About Stoke:
Stoke Therapeutics (Nasdaq: STOK), is a biotechnology company dedicated to restoring protein expression by harnessing the body’s potential with RNA medicine. Using Stoke’s proprietary TANGO (Targeted Augmentation of Nuclear Gene Output) approach, Stoke is developing antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to selectively restore naturally-occurring protein levels. Stoke’s first medicine in development, zorevunersen, has demonstrated the potential for disease modification in patients with Dravet syndrome and is currently being evaluated in a Phase 3 study. Stoke’s initial focus are diseases of the central nervous system and the eye that are caused by a loss of ~50% of normal protein levels (haploinsufficiency). Proof of concept has been demonstrated in other organs, tissues, and systems, supporting broad potential for Stoke’s proprietary approach. Stoke is headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts. For more information, visit https://www.stoketherapeutics.com/
Position Purpose:
Stoke Therapeutics is seeking a Director/Senior Director, National Accounts, to join our Market Access organization at a pivotal moment in the company’s history. This individual will serve as the primary relationship owner for all accounts in their region.
The Director/Senior Director, National Accounts will lead and execute Stoke’s payer access strategy from the ground up. This individual will engage targeted accounts and gain meaningful access to all levels of policy decision-makers to advance coverage timelines. The successful candidate will establish Stoke’s credibility and share key clinical data with medical benefit policy decision makers to ensure there is no gap between FDA approval and patient access.
This role is built for a commercially astute market access professional who has navigated - rare or specialty product launches and is motivated by the opportunity to build something consequential—for a medicine, and for the patients who have been waiting for it. The candidate will have the ability to operate nimbly within Stoke’s growing commercial organization while partnering closely with our medical, commercial, government affairs, and patient advocacy colleagues.
Key Responsibilities:
Account Strategy & Launch Readiness
• Develop and execute pre-launch and launch-phase access strategies, establishing Stoke’s presence with key accounts.
• Serve as strategic leader for key accounts in the region
• Develop account-specific action plans that shorten the timeline from FDA approval to an active, positive coverage determination.
• Build payer relationships and establish Stoke’s credibility with medical benefit policy decision-makers before NDA submission, ensuring seamless coverage between approval and patient access.
• Develop multi-year access plans that anticipate commercial cycles and competitive coverage shifts, balancing account-level execution with a national access strategy.
Payer Engagement & Coverage
• Educate payers on clinical evidence, FDA labeling, treatment guidelines, and health-economic data to support coverage decisions and eliminate utilization management barriers (step edits, PA criteria, NDC blocks).
• Monitor medical policy language at each account and partner with Medical Affairs, HEOR, and Advocacy to respond to and proactively shape policy criteria.
• Proactively engage payer Medical Directors to obtain informal guidance letters or billing instructions that bridge the gap between launch and permanent J code assignment.
• Engage and influence policy decision-makers for a medical benefit product to achieve desired coverage policy outcomes.
Reimbursement & J Code Management
• Serve as the company’s subject-matter expert on buy-and-bill reimbursement dynamics for products carrying a miscellaneous J code (J3490/J3590) pending assignment of a permanent, product-specific J code.
• Educate payer medical policy teams on correct claims submission procedures, billing unit conventions, and NDC-to-J code crosswalk requirements to minimize claim denials during the unclassified code period.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Drive alignment across Stoke’s commercial team and field medical team without direct reporting relationships, building internal coalitions across Medical, HEOR, Reimbursement, Government Affairs, Legal, Trade & Distribution, and Patient Services to ensure integrated execution.
• Ensure effective communication and coordination between the field reimbursement team and patient services to support a high approval success rate and timely patient access.
• Engage authentically with the Dravet syndrome patient and caregiver community and incorporate community insights into payer engagement in a compelling and compliant manner.
Compliance & Governance
• Conduct all payer engagements in full compliance with company SOPs, OIG guidelines, PhRMA Code, and applicable federal and state regulations.
• Navigate the unique complexity of a first-in-class disease-modifying ASO therapy with no established coverage precedent, finding creative and compliant paths to access.
Required Skills & Experience:
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA, MPH, PharmD) preferred.
• 15+ years in pharma/biotech; minimum 10 years in payer account management with lead responsibility for one of the three large PBM and National accounts.
• Proven track record of achieving positive coverage outcomes for orphan designation or rare disease products on the medical benefit.
• Pre-launch payer strategy experience—not just maintenance of established access.
• Hands-on experience navigating a miscellaneous J code (J3490/J3590) environment, including transition to a permanent product-specific code.
• Strong command of managed care economics, formulary management, utilization management, and coverage policy development processes at national payers.
• Rare pediatric or neurological disease product launch experience; CNS or epilepsy payer experience a significant differentiator.
• Familiarity with disease-modifying therapy and gene testing reimbursement pathways as established according to payer policy.
• Experience at a company building its commercial infrastructure for the first time—startup or early commercial-stage biotech.
• Exceptional ability to influence across functions without direct authority.
• Passion for patient access and rare-disease impact.
Location(s):
Stoke is located in Bedford, MA and will be moving to a new location in Waltham, MA by the end of 2026. This is a remote / field-based position; proximity to a major US airport preferred. Travel: approximately 50%.
Compensation & Benefits:
At Stoke Therapeutics, we are committed to offering a comprehensive, competitive and thoughtfully designed total rewards program.
The anticipated salary range for this role at the Director level is $238,000 - $268,000 and at the Senior Director level is $279,000 - $322,000. The final offer will be determined based on a variety of factors, including role scope, experience and qualifications, education, market benchmarks, internal equity, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, Stoke offers an annual bonus and equity participation.
Our benefits package includes medical, dental and vision insurance; life, long- and short-term disability insurance; paid parental leave; a 401K plan with company match, unlimited vacation time, tuition assistance and participation in our Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP). Culture & Values:
At Stoke, we believe that innovation, the ability to successfully advance our ground-breaking science and having fun as a team are enhanced by being together in person, at least periodically. We allow for flexibility in work arrangements that balance individual’s needs and preferences with the needs of our business and our desire to foster a culture of collaboration and innovation.
Our values guide our work to deliver meaningful medicines for people who need them. We are committed to being true to ourselves, to our colleagues, and to the people with severe diseases who are counting on us. We embrace diversity within a unique culture that is defined by our values. Our employee-led Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) Committee underscores the importance of DIB to who we are and what we do.
Interested candidates: Please visit Stoke’s website to learn more and apply directly to the position listed on our Career Center:
https://www.stoketherapeutics.com/careers/
For more information, visit https://www.stoketherapeutics.com/.
All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, physical or mental disability or protected veteran status.
Stoke participates in E-Verify.