Market Development Intern at Ardelyx, Inc. in Waltham, MA

Summary: Ardelyx, Inc. is a publicly traded commercial biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative medicines. The Market Development Intern will support the Market Development and Commercial Strategy team in building a structured approach to early commercial assessments of external business development opportunities. Responsibilities: - Develop an early commercial assessment framework - Identify key asset and disease-area characteristics that should inform whether an external opportunity is of interest (e.g., unmet need, market size, competitive landscape, strategic fit, synergy with existing portfolio) - Explore whether and how these characteristics should be prioritized or weighted to support consistent strategic decision-making - Collaborate cross-functionally with Corporate Development, R&D, Brand teams, and Commercial Operations to gather input and align on criteria - Apply the framework to selected disease areas - As time allows, apply the assessment framework to one or more disease areas (e.g., IBS-D) and evaluate how specific assets might fit within the existing pipeline - Compare opportunities across disease areas, highlighting where they meet or do not meet the defined criteria and how they stack up relative to each other - Synthesize findings into clear, actionable recommendations for the Market Development and Commercial Strategy team - Conduct secondary research to understand how other companies approach early commercial assessments and portfolio fit - Review and evaluate past internal work related to opportunity assessments, market development, and commercial strategy to ensure the framework builds on existing thinking - Present interim versions of the framework and disease-area assessments, gather feedback, and incorporate input into refined deliverables Required Qualifications: - Currently pursuing a degree in Business, Life Sciences, Health Economics, Public Health, or a related field - Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to synthesize scientific, commercial, and strategic inputs - Interest in market development, commercial strategy, and business development in the biopharmaceutical industry - Proficiency with PowerPoint and Excel; ability to present complex ideas in clear, structured formats - Strong communication and collaboration skills, comfortable engaging with cross-functional stakeholders Preferred Qualifications: - Familiarity with drug development, basic clinical concepts, and therapeutic area landscapes - Experience conducting structured secondary research (market, competitive, or scientific) - Exposure to frameworks for market assessment, opportunity prioritization, or portfolio strategy Required Skills: Analytical skills, Strategic thinking Important Skills: Market development, PowerPoint proficiency, Excel proficiency Nice-to-Have Skills: Drug development knowledge, Secondary research experience, Market assessment frameworks, Collaboration skills