them receive dedicated medical treatment. By joining the Obesity Commercial team, you will have the opportunity to help people with obesity receive the care they deserve. The Novo Nordisk aspiration is to be a driving force in the science of obesity, to deliver an obesity portfolio and solutions that matter, to ensure obesity is widely recognized as a chronic disease and to reduce barriers to treatment. Our team is the company’s obesity strategy anchor, partnering enterprise-wide to deliver on this aspiration. The team is comprised of both our home office strategy and marketing execution teams and our field based teams focusing on customer engagements and execution of our strategy. As one of the Novo Nordisk must win battles, developing the obesity market is a rare opportunity backed by Novo Nordisk's long term commitment and track record in helping people living with chronic disease achieve greater health outcomes. If you are passionate about being a force for change, not afraid to take risks and challenge the status quo, and are looking to join a highly diverse and collaborative team, we encourage you to apply. Are you ready?

The Position

This position represents Novo Nordisk (NN) within an assigned territory. This position has a goal of cultivating strong professional relationships with healthcare providers, positioning Novo Nordisk as a leader in obesity care, understanding the local market and customer needs and positioning Novo Nordisks product and services to improve care of patients with obesity to maximize sales within an assigned territory. The Obesity Care Specialist (OCS) must achieve sales goals by implementing marketing and sales strategies aimed at effectively selling and promoting Novo Nordisk product(s) to physicians, pharmacists, nurses, other paramedical customers, employers and current co-promotion partners who make or are involved in purchasing and prescribing decisions. The OCS uses local knowledge, tools and resources to assess, create and maintain advocacy of customers aligned to company, brand and clinical goals. The OCS develops local strategies and executes local tactical plans (consistent with company direction) to engage healthcare providers and actively move them along the advocacy continuum.

Relationships

Externally, the OCS maintains relationships with physicians, pharmacists, nurses, other paramedical customers, employers, and current co-promotion partners. The OCS also assists their customers with their local clinical and educational initiatives by coordinating company resources (e.g., counterparts, materials, information, initiatives, etc.) to ensure an aligned approach to benefit improved patient health.

Internally, the OCS reports to the District Business Manager of the specific sales territory. The OCS also interacts and collaborates on a regular basis with other field-based employees covering the same geographic areas. The OCS actively shares information and plans to develop a common understanding of individual customers and overlapping market dynamics to ensure a coordinated approach.

Essential Functions

• Actively contribute to the overall sales goals of the Company and its Sales/Marketing Departments:
  • Execute sales strategies based on evaluation of customer needs, dynamics, trends, and competitors products or services
  • Maintain required activity records/reports, including timely and accurate transmission of call data
  • Participate in relevant meetings, conventions, training programs and displays
  • Understand the scientific and clinical underpinnings of brand strategies and the implications and importance of generating advocacy and support for them
  • Partner with the Novo Nordisk Sales/Marketing Departments to maximize appropriate and effective use of selling materials and product information
• Develop and maintain a mastery of product knowledge and consultative promotion techniques:
  • Demonstrate a broad understanding of the clinical treatment of obesity and its comorbidities and complications by actively using approved resources to engage HCPs in constructive and ongoing dialogue to support improved patient health
  • Educate physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other members of patients primary care team on obesity and the use of NNI product(s), including the approved uses and benefits for their patients
  • Continuously promote and improve knowledge of NNIs obesity product(s), competitive products, and sales and promotional skills through participation in company sponsored/approved training programs
  • Leverage available sales and marketing resources to expand the breadth and depth of appropriate utilization Novo Nordisks products, consistent with label and company policy
  • Analyze and understand customers, local healthcare delivery and payment models, and the interdependencies among the various elements in the market to identify and leverage business opportunities
  • Analyze impact of managed care in the territory and its effect on prescribing decisions, and modify customer engagement and sales strategies
  • Understand the most up-to-date clinical studies to educate customers and improve ability to anticipate and handle questions/concerns about NNI product(s)
  • Uses understanding of practice guidelines, chronic care models, protocols, etc. to engage HCPs in clinical conversations to appreciate how they manage patients with diabetes and where they currently position NNI products and devices

