Director, Patient Access & Channel Strategy

Inctye; Montreal; On-site; CAD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Incyte Canada is seeking an Associate Director/Director, Patient Access & Channel Strategy to lead patient support programs, trade relations, supply chain, and pharmacy/channel strategy for oncology, hematology, immunology, and dermatology portfolios. You will partner across Market Access, Medical, Finance, and Legal to deliver patient-centric solutions at scale.

The role oversees PSPs, vendors, wholesalers, distribution partners, pharmacies, and GPOs, ensuring access to innovative therapies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Business, or related field.
• Significant pharma/biotech experience leading Patient Support Programs at scale.
• Experience with trade relations, wholesalers, and Canadian distribution/supply chain.
• Knowledge of Canadian reimbursement frameworks (public and private).

Responsibilities

• Lead and shape PSP strategy across oncology/hematology and immunology/dermatology portfolios.
• Develop multi-year channel strategy aligned to portfolio evolution.
• Manage budgets, forecasts, and ROI in partnership with Finance.
• Oversee vendor governance, 3PL operations, and contract negotiations.
• Collaborate with Government Affairs, HEOR/Reimbursement, and Private Insurance to align payer strategy.

Skills

Program leadership

Commercial negotiation

Vendor management

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory/compliance knowledge

Bilingual French/English

Education

Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Business or related field

Advanced degree (asset)

Tools

GPO negotiation

Pharma distribution knowledge

Job description

Overview

Build the connections that bring innovation to patients.

Scientific progress creates possibilities. Helping patients access treatment takes people who can connect the dots—between support programs, reimbursement, pharmacies and the partners who deliver medicines.

At Incyte Canada, we are looking for an Associate Director / Director, Patient Access & Channel Strategy to strengthen those connections across oncology, hematology, immunology and dermatology. As our portfolio evolves and we prepare for upcoming launches, you will shape how patients access our therapies, building the programs, partnerships and capabilities to support them.

Patient Support Programs will be at the heart of your mandate. You will lead their strategy and delivery, strengthen our distribution partnerships and develop our pharmacy and channel approach. Working closely with colleagues across Market Access, Medical, Finance and Legal, you will turn complex challenges into practical solutions, combining strategic vision with the willingness to get into the detail and make things work.

We are looking for a builder, a thoughtful negotiator and a relationship leader. Someone who brings structure to ambiguity, earns trust across a complex healthcare ecosystem and takes ownership from strategy through execution.

An opportunity to shape a critical capability for Incyte Canada, and help patients access the innovation we work to deliver.

The Associate Director/Director, Patient Access & Channel Strategy is responsible for the strategic leadership, development, and execution of best-in‑class Patient Support Programs (PSPs), trade relations, supply chain, and pharmacy/channel strategy supporting Incyte Canada's oncology/hematology and immunology/dermatology portfolio.

This role oversees a complex ecosystem of PSPs, vendors, wholesalers, distribution partners, pharmacies, and Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs), ensuring seamless patient access to innovative therapies. The incumbent serves as the primary point of contact for Supply Chain within Canada, acts as the Quality Assurance (QA) Ambassador for the affiliate, and represents the organization externally with the Health Products Stewardship Association (HPSA).

In addition, the incumbent holds accountability for budget oversight and financial governance across PSP, trade, and channel‑related activities. Working cross‑functionally with Government Affairs, HEOR/Reimbursement Strategy, Private Insurance, Medical, Legal, Finance, and other key stakeholders, the incumbent drives operational excellence, compliance, and continuous improvement while delivering patient‑centric solutions at scale.

Reporting to the Senior Director, Market Access & Government Affairs, this position will be filled at the Associate Director or Director level depending on the successful candidate's experience and demonstrated readiness for the full scope of commercial, pharmacy, and GPO responsibilities described below.

Essential Functions of the Job (Key Responsibilities)

1. Patient Support Program Leadership (Primary Focus)

• Own PSP strategy, performance, and day‑to‑day program integrity across the oncology/hematology and immunology/dermatology portfolios
• Scale and adapt PSPs ahead of anticipated public reimbursement wins and upcoming launches
• Set and monitor KPIs for program effectiveness, patient outcomes, and vendor performance; lead vendor selection, onboarding, and governance
• Act as Incyte Canada’s internal Quality Assurance (QA) Ambassador for PSP operations — overseeing SOP adherence, supporting inspection readiness, and championing continuous improvement across vendor‑delivered programs

Channel Strategy & Innovation

• Build a multi‑year channel and PSP strategy roadmap aligned to portfolio evolution
• Continue to assess and refine the foundational infrastructure (governance, SOPs, vendor framework, KPIs)
• Develop and maintain the business case for additional headcount and/or ongoing vendor support as scope is validated; lead hiring/onboarding as resources are approved

Cross‑Functional Integration

• Partner with Government Affairs, HEOR/Reimbursement Strategy, and the Private Insurance lead to ensure channel, trade, and pharmacy strategy reflects and reinforces active pCPA negotiations, CDA‑AMC/INESSS outcomes, and payer strategy
• Partner with Medical for Real World Evidence (RWE) generation
• Provide a channel/trade lens into pricing and contracting strategy for both in‑line and pipeline assets

