Market Access Channel Strategy Trade Director

Novo Nordisk; Plainsboro Township (NJ); On-site; USD 187,000 - 327,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Long‑term incentive plan

Medical, dental & vision coverage

401(k)

Job summary

Novo Nordisk is seeking a Market Access Trade Strategy Director in the U.S. to lead trade channel strategy development across specialty and retail pharmacies, pricing, contracting, and value communication.

You will align trade initiatives with franchises, MAPA, and other stakeholders to maximize patient access and reimbursement. Responsibilities include guiding trade programs, partnering with Supply Chain and Patient Support, driving KPIs, and ensuring compliance with legal requirements across

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business or equivalent experience; MBA/PharmD preferred.
• Minimum of 12 years in payer/PBM, market access strategy, or related areas.
• Deep understanding of US payer and trade environment and market access dynamics.
• Experience designing and executing trade and market access strategies.
• Strong relationships with senior leadership and cross‑functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of overarching trade channel strategy within specialty and retail pharmacies.
• Provide leadership to ensure cross‑functional teamwork and transparency across functions.
• Monitor evolution of trade models to identify opportunities and risks affecting access.
• Identify strategic channel partners and programs to support patient access.
• Develop, execute, and monitor trade‑driven programs to improve reimbursement and pull‑through.
• Coordinate home office communications with trade and serve as SME for trade channels.
• Lead cross‑functional training on trade strategies and programs.

Skills

Leadership

Relationship management

Strategic thinking

Market access knowledge

Cross‑functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business or equivalent

MBA or PharmD preferred

Job description

About the Department

Novo Nordisk’s Market Access and Public Affairs team engages diverse stakeholders across political and healthcare landscapes to forge solutions that drive patient access to innovative products. We strive to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients with diabetes, obesity, growth hormone deficiencies and rare bleeding disorders through mutual wins for both Novo Nordisk and our Market Access customers. Our passion for helping people live better lives and our award‑winning product pipeline can only be as effective as our ability to provide information to healthcare providers, key stakeholders and policymakers. Our Market Access and Public Affairs professionals ensure that the latest therapies and products reach the people who need them most, by creating an environment where innovation and chronic disease management drive optimal health outcomes. Are you ready to realize your potential?

The Position

The Market Access Trade Strategy Director is part of a team responsible for developing channel strategies that will ensure a profitable access position for existing and future NNI products. The director formulates, leads and aligns Novo Nordisk’s market access strategy for trade channels. Responsibilities include overseeing pricing and contracting strategy, value communication, marketing, tactical execution, operations, policies and initiatives to maximize business results for all entities in trade channels. Trade encompasses retail chains, independent pharmacies, wholesalers, mass merchandisers, grocery, mail order, specialty distributors and specialty pharmacies. The director provides centralized expertise for trade channels to cross‑functional teams.

Relationships

The role reports to the Market Access Channel Strategy Lead and interacts frequently with internal management and senior‑level representatives, including MAPA VPs and Directors. It also routinely works with colleagues across Market Access and Public Affairs, including franchise teams, and internal stakeholders from PCOR, Finance, Brands, HEOR, Government Pricing, U.S. and Global Marketing Management, Account Executives, Supply Chain, and Legal. External relationships include interactions with key retail chains, independent pharmacies, wholesalers, mass merchandisers, grocery, mail order, specialty distributors and specialty pharmacies, as well as vendors and consultants.

Essential Functions

• Lead the development of overarching strategy for trade channel within specialty and/or retail pharmacies, ensuring cross‑functional alignment to achieve short‑term and long‑term business objectives.
• Provide leadership to assure effective teamwork and transparency between trade and other business functions, including Account Executives, Field Sales and Brand.
• Monitor evolution of specialty pharmacies, retail pharmacy, mail, and digital dispensing models to identify opportunities and risks impacting patient access and product pull‑through.
• Identify new, strategic channel partners and programs that support our vision to innovate and meet evolving patient needs in the pharmacy channel.
• Develop, execute, and monitor trade‑driven programs within the channel to improve product reimbursement, awareness, pull‑through and compliance.
• Act as liaison and coordinate sales and marketing‑related home office communications with trade. Serve as a conduit for the trade Account Executives into the home office.
• Serve as internal subject‑matter expert on trade channel within specialty and retail pharmacies and obesity management dynamics across the trade ecosystem.
• Lead communication and training of all relevant internal departments on trade strategies and programs.
• Understand and fully abide by all legal and compliance measures related to trade informational and promotional materials to all customer segments.
• Work with Supply Chain on key business initiatives, i.e., stocking and distribution plan for all Novo Nordisk product launches, product discontinuations, back‑order situations, etc.
• Partner with Patient Support Services and HUB teams to ensure alignment between trade strategy, pharmacy operations, affordability programs, and patient experience initiatives.
• Establish KPIs and performance metrics to evaluate effectiveness of trade channel strategies, partnerships, and access initiatives.
• Contribute to annual brand planning and budgeting process to represent assigned channel needs across the organization.
• Adhere to administrative policies and procedures and encourage others to do the same.
• Leverage understanding of the competitive landscape to anticipate and pre‑empt future competitor moves by supporting development of innovative strategies and tactics.
• Demonstrate understanding of the customer buying process and product value proposition.

Physical Requirements

10‑20% overnight travel required.

Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in business or equivalent experience. MBA, PharmD, or another advanced degree preferred. Relevant experience may be substituted for a degree, when appropriate.
• A minimum of twelve (12) years of experience in any of the following areas: payer/PBM, market access strategy, channel strategy, managing channel relationships, trade strategy, specialty pharmacy, account management, value communication, or other relevant fields. An advanced degree may be substituted for 2 years of experience.
• Deep understanding of the US payer and trade environment; trade market dynamics, trade marketing principles and how trade organizations make decisions across private & public channels.
• Demonstrated success in the design and execution of creative trade and market access strategies.
• Strong knowledge of US pharmaceutical distribution, third‑party logistics, channel compliance, and buy‑side economics, distribution regulations.
• Excellent relationship management skills to build and maintain positive relationships with senior leadership representatives as well as with other functions across NNI.
• Requires leadership skills with the ability to develop and communicate a vision and engage people in that vision.
• Have strong interpersonal, communication, analytical, and project‑management skills.
• Ability to access and influence various functional areas and motivate groups to action without direct line management responsibility.
• Ability to lead large cross‑functional project teams without direct authority.

The base compensation range for this position is $187,000 to $327,000. Base compensation is determined based on a number of factors. This position is also eligible for a company bonus based on individual and company performance. Novo Nordisk offers long‑term incentive compensation and/or company vehicles depending on the position’s level or other company factors.

Employees are also eligible to participate in company employee benefit programs including medical, dental and vision coverage; life insurance; disability insurance; 401(k) savings plan; flexible spending accounts; employee assistance program; tuition reimbursement program; and voluntary benefits such as group legal, critical illness, identity theft protection, pet insurance and auto/home insurance. The company also offers time off pursuant to its sick time policy, flexible vacation policy, and parental leave policy.

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

Novo Nordisk is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations.

If you are interested in applying to Novo Nordisk and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply, please call us at 1-855-411-5290. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.