Associate Director, Patient Support Program Strategy

Job Description

Associate Director, US Marketing Immunology, Patient Support Program Affordability and Adherence Lead

Our company is dedicated to delivering innovations that extend and improve the lives of patients worldwide. Our team of dauntless, forward-thinking individuals achieves this through an unwavering commitment to supporting accessibility to medicine, providing new therapeutic options, and collaborating with governments and payers to ensure that people who need medicines have access to them.

We have a proud legacy of developing novel therapeutics for people with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and autoimmune-related disorders. With an advanced understanding of human biology, there's been an emergence of innovative medicines and new modalities that aim to change the way we approach treatment for immune disorders. Our scientists are investigating ways to modulate tumor necrosis factor-like ligand 1A (TL1A) to potentially address inflammation and fibrosis associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our scientists are investigating TL1A, which has been shown to be increased in inflamed intestinal tissue and in the systemic circulation of patients with IBD.

IBD is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the digestive tract and impacting nearly three million people in the U.S. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are two of the most common forms of IBD. The unpredictable symptoms associated with IBD, which may include diarrhea, abdominal pain, unintended weight loss and fatigue, often create emotional and social challenges for those impacted.

The Associate Director, US Marketing Immunology, Patient Support Program Affordability and Adherence Lead role will be responsible for Patient Support Program (PSP) Marketing, specific to Affordability and Adherence within the Immunology portfolio. This position will report to the Director, Marketing - Patient Support Strategy. The Associate Director will support strategy development and lead the sustained performance of the Affordability and Adherence workstreams, two of several that constitute the PSP.

The Affordability-related programs are intended to help reduce financial barriers to treatment and support patients in accessing therapy without delay. This role is accountable for standing up an integrated affordability ecosystem, combining patient insights, market access and reimbursement support, copay (coupon) assistance, and Patient Assistance program (PAP) coordination. The Adherence-related programs are intended to help patients stay on therapy and achieve the optimal experience over time. This role is accountable for standing up an integrated adherence ecosystem, combining patient insights and behavioral science-informed interventions. Both programs will require omnichannel engagement, hub/distribution/specialty pharmacy alignment, and robust analytics to deliver measurable patient impact and outcomes. This role will collaborate deeply and partner with internal and external stakeholders to define go-to-market plans.

The Associate Director is responsible for providing input on the strategic design of PSP’s Affordability- and Adherence-related programs and translating the strategy into actionable and compliant solutions. Upon launch, the Associate Director will own the execution of all downstream solutions including day-to-day operation of these programs. This individual will engage in cross-functional collaboration across internal stakeholders and agency partners to ensure patients can access and adhere to their prescribed therapy. The Associate Director will collaborate on measurement frameworks (KPIs, dashboards, reporting cadence) that tie interventions to patient and business outcomes and enable test-and-learn optimization, ensuring ongoing feedback is incorporated into performance improvement measures.

To maximize impact, the Associate Director will also support omnichannel capabilities surrounding the Affordability- and Adherence-related programs, creating a connected, patient-centric environment that delivers consistent, timely, and personalized engagement – all of which are critical to optimizing medication affordability and adherence.

Key Responsibilities for the Patient Support Program Affordability & Adherence Lead:

1)     Affordability & Adherence Strategy

• Support design of end-to-end strategies including target behaviors, segment needs, value propositions, and the integrated set of interventions that address affordability and adherence barriers across the journey.

• Translate patient insights, behavioral barriers, and operational learnings into prioritized program enhancements that optimize the patient experience and retention outcomes.

2)     Program Leadership

• Own execution of affordability- and adherence-related strategic decisions and lead end-to-end process mapping and cross-functional coordination to ensure seamless go-to-market implementation, disciplined post-launch follow-through, and continuous optimization of all program components.

3)     Data, Measurement, and Performance Management

• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to define and oversee measurement frameworks; establish affordability and adherence KPIs, data requirements, and performance dashboards that enable consistent reporting, performance tracking, and data-driven decision making.

• Integrate internal and external data sources and synthesize and translate insights including patient experience, operational, and channel performance data, to identify drivers, risks, barriers, and opportunities that improve affordability, adherence, and persistence outcomes.

• Use data-driven insights to optimize customer experience strategy, optimize patient touchpoints and channels, improve launch readiness and PSP evolution, and generate actionable recommendations for continuous program improvement.

