Director, Market Access Oncology

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

Job summary

Merck & Co., Inc. in the United States seeks a Director to lead OCAR US Oncology Payer Marketing for Immuno-Oncology products. This role drives payer strategies, value messaging, and field support across payer segments while mentoring a team of three Associate Directors.

The position requires deep experience in pharmaceutical marketing, managed care, and payer relationships, with a focus on immuno‑oncology and strategic leadership in a hybrid US setting.

Qualifications

• Minimum of eight (8) years of experience in Pharmaceutical Marketing, Managed Care, or Sales.
• Strong leadership, analytical, and strategic planning abilities.
• Excellent communication skills and cross‑functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of payer strategies and value messaging for current and future indications.
• Coach and develop a team of three Associate Directors across functions.
• Collaborate with Brand Marketing, Policy, Legal, and cross‑functional teams to align access initiatives.

Skills

Account Management

Analytical Thinking

Leadership

Market Access

Oncology Marketing

Payer Marketing

Strategic Thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Job description

Director, OCAR US Oncology Payer Marketing – Immuno-Oncology Product

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

Required Skills (continued)

• 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

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities.

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.

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.

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.

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.