• Effectively manage and prioritize time and available resources to achieve maximum sales in the local territory:
  • Analyze, determine and implement most effective distribution of product samples in territory
  • Effectively manage and prioritize time to ensure maximum customer penetration and sales volume with limited supervision
  • Evaluate, identify, and develop order of calls and routes that maximize the opportunity to call on targeted customers
  • Exercise prudent control over samples and other company property in accordance with company policies and procedures and legal requirements
  • Manage discretionary budget to support sales and additional marketing activities
• Identify, develop, maintain, and leverage relationships with physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other individuals who make or influence purchasing/prescribing decisions:
  • Develop meaningful and productive professional relationships that demonstrate a genuine desire to help HCPs help patients with obesity
  • Generate advocacy for Novo Nordisk products and services by sharing approved clinical and scientific information and insights
  • Analyze and leverage understanding of the patient profiles of targeted and non-targeted physicians in the territory and how those profiles impact territory sales
  • Evaluate and determine which individuals have greatest opportunity to impact sales and use personalized communication techniques to build and maintain effective relationships with those individuals
  • Recognize opportunities to productively challenge HCPs clinical management of patients that respects their knowledge and experience and adds value by sharing new information and offering unique insights
  • Anticipate and respond to customers ' objections, problems, and concerns
  • Arrange Interface programs and help prepare speakers (outline audience demographic, understand audience needs, share learning objectives and local challenges, provide feedback on quality of presentation) to provide quality balanced and relevant presentation that support the educational objectives and align to audience needs
  • Leverage understanding of impact of managed care in the territory and how it affects physicians prescribing decisions, and adjust sales and marketing strategies accordingly

• Sell and promote Saxenda with a focus on targeted and non-targeted primary care physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other members of patient’s primary care team:
  • Develop a customized approach for each call on each customer to assess customer needs and increase sales of Saxenda
  • Effectively utilize all available resources to sell and promote Saxenda, including determining which resources to use in any given situation
  • Explain and promote features and benefits of Saxenda
  • Impact the local retail market share through coordinating and implementing medical education activities, programs, and special projects
  • Obtain maximum commitment from customers on every call
  • Probe and listen to customers, including anticipating and responding to customers questions, objections, and concerns
  • Read and react to customer environment. Determine appropriate messages to achieve maximum effect on each sales call

Physical Requirements

Driver must maintain a valid driver’s license. Must be in good standing by not exceeding the Novo Nordisk points threshold assigned based on review of Motor Vehicle Records.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or equivalent degree, and/or Pharm D required
• 2+ years of pharmaceutical, medical, or healthcare experience required
• Intermediate computer skills required (Windows, Word, Excel); prior computer experience using sales data/call reporting software ideal
• Must be a self-starter and be able to evaluate options and make decisions on your own with minimal supervision
• Proven leadership and decision-making ability
• Solid understanding of obesity disease state and NNI product(s) is needed, coupled with aptitude for learning and ability to communicate technical and scientific product and disease management information

This position is part of a job family. Title and level within the job family are evaluated based on a number of factors, such as years of experience, scope of work, proficiency, and business need. Candidates will be assessed for the most appropriate title and level within the job family during the recruitment process. The base range of pay for each title in this job family are as follows:

• OCS I - $87,000 to $106,000 
• OCS II - $112,000 to $137,000 
• Senior OCS - $129,000 to $157,000 
 
In addition, this position is eligible for a company bonus based on individual and company performance.  
 
Novo Nordisk offers long-term incentive compensation and or company vehicles depending on the position's level or other company factors.  
 
Employees are also eligible to participate in Company employee benefit programs including medical, dental and vision coverage; life insurance; disability insurance; 401(k) savings plan; flexible spending accounts; employee assistance program; tuition reimbursement program; and voluntary benefits such as group legal, critical illness, identity theft protection, pet insurance and auto/home insurance. The Company also offers time off pursuant to its sick time policy, flex-able vacation policy, and parental leave policy. 
 

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

At Novo Nordisk we recognize that it is no longer good enough to aspire to be the best company in the world. We need to aspire to be the best company for the world and we know that this is only possible with talented employees with diverse perspectives, backgrounds and cultures. We are therefore committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity of our employees, the patients we serve and communities we operate in. Together, we’re life changing.

Novo Nordisk is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations.

If you are interested in applying to Novo Nordisk and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply, please call us at 1-855-411-5290. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.