Associate Director, Patient Affordability Solutions, Patient Access

The Associate Director, Patient Affordability Solutions, Patient Access supports the design and ongoing operation of patient affordability programs such as copay, savings card, and free-drug offerings. Manages vendor contracting and performance, KPIs, and program execution while monitoring affordability-related patient drop-off and continuously optimizing programs to improve patient access and persistence. Partners closely with brand, hub and adherence operations, measurement, and legal/compliance stakeholders to deliver consistent, compliant, and launch-ready affordability offerings within the broader Patient Engagement experience.

Key Responsibilities

Points of Collaboration:

• Assess and select affordability vendors, including evaluation, program setup, contracting, and ongoing performance management.
• Coordinate with Hub Operations and Brand patient support leads to ensure Affordability offerings provide a consistent E2E experience within the full scope of Patient Engagement offerings.
• Design affordability programs, and available offerings (e.g. CoPay Savings Card) including eligibility criteria, program duration, quantity limits, business rules, and patient support requirements.
• Define affordability program operational readiness, including workflow requirements, SOPs, vendor testing, and handoffs prior to program launch.
• Define affordability performance management approach, including KPIs, dashboards, enrollment metrics, eligibility verification, and free-drug shipment monitoring.
• Monitor affordability program execution, including vendor performance, patient outcomes, and affordability-related patient drop-off.
• Track affordability-related gaps and optimize programs accordingly, including identifying opportunities to improve patient access and persistence.
• D, Patient Affordability Lead: Operational performance reporting, budget management, vendor strategy decisions.
• D, Health Equity Solutions: Incorporating relevant equity interventions into operational programs; providing operational baselines for equity measurement.
• D, Patient Engagement Measurement: Vendor performance data, operational KPIs, patient journey drop-off analysis.
• Hub Operations & Adherence Operations: Ensure program design effectively aligns offerings across Access, Affordability, and Adherence.
• Affordability vendors: Primary owned relationship with Affordability vendors: QBRs, SLA management, contract negotiations.
• Brand Patient Strategy & TA-aligned marketing: Launch readiness, brand-specific program configuration, operational escalations.
• Legal, Privacy, & Compliance: Program compliance, patient data handling, government program requirements.

• Minimum of BA/BS required.
  

Necessary Skills & Competencies:

• 5+ years in biopharma patient services, hub operations, or specialty pharmacy operations management

• Prior experience designing and operationalizing affordability programs, including vendor management, program rules, launch readiness, and performance optimization

• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders, including brand, access, legal, compliance, finance, vendors, and patient support teams

• Strong understanding of patient affordability barriers, including cost-related drop-off, access delays, and financial access challenges

• Strong understanding of affordability program models, including copay, bridge, free-drug, voucher, eligibility, and reimbursement support programs

• Experience leading and developing teams, including hiring, performance management, and talent development

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Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of 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.