Director, Market Access Oncology

MSD; North Wales (Montgomery County); Hybrid; USD 191,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k)

Paid holidays

Vacation and sick days

Job summary

Merck & Co., Inc. in the United States is seeking a Director, OCAR US Oncology Payer Marketing – Immuno-Oncology Product. You will lead market access strategies, develop payer value propositions, and oversee a three-person team to drive in-line and future-launch readiness.

You will collaborate across Brand Marketing, Policy, Legal, and external partners to optimize patient access, shape early payer strategy, and guide resource support for field execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in Pharmaceutical Marketing, Managed Care, or related fields.
• Strong leadership, communication, and strategic thinking skills.
• Experience with payer and provider access strategies expected.

Responsibilities

• Lead payer strategy and execution for immuno-oncology products across payer segments.
• Coach and develop a team of three Associate Directors.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate payer insights into brand decisions.

Skills

Account Management

Analytical Thinking

Leadership

Strategic Thinking

Payer Marketing

Oncology Marketing

Cross-Functional Leadership

Communication Skills

Healthcare Trends

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Job description

Job Description

The Director, OCAR US Oncology Payer Marketing – Immuno-Oncology Product leads the development and execution of market access strategies for current and future indications and provides leadership, coaching, and development for a team of three Associate Directors.

In this highly collaborative role, the Director partners with brand marketing, US Oncology Commercial Leadership Team (COLT), Integrated Account Management (IAM), Policy, Legal, Value & Implementation Outcomes Research, OCAR, and external agencies to optimize patient access and support business performance.

The Director oversees the development of payer and provider access strategies, including value messaging, resources, and field execution across all payer customer segments (e.g., Health Plan, Medicare/Medicaid, Federal, Hospital, GPO, Employer and Government) for current and future launch indications.

Payer Strategy & Execution

• Partner with oncology brand marketing teams to develop and execute customer segment and payer strategies for current and future indications that expand patient access, support profitable growth, and align with brand objectives.
• Lead the development of payer value propositions, channel‑specific messaging, and promotional resources for priority customer segments.
• Provide strategic oversight of the CRT process for OCAR‑created resources and partner with brand marketing, marketing communications, market research, and external agencies to deliver compliant, customer‑relevant materials.
• Oversee ongoing planning, messaging, and resource support for field‑facing teams to enable effective execution of customer segment strategies.
• Partner with the OCAR New Products team to shape early payer strategy and lead the knowledge transfer and transition planning required for successful in‑line launch readiness and execution.

Strategic Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of three Associate Directors while fostering strategic thinking, collaboration, accountability, and professional growth.
• Co‑lead the Immuno‑Oncology Payer Marketing team to align priorities, resources, and execution across above‑brand, in‑line, and future‑launch initiatives.

Financial & Cross‑Functional Leadership

• Lead development of the oncology GPO contracting strategy for immuno‑oncology products and support pricing, gross‑to‑net, and access‑filter inputs to forecasting.
• Collaborate across Market Access, V&I Outcomes Research, Policy, Legal, Compliance, Finance, and other functions to integrate payer insights into brand and enterprise decisions.
• Represent the US payer perspective on Payer Access Teams, Global Access Teams, and V&I Outcomes Research forums to inform evidence generation, development planning, and access strategies.

Qualifications

Education

• Required: Bachelor’s degree.
• Preferred: Master’s degree.

Required Experience and Skills

• Minimum of eight (8) years of combined experience in Pharmaceutical Marketing, Marketing Customer Management, Managed Care, or Sales.
• Demonstrated strategic thinking, problem‑solving, analytical and critical‑thinking skills, and planning skills.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills (written & verbal).
• Demonstrated ability to lead across functions and roles and effectively engage senior management.
• Demonstrated understanding of healthcare trends and policy issues and their potential impact upon our Company’s business opportunities.
• Demonstrated experience with Marketing, Promotion Management, Managed Markets and Policy customer segments, Account Management and/or Customer Marketing.

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Director‑level experience in marketing, managed care marketing, or account management.
• Previous experience leading teams.
• Experience in Oncology (IV and Oral).

Location

• Upper Gwynedd, PA, hybrid—three days per week onsite—or U.S.-based virtual/remote.

Required Skills

• Account Management.
• Analytical Thinking.
• Confidentiality, Critical Thinking.
• Cross‑Cultural Awareness.
• Customer Management.
• Data Analysis.
• Health Economics Research.
• Leadership, Market Access.
• Oncology Marketing.
• Payer Marketing.
• Payer Reimbursement.
• Strategic Collaborations.
• Strategic Thinking.

Additional Required Skills

Business Decisions, Business Decisions, Commercial Acumen, Cost Analysis, Cross‑Cultural Awareness, Cross‑Functional Leadership, Customer Relationship Building, Decision Making, Developing Pricing Strategies, Enterprise Leadership, Healthcare Trends, Large Team Management, Leadership Management, Leadership Theories, Management Consulting, Market Access, Market Data, Market Development, Market Research, Market Segmentation, Multilingual Communications, Negotiation, Oncology Marketing, Pharmaceuticals Marketing, Product Management {+ 10 more}

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

Flexible Work Arrangements

Hybrid

Job Posting End Date

09/24/2026

*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE the job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

The salary range for this role is

$190,800.00 - $300,300.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this 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.