Associate Director, Access & Reimbursement (ADAR) CV - Thousand Oaks, CA

Novartis; Thousand Oaks (CA); On-site; USD 160,300 - 297,700; Full time

Job summary

Novartis is seeking an Associate Director, Access & Reimbursement (ADAR) to cover Thousand Oaks, Bakersfield, Oxnard, and Lancaster in California. The role requires residing in territory or within 60 miles and involves field visits to educate providers on access and reimbursement programs.

You will partner with hub and NPC teams, work with health systems and specialty channels, and travel up to 60–80% while supporting local coverage decisions and patient access.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; business or biological science preferred; advanced degree preferred.
• 5+ years in pharma/biotech focused on patient services, market access, sales, and/or account management.
• Experience with highly complex practices and health systems to establish access and acquisition pathways.
• Strategic account management with proactive access hurdle anticipation.
• Deep expertise in integrating manufacturer-sponsored patient support programs.
• Experience with specialty products via specialty pharmacy networks.
• Knowledge of reimbursement pathways (specialty pharmacy, buy-and-bill, retail).
• Candidate must reside within the territory or within 60 miles and be able to travel 60–80%.

Responsibilities

• Educate HCPs on acquisition pathways for Novartis products, including buy-and-bill end-to-end processes and facility pull-through.
• Interact with large, complex accounts to support patient access and educate providers and staff on programs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams and NPC to share insights on customer needs and access barriers.
• Interface with hub and Access & Reimbursement Managers on patient case management and reimbursement issues.
• Support pull-through on local coverage decisions to enable patient access in the system.
• Travel within California territory to engage accounts and support reimbursement inquiries.

Skills

Field-based

Account management

Presentation

Education to accounts

Interpersonal skills

Travel 60-80%

Driver's license

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Summary

The Associate Director, Access & Reimbursement (ADAR) is a field‑based role covering the Thousand Oaks, Bakersfield, Oxnard, and Lancaster areas in California. The associate must reside within the territory or be within 60 miles commuting distance.

About The Role

The ADAR proactively provides in‑person (or virtual as needed) education on access and reimbursement topics to accounts within assigned geographies.

Key Responsibilities

• Interact with large, complex accounts to support patient access within the aligned therapeutic area product(s), proactively providing face‑to‑face education on programs to providers and staff to support product integration into office processes and workflows.
• Work with key members of therapeutic area offices (executives, providers, administrators, billing and coding staff, claims departments, revenue cycle managers) to appropriately support patient access to products.
• Analyze problems and offer solutions. Understand specifics and support questions related to patient reimbursement, provide assistance on reimbursement issues with third‑party payers at the provider level, and analyze account reimbursement issues as needed.
• Support pull‑through on local coverage decisions to enable meaningful patient access within the system, proactively communicating policy changes or issues that could affect other departments.
• Maintain expertise in the regional and local access landscape, anticipating changes in the healthcare landscape, and act as the aligned therapeutic area product(s) reimbursement expert as needed.
• Interface with Patient Support Center (hub) and Access & Reimbursement Managers on matters related to patient case management, including tracking cases, issue resolution, reimbursement support, and office staff education.
• Collaborate with aligned cross‑functional associates within NPC to share insights on customer needs and barriers for access and reimbursement.
• Educate HCPs using approved materials regarding acquisition pathways for Novartis products, including buy‑and‑bill end‑to‑end processes, workflows, and facility pull‑through in complex accounts with scenarios of centralized and decentralized acquisition. Also cover alternative channels such as white bagging, clear bagging, brown bagging, and alternate sites of care for administration.

Buy and Bill Specific

• Assess the access situation within the assigned geography and develop an appropriate Plan of Action (POA); communicate the POA to appropriate personnel.
• Educate HCPs using approved materials regarding acquisition pathways for Novartis products, including buy‑and‑bill end‑to‑end processes and facility pull‑through in complex accounts.
• Educate relevant stakeholders on logistics related to ordering, payment, inventory, and product returns and replacement.
• Analyze reimbursement issues, anticipating changes in the healthcare landscape, and act as the designated reimbursement expert for offices and field teams.
• Accountable for engagement with non‑prescribers regarding Novartis medicines, including pharmacy, system leadership, financial counselors, office administrators, and revenue cycle managers.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree required; business and/or biological science education preferred; advanced degree preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in the pharmaceuticals/biotech industry focused on patient services, market access, sales, and/or account management. At least 2 years in a patient services practice‑support role for a specialty product.
• Experience working with highly complex practices and/or health systems to establish access and acquisition pathways.
• Strategic account management experience with a proactive approach to anticipate access hurdles impacting accounts and patient access.
• Deep expertise and experience integrating manufacturer‑sponsored patient support programs.
• Experience with specialty products acquired through specialty pharmacy networks.
• Knowledge of reimbursement pathways (specialty pharmacy, buy‑and‑bill, retail).
• Candidate must reside within the territory or within 60 miles commuting distance; ability to travel 60–80% over a broad geography, with a valid driver’s license.

Novartis Compensation Summary

The salary range for this position is $160,300 to $297,700 per year. Final salary offered depends on relevant skills and experience, and will be reviewed periodically upon joining Novartis. Compensation includes a performance‑based cash incentive and, depending on the level, eligibility for annual equity awards. US‑based employees receive a comprehensive benefits package, including health, life, disability benefits, a 401(k) with company contribution and match, as well as a generous time‑off package.

Driving is an Essential Function of this Role

Driving is a fundamental function of the role. A fully valid and unrestricted driver’s license is required. The company provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with medical restrictions if accommodation can be provided without eliminating the essential function of driving.

COVID‑19 Vaccine Policy (customer‑facing roles only)

Novartis does not require vaccination for COVID‑19 or proof of a recent negative test. Employees in customer‑facing roles must comply with customer credentialing guidelines, which may require vaccination. Reasonable accommodation requests for those unable to be vaccinated will be considered per applicable law. Requests should be sent to .

For Field Roles With a Dedicated Training Period

New hires will be required to complete initial training, including home study of up to eight hours per day and up to forty hours per week.

EEO Statement

The Novartis Group of Companies is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status.

Accessibility & Reasonable Accommodations

The Novartis Group of Companies is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process or to perform essential functions, please email or call +1(877)395‑2339 and include the job requisition number in your message.