Associate Director, Patient Affordability Solutions, Patient Access

Merck & Co.; North Wales (Montgomery County); Hybrid; USD 142,000 - 224,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck & Co. in the United States seeks an Associate Director, Patient Affordability Solutions to shape and run patient affordability programs such as copay, savings cards, and free-drug offerings.

You will manage vendors, performance, and program launch readiness while partnering with brand, hub, and compliance teams to ensure compliant, launch-ready solutions within the Patient Engagement landscape. You will design programs, define KPIs, track outcomes, and optimize service delivery to reduce

Qualifications

• 5+ years in biopharma patient services, hub operations, or specialty pharmacy operations management.
• Designing and operationalizing affordability programs with vendor management, rules, launch readiness, and performance optimization.
• Collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders across brand, access, legal, compliance, finance, vendors, and patient support teams.
• Understanding affordability barriers, including cost-related drop-off and access delays.
• Experience with affordability program models such as copay, bridge, free-drug, voucher, eligibility, and reimbursement support.
• Experience leading and developing teams, including hiring, performance management, and talent development.

Responsibilities

• 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 a consistent E2E experience within Patient Engagement.
• Design affordability programs and offerings including eligibility criteria, program duration, limits, rules, and patient support.
• Define readiness, including workflow requirements, SOPs, vendor testing, and handoffs prior to launch.
• Define performance management with KPIs, dashboards, enrollment, eligibility verification, and free-drug shipment monitoring.
• Monitor program execution, vendor performance, patient outcomes, and affordability-related drop-off.
• Identify gaps and optimize programs to improve access and persistence.

Skills

Adaptability

Business Performance Management

Collaboration

Creativity

Data Analysis

Data Management

Digital Marketing Analytics

Engagement Strategies

Government Programs

Healthcare Policies

Health Economics Research

Interpersonal Relationships

Liaison Work

Market Access

Market Research

Multidisciplinary Teamwork

Operations Management

Outcomes Research

Partner Relationship Management

Patient Assistance

Patient Care

Patient Engagement

Patient Management

Patient Referrals

Education

BA/BS

Job description

Job Description

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.

Education

• 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

Required Skills

Adaptability, Adaptability, Business Performance Management, Collaboration, Creativity, Data Analysis, Data Management, Digital Marketing Analytics, Engagement Strategies, Government Programs, Healthcare Policies, Health Economics Research, Interpersonal Relationships, Liaison Work, Market Access, Market Research, Multidisciplinary Teamwork, Operations Management, Outcomes Research, Partner Relationship Management (PRM), Patient Assistance, Patient Care, Patient Engagement, Patient Management, Patient Referrals {+ 8 more}

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.

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:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement

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

The primary location for this posting is

USA - Pennsylvania - North Wales (Upper Gwynedd)

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

The salary range for the primary location of this role is: $142,400.00 - $224,100.00

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.

Additional location(s)

Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

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

No Travel Required

Flexible Work Arrangements

Hybrid

Shift

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License

No

Hazardous Material(s)

n/a

Job Posting End Date

10/28/2026

*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.

Requisition ID

R420259