Associate Director, Channel Management & Distribution

Merck•North Wales, PA

10d•Hybrid

About The Position

This customer-facing position is responsible for managing our company’s Wholesaler/Distributor Fee‑for‑Service agreements across all Human Health, Oncology, and Vaccine customer channels. It is accountable for utilizing and managing SAP and Microsoft Office, as well as working through third‑party vendors to support systems such as Integrichain (Scorecard, Order Monitoring, Data Accessibility) and OpenText (LENS) for EDI transaction sets that enable tactical and strategic divisional objectives. In partnership with IAM Pharmacy and Distribution teams, this role provides guidance through the analysis, development, and implementation of channel‑specific strategies and processes for the Human Health, Oncology, and Vaccine businesses. The position also leads key Order‑to‑Cash projects that span multiple departments and divisions, and supports strategic priorities and contracting in other channels, as directed by management.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree (BS/BA/BSN).
Minimum eight (8) years of experience in customer or vendor support, business analysis, or related experience.
Ability to work hybrid at the North Wales (Upper Gwynedd), Pennsylvania office at least 3 days per week.
Proficiency with Excel.
Accountability
Account Management
Adaptability
Biopharmaceutical Industry
Contract Management
Customer Data Maintenance
Customer-Focused
Customer Needs Assessments
Data Analysis
Distributor Management
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems
Financial Acumen
Healthcare Reimbursement
Leadership
Legal Compliance
Management Process
Managing Distribution Channels
Market Analysis
Marketing
Oncology
Pharmaceutical Industry
Product Management
Sales Target Achievement
SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Account Management
Adaptability
Biopharmaceuticals
Business Management
Client-Centric
Communication
Contract Management
Customer-Focused
Customer Needs Assessments
Data Analysis
Distributor Management
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Financial Acumen
Healthcare Reimbursement
Managing Distribution Channels
Market Analysis
Order to Cash (OTC)
Pharmaceutical Industry
Pharmaceutical Management
Product Management
Project Portfolio Management (PPM)
Sales Operations
Sales Target Achievement
SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree (MBA/MS/MA).
Experience with wholesaler distribution service agreements.
Order-to-Cash experience with customers.
Experience with SAP.

Responsibilities

As a member of the Product Launch Team, evaluates the impact of product supply and new product launches on Channel Agreements to meet market and customer demand. Provides direction to Brand Teams and Customer Managers on how to position new, LOE (loss of exclusivity), and end‑of‑life products within Channel Agreements, ensuring that fee metrics align with the product’s life‑cycle stage.
Manages all Distribution Service Agreements (DSAs) to ensure strict customer adherence to defined performance metrics and criteria. Regularly collaborates with Legal, CCM, GP, GMAX, Sales, Marketing, Finance, IT (CoE), and our Manufacturing Division to surface and resolve customer‑related performance issues.
Delivering analytics and data interpretation to internal stakeholders and wholesalers/distributors related to DSA agreements.
Serving on the Core Project Team to recommend and negotiate future changes to our Distribution Service Agreements.
Develops, implements, and monitors key Order‑to‑Cash performance metrics, using the data to assess distribution fees earned on a quarterly basis and providing feedback to internal partners and customers.
Using the Government Pricing reporting system, ensures accurate assignment of all Human Health and Vaccine Division DSA fee codes and timely reporting to the Government Pricing team.
Coaches National Account Executives, Customer Managers, Associate Directors, and Customer Account Representatives on the structure and performance criteria of the various Agreements and meets regularly with customers to review performance against agreement terms.
Uses a variety of tools—including SAP, Integrichain, Access, Excel, and other desktop applications—to design, collect, analyze, and maintain customer data in support of DSA management.
Acts as the primary point of contact for managing our Authorized Distributor Agreement, partnering with customers/applicants, Legal, and IAM teams to ensure full compliance with the agreement’s legal requirements.
Lead the setup, configuration, and ongoing support of EDI processes (e.g., partner onboarding, mapping, and testing), including proactive monitoring and troubleshooting of transmission, mapping, and data quality issues.
Leads key cross‑departmental and cross‑divisional Order‑to‑Cash initiatives, including but not limited to:
Developing strategic project plans, deliverables, and timelines.
Organizing and leading regular team meetings.
Assigning and tracking action items and due dates and reviewing progress versus plan.
Identifying and escalating project roadblocks, resource gaps, and risks to key milestones to senior management.
Providing regular progress updates to senior leadership against project objectives.
Demonstrates a proven track record of successfully leading complex, cross‑functional projects involving team members from within and outside the OMC department, division, and/or company (e.g., acquisitions/integrations, SAP upgrades, 3PL distribution transitions, key product launches, and Legal/Regulatory (340B) compliance initiatives).