Associate Director, Market Access (Hybrid - Upper Gwynedd, PA)

Job Description

US “hubs” are patient support programs owned and managed by the Patient Access COE within the broader Commercial Excellence & Innovation organization (CEI). Hubs provide reimbursement and access support to consumers and are managed by vendors that perform patient benefit investigations and other related support; their purpose is to help ensure that patients and physicians understand coverage and assist with navigating any access-related challenges. This position will support a Director within the Patient Access COE in providing reimbursement expertise and performing project management related to patient access and affordability solutions.  

Most notably, this position is responsible for the development, deployment, and management of reimbursement support hubs – which includes working with brand teams and assigned agencies to ensure that our hub programs meet consumer needs and are aligned to the Patient Access COE objectives.

Reimbursement expertise may include providing in-house US reimbursement expert consultancy to assist key stakeholders in understanding the reimbursement environment for hospital, buy and bill, Medicare Part B, and Pharmacy reimbursed pharmaceuticals and biologics.

Primary Responsibilities & Activities include and may not be limited to:

• Manage the daily operations of existing hubs, including vendor relationships, program staffing, KPIs, budget, and maintaining current business rules

• Develop comprehensive project plans for hub initiatives, including project schedules, resource plans, risk management plans, and communication plans

• Identify and mitigate risks, issues, and dependencies, and proactively implement effective solutions to keep projects on track

• Work with Marketing Operations in development of Coupon/Copay programs – and with integrating them into US Hub programs (when appropriate)

• Work with our Company's Patient Assistance Foundation to ensure consistent PAP referral business rules

• Contribute to the strategic framework and guidance in the development and deployment of patient access and support hubs for specialty products, including for upcoming US launches of our company's products

• Build and manage relationships with vendors who will perform benefits investigations and other related support to help ensure that patients and health care providers understand coverage and to assist patients with affordability options for our company's medications

• Work closely with legal and regulatory departments to ensure compliance with internal and external rules for all programs

• Brand Team collaboration: Development of annual strategies and tactics plan; seeking continual input and guidance; providing ongoing strategic support

• Engage with US Commercial teams to educate them on the potential shape of such programs, determine what features are important and feasible; select, contract and set up programs with vendors, work with legal, and other parts of the organization as needed

• Support the implementation (i.e., business rule development, team training, workflow mapping, etc.) of patient access programs as well as support the day-to-day operations of the reimbursement programs with a focus on operational excellence and high-quality service.

Qualifications:

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree required.

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience.

• Minimum of 3 years in Pharmaceutical Patient Access, Pricing, Reimbursement, Legal, Finance or related fields supporting Pharmaceutical Marketing and Sales.

• Vendor management experience, including budgeting, contracting, audits, financial reporting, general operations, IT, SOP/business rule auditing and strategic thinking

• Mastery of our company's internal processes and policies, particularly around compliance and Medical/Legal review of materials, reimbursement and related policies

• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, proven leadership and interpersonal skills, and proficient in leading cross-functional teams

• Experience with the US pharmaceutical market, including understanding of various types of customers, pharmaceutical vs medical benefit

• Strong consulting and collaboration skills

• Strong project management skills

• Ability to travel up to 20% for vendor site visits and/or conferences

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Experience with US Patient Support Programs

Required Skills:

Data Analysis, Developing Pricing Strategies, Direct Marketing, Market Access Strategies, Market Research, Operational Marketing, People Leadership, Pricing Processes, Product Management, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Thinking, Transfer Pricing Documentation

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

The salary range for this role is

$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.  Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully 
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company.  No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails. 

Employee Status:

Regular

Relocation:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

05/6/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.