Associate Director, US Marketing Ophthalmology, Patient Support Program Access and Affordability Lead

MSD•Rahway, PA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director, Access & Affordability Programming leads the strategic design, implementation, optimization, and ongoing management of access, reimbursement, and affordability programs supporting patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and retina practices across the US Ophthalmology portfolio. Reporting to the US Ophthalmology Patient Support Strategy lead, this role translates ophthalmology-specific patient, provider, and business needs into differentiated, scalable solutions that reduce barriers to treatment initiation and continuity. Programs may include hub services, reimbursement support, benefit verification, prior authorization support, copay programs, and other financial assistance solutions. The role provides strategic direction and oversight while partnering with the Patient Engagement CoE, US Hubs/Patient Services Operations, Field Reimbursement, Data & Analytics, Compliance, Legal, Privacy, Finance, and external vendors. It leads strategy and program development, measurement and performance management, launch planning and readiness, governance and risk management, and improvements to patient and provider experience. The position is hybrid, based in Upper Gwynedd, Pennsylvania, with an expectation of working onsite three days per week. The role reports to the US Ophthalmology Patient Support Strategy lead.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent (BA/BS).
At least 5 years designing, scaling, or optimizing patient affordability and/or access programs and/or high-volume buy-and-bill patient support models with measurable outcomes.
Knowledge of buy-and-bill access dynamics, medical benefit reimbursement pathways, and the distribution ecosystem.
Strong understanding of patient support program models and hub services.
Awareness and understanding of US commercial and regulatory requirements.
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.
Strong cross-functional leadership and ability to influence without direct authority across complex or matrixed enterprise teams.
Strong collaboration skills and business agility, with adaptability and comfort with change.
Ability to use data analytics, customer insights, and market intelligence to guide business decisions and measure program outcomes.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including strategy communications, direct customer engagement, and executive presentations.
High degree of integrity and ethics.
Strong attention to detail and documentation discipline.
Resilience, adaptability, and a growth mindset.

Nice To Haves

MBA or equivalent.
Ophthalmology, retina, specialty biologic, or specialty care experience.
Product launch experience.
Experience working with Field Reimbursement Managers (FRMs), reimbursement support vendors, or related provider-facing support capabilities.

Responsibilities

Lead development of the access and affordability vision and strategy for the US Ophthalmology portfolio.
Identify patient, caregiver, provider, and account-level barriers affecting treatment access, initiation, adherence, and persistence.
Translate ophthalmology market insights into patient support strategies that support brand objectives and improve the treatment experience.
Represent access and affordability strategy in cross-functional planning and launch teams, and integrate support priorities into annual brand planning and long-range portfolio strategy.
Own execution of affordability- and adherence-related strategic decisions, including end-to-end process mapping and cross-functional coordination for go-to-market implementation, post-launch follow-through, and ongoing optimization.
Translate brand priorities into program requirements, business rules, patient experience objectives, and success metrics.
Collaborate with the Patient Engagement CoE to enhance patient support capabilities and apply industry best practices; serve as the ophthalmology subject matter expert in patient support program development.
Partner with stakeholders to define measurement frameworks, KPIs, data requirements, and performance dashboards.
Integrate internal and external data and translate patient experience, operational, and vendor performance insights into actions that improve access and affordability programs.
Use data-driven insights to optimize customer experience strategy, patient touchpoints and channels, launch readiness, and patient support program evolution.
Lead patient support strategy development for new product launches and major indication expansions.
Align access and affordability strategies with payer, provider, contracting, reimbursement, and field engagement strategies; partner with Marketing, Market Access, Field Reimbursement, Provider Strategy, and the CoE on launch readiness.
Support development of patient support positioning, messaging, training, and field-facing materials related to access and affordability programs.
Ensure program strategy and execution comply with applicable requirements, including FDA promotional regulations, privacy/HIPAA considerations, OIG guidance, state laws, and adverse event/product complaint reporting requirements; partner with Legal and Compliance on approvals and monitoring.
Embed governance and guardrails into program operations while enabling timely execution.
Maintain understanding of retina practice workflows, patient journeys, reimbursement challenges, and treatment access barriers; identify friction affecting treatment initiation and continuity.
Champion customer-centric enhancements that simplify access and improve patient and provider experience, including support for practices navigating buy-and-bill reimbursement environments.