4)     Enterprise Collaboration & Journey Integration

• Collaborate across Marketing, Patient Experience, Market Access, our company’s Access Program, Field Access, Medical Affairs, Regulatory, Legal/Compliance, Pharmacovigilance, Privacy, Data Strategy, distribution/specialty pharmacy, hub/patient services, and agency partners.

• Ensure program design integrates seamlessly into the real-world ecosystem (copay (coupon) program, Quickstart and bridge programs, PAP, hub workflows, specialty pharmacy touchpoints, field education needs, consent capture considerations, etc.).

5)     Vendor Leadership, and Executional Excellence

• Oversee any affordability and adherence vendor(s) (AORs, digital partners, operational partners, etc.), including contracts/SOWs, SLAs, performance management, and budget stewardship.

6)     Governance, Compliance, and Risk Management

• Ensure Affordability- and Adherence-related programs’ strategy and execution are compliant with applicable requirements (e.g., FDA promotional regulations, privacy/HIPAA considerations, OIG guidance, state laws, AE/product complaint reporting), and partner with Legal/Compliance for approvals and monitoring.

• Embed governance and guardrails into the program’s operating rhythm to enable speed without compromising compliance.

7)     Omnichannel Engagement

• Support the design and execution of an integrated omnichannel engagement strategy that delivers relevant, timely, and coordinated patient touchpoints across channels to reinforce affordability and adherence behaviors.

• Partner cross-functionally to align messaging, content, and channel activation across the patient journey, using performance insights and test-and-learn results to optimize engagement and improve outcomes.

Our U.S. marketing team has adopted an Agile Way of Working to be more adaptive and responsive to rapidly evolving customer needs and keep pace with the digital evolution in the marketplace. This Agile model enables marketers to enhance their experience, building skills and capabilities that flex across various commercial functions based on business needs and priorities. The successful candidate embraces a growth mindset, a willingness to tackle challenges, and a passion for learning, development, and a greater team achievement.

This is a hybrid role based on Upper Gwynedd, PA, with an expectation of working on-site three days per week.

Education

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent (BA/BS). MBA or equivalent preferred

Requirements

• Direct relevant experience

• 5+ years designing, scaling, or optimizing patient affordability and/or adherence/retention programs and/or high-touch patient support models with measurable outcomes (hub services, distribution/specialty pharmacy ecosystem).

• Knowledge of specialty pharmacy, hub operations, reimbursement pathways, access/coverage, and distribution ecosystem relevant to patient support.

• Strategic and program leadership

• Demonstrated strategic thinking, problem solving, analytical, and planning skills.

• Experience creating and maintaining program documentation, playbooks, and implementation plans.

• Ability to plan, prioritize, execute, anticipate challenges, and iterate with a growth mindset.

• Cross-functional influence and collaboration

• Strong cross-functional leadership and the ability to influence without direct authority across complex or matrixed enterprise teams.

• Proven ability to gain consensus and align senior stakeholders and diverse partners (internal and external).

• Strong collaboration skills and business agility; adaptability and comfort with change.

• Commercial and financial acumen

• Strong business and financial acumen, including budget ownership, vendor management, and value-case thinking.

• Data-driven decision-making

• Demonstrated ability to leverage data analytics, customer insights, and market intelligence to guide business decisions and measure program outcomes.

• Executive-ready storytelling with data: synthesize insights into concise, persuasive recommendations and business cases.

• Communication skills

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience in strategy communications, direct customer engagement, and executive presentations.

• Personal qualities and ethics

• Demonstrates high degree of integrity and ethics.

• Strong attention to detail and documentation discipline.

• Resilient, adaptable, and comfortable operating in ambiguity; growth mindset.

Preferred Experience & Skills

• Experience with omnichannel marketing and integration of digital and non-digital channels, and relating to affordability and adherence interventions (e.g., CRM journeys, email/SMS, web experiences, education content, toolkits) aligned to brand strategy and patient needs

• Awareness and understanding of US commercial and regulatory requirements

• Understanding of Immunology market

• Agency and vendor management

Required Skills:

Adaptability, Advertising Campaign Development, Agile Methodology, Collaboration, Creative Campaign Development, Decision Making, Digital Analytics, Internal Stakeholders, Marketing Budget Management, Marketing Strategy Implementation, Market Research, People Leadership, Pharmaceutical Industry, Pricing Strategies, Principles of Marketing, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Strategic Thinking

Preferred Skills:

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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. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

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:

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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.

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The salary range for this role is

$142,400.00 - $224,100.00

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.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

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:

10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

05/26/2026

*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.