About bluebird bio
At bluebird every role has meaning, every team member is respected, and every day is a chance to fly higher. When you join bluebird bio, you're not just landing a new role, you become part of a company that's pursuing curative gene therapies to give patients and their families more bluebird days. We are doers, thinkers and collaborators who embrace and live by our values:
- Persist for Purpose
- Be Compassionate
- Stay humble and curious
- Keep it real
- Celebrate (sm)all wins
Our innovation is rooted in the diversity of our teams and results are achieved through cooperation and the integration of multiple viewpoints. This is personal and we approach every challenge with radical care.
ABOUT US &We are seeking a dynamic, strategic, and hands-on Vice President of Sales and Account Management to lead and scale our U.S. commercial field operations. This role is critical to driving the success of our gene therapy portfolio, particularly in sickle cell disease (SCD) and other rare conditions. As a member of the Commercial Leadership Team, the ideal candidate will bring deep cell and gene therapy expertise, strong hospital-based selling experience, and a proven ability to build and lead high-performing teams while maintaining close relationships with key opinion leaders (KOLs) and treatment centers.RESPONSIBILITIES
Sales Strategy & Execution
- Develop and implement a comprehensive national sales strategy aligned with company objectives.
- Lead commercial execution across rare disease and gene therapy indications, including SCD.
- Drive alignment and own sales performance metrics, and patient pipeline visibility for executive leadership.
- Partner cross-functionally with Market Access, Medical Affairs, Marketing, and Advocacy to ensure alignment across payer, provider, and patient communities.
Team Leadership
- Build, lead, and inspire a high-performing national sales/account management organization—including regional business directors, and key account managers—by setting clear expectations, fostering accountability, and cultivating a culture of collaboration, growth, and results.
- Oversee sales training strategy and execution, ensuring the development of scalable training programs that enhance selling capabilities, elevate product knowledge, and drive consistent commercial excellence across the teams.
- Provide coaching, mentorship, and accountability to drive strong followership and a culture of excellence.
- Balance strategic alignment and influence at the executive level with hands-on field coaching and development.
Customer & KOL Engagement
- Cultivate and expand relationships with hematologists, transplanters and rare disease KOLs across our treatment center network & community KOLs.
- Drive engagement with hospitals, academic centers, and authorized treatment sites.
- Partner with our internal Advocacy Colleagues and Patient & Community Education Liaison (PACE) team to support patient access, community education, and awareness.
- Serve as a senior commercial presence with physicians, advocacy organizations, and patient communities.
Operational & Business Impact
- Ensure treatment centers are operationally prepared for complex therapies, including apheresis, infusion, and follow-up.
- Troubleshoot barriers alongside cross functional SMEs related to access, reimbursement, and logistics to accelerate patient starts.
- Deliver actionable field intelligence on referral patterns, patient identification, and market dynamics.
- Act as a visible leader in the field, modeling adaptability, resilience, critical conversations, and a commitment to patients and providers.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA, life sciences) preferred.
- 15+ years of progressive commercial leadership in biotechnology or pharmaceuticals, with direct experience launching and scaling rare disease and/or cell & gene therapies.
- Demonstrated success in complex, hospital-based selling models (infusion, buy-and-bill, specialty distribution, authorized treatment centers).
- Deep relationships with hematology, oncology, and rare disease KOLs; proven ability to engage advocacy groups and treatment networks.
- Strong business acumen with experience in revenue forecasting, P&L ownership, and delivering sustainable growth.
- Proven track record of building, mentoring, and leading high-performing national sales organizations; equally effective at managing up with executives and managing down in the field.
- Hands-on operator with the willingness to engage directly in field execution while driving strategic priorities.
- Adaptive, collaborative leader who can advocate for employees while advancing company goals and mission.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment; resilient and solutions-oriented.
- Willingness to travel extensively (up to ~50%).
bluebird is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status or any other applicable legally protected characteristics.