Financial & Vendor Governance

• Own PSP, trade, and channel‑related budgets; manage forecasts, variance, and ROI reporting in partnership with Finance
• Ensure cost‑effective, compliant vendor management across PSP, trade, and GPO/pharmacy relationships, including short‑term external vendor/agency engagements where internal capacity is still being built

2. Trade Relations & Supply Chain (Outsourced Vendor Management)

• Own wholesaler and distribution partner relationships and commercial agreements
• Negotiate and renew trade terms, ensuring uninterrupted product flow for publicly reimbursed, privately reimbursed, and pCPA‑negotiated brands
• Serve as the primary point of contact for Supply Chain in Canada; oversee 3PL operations, forecasting, and distribution planning
• Where internal capacity is constrained, engage and manage external vendors/agencies to maintain trade and supply chain continuity
• Serve as Incyte Canada’s liaison to the Health Products Stewardship Association (HPSA), ensuring compliance with environmental stewardship and product‑return obligations tied to the wholesaler and distribution network

3. Pharmacy Strategy & Group Purchasing Organizations (As Strategic Build‑Out)

• Develop and execute Incyte Canada's pharmacy channel strategy across retail, specialty, and hospital pharmacy
• Build and manage relationships with relevant GPOs and hospital shared‑services organizations, prioritized around hospital‑administered/infused oncology products and pipeline
• Lead GPO and hospital contract negotiations in partnership with Legal and Finance, ensuring alignment with PMPRB pricing rules, the Competition Act, and Incyte's compliance framework
• Assess buy‑and‑bill vs. PSP‑mediated distribution models for infused and hospital‑administered assets as they approach launch
• Coordinate with the Private Insurance lead where pharmacy/specialty network strategy intersects with private payer plan design

Qualifications (Education, Experience & Competencies)

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Life Sciences, Business, or related field; advanced degree an asset
• Significant pharmaceutical/biotech experience leading Patient Support Programs at scale
• Experience in trade relations, wholesaler management, and Canadian pharmaceutical distribution/supply chain
• Experience with pharmacy channel strategy and/or GPO negotiation strongly preferred, ideally including hospital‑administered or infused specialty products and buy‑and‑bill models
• Working knowledge of Canadian public (CDA‑AMC, INESSS, pCPA, PMPRB) and private reimbursement frameworks
• Experience managing external vendors/agencies as an extension of a lean internal team; prior people‑leadership experience, or demonstrated readiness to build and lead a team, considered an asset

Core Competencies

• Program management rigor, particularly for PSP operations at scale
• Commercial negotiation skill, with wholesalers, GPO/hospital counterparts, and vendors
• Ability to operate with significant ambiguity, sequence competing priorities, and build structure from a limited existing foundation
• Vendor and cross‑functional stakeholder management, including managing agency/vendor resources as short‑term capacity
• Compliance and risk‑awareness in a regulated, PMPRB‑governed pricing environment
• Collaborative mindset — able to identify and act on synergies with adjacent Market Access functions (e.g., Private Insurance)

Additional Requirements

• Bilingualism (French and English) considered an asset.

Disclaimer

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work performed and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, or skills required. Management reserves the right to modify the role as needed.

Résumé du poste (fonction principale)

Le/la directeur(trice) associé(e)/directeur(trice), Accès aux patients et stratégie des canaux, est responsable de la direction stratégique, du développement et de la mise en œuvre de programmes de soutien aux patients (PSP), de relations commerciales, de chaîne d’approvisionnement et de stratégies pharmaceutiques et de canaux de distribution de premier ordre, soutenant le portefeuille d’oncologie/hématologie et d’immunologie/dermatologie d’Incyte Canada.

Ce poste supervise un écosystème complexe comprenant des PSP, des fournisseurs, des grossistes, des partenaires de distribution, des pharmacies et des organismes d’achats groupés (GPO), afin d’assurer un accès fluide des patients aux thérapies innovantes. Le titulaire agit à titre de principal point de contact pour la chaîne d’approvisionnement au Canada, assume le rôle d’ambassadeur de l’assurance qualité (AQ) pour la filiale et représente l’organisation à l’externe auprès de la Health Products Stewardship Association (HPSA).

De plus, le titulaire est responsable de la supervision budgétaire et de la gouvernance financière des activités liées aux PSP, aux relations commerciales et aux canaux de distribution. En collaboration étroite avec les équipes des Affaires gouvernementales, de l’HEOR/Stratégie de remboursement, de l’Assurance privée, des Affaires médicales, des Affaires juridiques, des Finances et d’autres parties prenantes clés, il favorise l’excellence opérationnelle, la conformité réglementaire et l’amélioration continue tout en offrant des solutions axées sur les patients à grande échelle.

Relevant du/de la directeur(trice) principal(e), Accès au marché et Affaires gouvernementales, ce poste sera pourvu au niveau directeur(trice) associé(e) ou directeur(trice), selon l’expérience du/de la candidat(e) retenu(e) et sa capacité démontrée à assumer l’ensemble des responsabilités commerciales, pharmaceutiques et liées aux GPO décrites ci‑dessous.

Fonctions essentielles du poste (principales responsabilités)

• Assurer la responsabilité de la stratégie PSP, de la performance et de l’intégrité opérationnelle quotidienne des programmes dans les portefeuilles d’oncologie/hématologie et d’immunologie/dermatologie.
• Développer et adapter les PSP en prévision des gains attendus en matière de remboursement public et des lancements à venir.