Market Access – Partnership Lead

Planet Pharma; Tucson (AZ); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Planet Pharma is seeking a strategic Market Access Partnership Lead to oversee the U.S. market access efforts from assessment through execution. You will lead the access workstreams, coordinate with global teams, and ensure timely, high-quality deliverables for pharma/diagnostics partnerships.

The role requires deep expertise in payer strategy, health economics, and cross-functional leadership, with travel up to 30% and flexibility for remote locations within the U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in health economics, public health, business, life sciences, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in market access, reimbursement, payer strategy, health economics and outcomes research, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, or related healthcare.
• Experience in diagnostics and/or pharmaceutical market access; cross-industry experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the U.S. Market Access lead for pharma/diagnostics partnerships.
• Develop and evolve a U.S. market access strategy for Core Lab and Pathology Lab.
• Define scope, deliverables, timelines, resources, risks, and budget inputs.
• Prepare partner-ready market access strategies and executive presentations.
• Translate commitments into executable market access plans and lead delivery.
• Coordinate cross-functional workstreams and manage risks, budgets, and timelines.
• Develop reusable market access frameworks, content, and processes.

Skills

Market access

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder communication

Proposals & presentations

Budget & project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

This role provides a consistent U.S. market access lead from early opportunity assessment through contracted execution. It helps define market access scope, assumptions, resources, timelines, risks, and deliverables; engages the appropriate U.S. and global experts; and ensures market access commitments are delivered with quality, transparency, and strong partner communication.

The Opportunity

The Market Access Partnership Lead is a member of the U.S. Market Access team and reports to the Access & Reimbursement Strategy Leader. This role serves as the U.S. market access lead for potential pharmaceutical/diagnostics (pharma/dia) partnerships, working closely with the globalfunction and stakeholders across the company.

As the market access lead, you will develop the U.S. market access strategy, proposals, and presentations for pharma partnership opportunities across theportfolio. Once an agreement is signed, you will lead the market access workstream and be accountable for the agreed milestones, deliverables, governance, and partner communication. Depending on the product, you will either lead the access work directly or collaborate with the applicable product Access Strategy Lead (ASL).

We are seeking a strategic market access professional, ideally with experience in both diagnostics and pharmaceuticals. Success requires strong cross-functional leadership across U.S. and global teams, sound judgment in ambiguous situations, and the ability to translate market and customer insights into practical, long-term access strategies that support patients, customers, partners, and company.

Job Facts

• Serve as the U.S. Market Access lead for potential pharma/dia partnerships, collaborating closely with global, product teams, Business Development, Alliance Management, and other U.S. and global stakeholders.
• Develop and evolve a broad U.S. market access strategy for pharma across theportfolio, with a current focus on Core Lab and Pathology Lab, and assess product-specific reimbursement, payer, evidence, stakeholder, and market-development needs.
• Define market access scope, deliverables, timelines, dependencies, resource requirements, risks, and budget inputs for proposals and statements of work.
• Develop and present partner-ready market access strategies, recommendations, proposals, and executive presentations to pharma partners and internal teams.
• After an agreement is signed, translate commitments into an executable market access plan and lead delivery of agreed milestones, deliverables, workstream governance, and partner communication.
• Lead the market access work directly or collaborate with the applicable product ASL, engaging the appropriate U.S. and global experts and establishing clear roles and accountability for each project.
• Coordinate cross-functional workstreams; track progress, risks, decisions, budgets, and timelines; manage scope changes; and escalation issues that may affect partnership health or delivery.
• Develop reusable market access frameworks, proposal content, work packages, tools, and processes to improve speed, consistency, and quality across future partnership opportunities.

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s degree in health economics, public health, business, life sciences, a clinical discipline, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Five or more years of relevant experience in market access, reimbursement, payer strategy, health economics and outcomes research, diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, consulting, or a related healthcare field.
• Experience in diagnostics and/or pharmaceutical market access, with a strong preference for candidates who have worked across both industries.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of the U.S. payer, reimbursement, and evidence environment for diagnostic technologies; experience with biomarker or companion diagnostic programs is a plus.
• Proven ability to develop and implement market access strategies that support measurable business, customer, and patient outcomes.
• Experience developing proposals, statements of work, budgets, timelines, and partner-facing deliverables.
• Experience supporting external partnerships, alliances, or client engagements.
• Exceptional cross-functional leadership skills and the ability to influence a broad U.S. and global stakeholder network without direct authority.
• Strong project or program management skills, sound business judgment, and the ability to manage multiple opportunities and workstreams.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, including experience communicating with external partners and senior leaders.

Location and Travel

Indianapolis, Indiana is the preferred location. U.S.-based remote locations will be considered for the right candidate. The role requires the ability to travel within the U.S. or globally up to 30%, based on partner meetings, project needs, and internal collaboration requirements.