Director, Pricing and Market Access

Essential Pharma Ltd; Egham; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Pension plan

Life Insurance

25 days annual leave

Job summary

Essential Pharma Ltd is seeking an experienced pricing and market access leader to own the commercial substance of pricing, value and access across the Established Brands portfolio. The role involves protecting net price, securing reimbursement for rare diseases, and guiding pricing strategy in collaboration with commercial, medical, regulatory, finance and supply chain teams.

You will lead European market access, develop reference pricing, and drive international pricing strategies while

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in pharma pricing, value and access strategy.
• Multi-country European experience in pricing and HTA.
• Proven track record securing reimbursement through major European HTA processes.
• Ability to lead pricing discussions across commercial, regulatory and finance.

Responsibilities

• Own pricing strategy across Established Brands and promoted assets.
• Build international reference pricing models and price corridors.
• Lead rare disease market access including HTA submissions and reimbursement talks.
• Negotiate with payers and hospitals in priority markets.
• Shape BD opportunities by assessing pricing and access risks in deals.
• Identify value opportunities across the portfolio and defend pricing.
• Represent pricing in leadership forums across cross-functional teams.

Skills

Pricing strategy

Market access

Payer negotiations

Cross-country experience

Fluent English

Travel willingness

Tools

Pricing models

Excel

Job description

Essential Pharma is a global pharmaceutical company working to make a difference for patients in niche populations. Everything at Essential Pharma is driven by the fact that every patient matters. We are focused on developing and delivering medicines for patients in small, underserved or rare disease populations. Our team of 100+ people has an entrepreneurial spirit, challenging convention and working creatively to deliver results. Our headquarters are in Surrey, UK, and we have offices in Malta, France, Spain and Switzerland. We are an international business, with a growing product portfolio that reaches patients in approximately 70 countries. We cover multiple therapy areas with a particular focus on rare disease, CNS, ophthalmology and gastroenterology. Our first development-stage asset is an anti-GD2 antibody for the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma. We have a proven track record of acquiring, investing in and commercialising treatments.

About the Role

You will join a division that carries two promoted rare disease assets in cystic fibrosis and pulmonary arterial hypertension, sitting on top of a wide base portfolio of trusted established medicines across Europe and a wider international footprint. Growth comes from three places at once, and you will play a part in all three: defending and improving price and access on what we already own, unlocking value in markets where the portfolio is under monetised, and bringing in new assets through business development.

You will own the commercial substance of pricing, value and access across the Established Brands portfolio. You will protect and grow net price, secure and defend reimbursement in rare disease, and facilitate pricing strategy across the business.

Job Responsibilities

• Own pricing strategy across our full Established Brands portfolio, from promoted rare disease brands to our established base, in direct and international markets.
• Protect global value by building our international reference pricing model, setting price corridors and running scenario analysis on tenders, parallel trade and generic entry.
• Lead rare disease market access across Europe, covering HTA submissions, reimbursement negotiations and innovative access agreements. You'll also prepare us for EU Joint Clinical Assessment of orphan medicines from 2028.
• Work directly with payers and procurement in priority markets, including German Open House contracts and UK hospital formularies.
• Shape business development by assessing pricing and access risk for licensing, acquisition and partnering opportunities, and planning integration for acquired assets.
• Find hidden upside, such as underpriced SKUs, untapped indications and market entry gaps, and defend value across the base portfolio.
• Represent pricing and access in our Established Brands leadership forum and work across Commercial, Medical, Regulatory, Finance and Supply Chain.

What You Will Bring

• Extensive experience in pharma or biotech pricing, market access and reimbursement, including ownership of strategy
• Multi country European experience, with depth in at least two of the UK, Germany, France and Spain
• Strong command of international reference pricing, including modelling and defending a price cascade
• Rare disease, orphan or specialty experience, including managing budget impact and evidence uncertainty
• A proven record of securing reimbursement through a major European HTA process
• Experience negotiating and closing agreements directly with payers, procurement bodies or hospitals
• Strong commercial and financial skills, including P&L ownership, deal models and net price builds
• Fluent English and willingness to travel across Europe

Nice to have

• Pricing input into business development, due diligence or licensing
• Experience with established brand portfolios as well as promoted brands
• German Open House or national tender contracting experience
• Respiratory, inhaled or drug device combination experience
• A lean or PE backed background, where you build the model, write the paper and run the negotiation yourself
• German, French or Spanish
• Experience working with distributors and partner markets

What We Offer

• Discretionary annual performance bonus
• We understand that productivity requires balance, so we offer office-based contracts and allow flexibility on locations of work when required and appropriate. This can be different for each department so please have that conversation at interview
• Pension – you contribute 5% and we offer 5%
• Life Insurance – lump sum (tax free) death benefit of 4 x basic salary
• Enhanced family leave
• 25 days annual leave

What To Expect

At Essential Pharma, every colleague matters: we want every member of the team to thrive and grow during their time with us. Right from the interview stage, we encourage candidates to ask us questions, voice opinions and be curious. This is a dynamic, fast-paced working environment. We expect individuals to be responsible and accountable, while understanding the importance of collaborating with colleagues to fuel success. We pride ourselves on our inclusive culture, based on the belief that everyone brings unique strengths and perspectives. We have an unwavering dedication to employee growth and development.