Associate Director, Patient Navigator Strategy, US Oncology, Marketing

Merck • North Wales, PA

2d • $156,900 - $247,000 • Remote

About The Position

The U.S. Oncology business within our company is a growing and dynamic organization committed to advancing innovative therapies for patients with cancer. We have an exciting opportunity to join our dynamic commercial team as we prepare for the potential U.S. launch of an mRNA-based individualized neoantigen therapy for early-stage melanoma, being developed through an alliance partnership. This novel product has the potential to redefine personalized cancer treatment and requires a highly coordinated operating model to support seamless therapy delivery across a complex treatment ecosystem.
Reporting to the Director, Patient Support Strategy Lead, the Associate Director, Patient Support Program Strategy will be responsible for establishing the vision, strategy, and governance framework for the Patient Support Program (PSP) supporting an individualized therapy. This role will oversee the development and continuous evolution of hub services, enrollment and consent processes, affordability solutions, and case management capabilities designed to help patients successfully navigate a complex treatment journey. The Associate Director will translate patient support priorities into scalable program requirements, service models, business rules, and performance standards while ensuring seamless integration across reimbursement, affordability, patient navigation, and support services. Through close partnership with internal stakeholders and external vendors, this individual will drive the development of innovative, compliant, and patient-centered solutions that support patient access and overall patient experience.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent (BA/BS)
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or healthcare organizations, with experience spanning patient services, patient access, reimbursement support, affordability programs, or hub strategy
• Demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and optimizing patient support programs, hub services, affordability solutions, or patient access capabilities
• Strong understanding of the patient support and access landscape, including hub service models, payer dynamics, buy-and-bill reimbursement, medical benefit coverage, benefits investigation and verification, prior authorization, appeals, and patient enrollment requirements.
• Strong understanding of affordability program design, including copay program structures, financial assistance solutions, patient eligibility criteria, annual benefit limits, cost-share considerations, and program governance.
• Experience developing enrollment, consent, and patient data strategies, including programs involving patient support participation, privacy requirements, protected health information (PHI), and complex data management considerations.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving capabilities, with a demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity, resolve complex operational challenges, and translate strategy into execution.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence decisions and build alignment across a complex matrix organization.

Nice To Haves

• MBA or equivalent preferred
• Experience supporting the commercialization or launch of advanced therapies, including cell therapy, gene therapy, radioligand therapy, individualized therapies, or other complex treatment modalities.
• Experience working directly with pharmaceutical hub vendors, patient support providers, specialty pharmacies, reimbursement support organizations, or affordability vendors.
• Deep understanding of oncology patient journeys, reimbursement pathways, specialty distribution models, and advanced therapy treatment ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the Patient Support Program (PSP) strategy, service model, and capabilities, including benefits investigation, case management, prior authorization support, affordability services, and patient support workflows.
• Design patient enrollment and multi-consent process that support participation in patient services programs, data collection, patient engagement, and treatment initiation.
• Define brand-specific hub business rules, workflows, service requirements, and escalation pathways to ensure patient support capabilities are aligned to the unique needs of the therapy and patient journey.
• Develop and oversee the affordability strategy, copay program structure, and financial assistance solutions to reduce affordability-related barriers to treatment.
• Partner with Patient Access Support Center of Excellence and vendors to translate program strategy into operational execution, ensuring services, workflows, and support capabilities reflect intended patient experience and business objectives.
• Support vendor selection and oversee hub and affordability partner performance, establishing service expectations, performance metrics, governance processes, and continuous improvement plans.
• Establish performance measures and reporting requirements, leveraging patient and operational insights to identify barriers, optimize program effectiveness, and improve patient outcomes over time.
• Partner with Market Access, Patient Access Support Operations, Finance, Legal, Privacy, Compliance, Data & Technology teams to ensure compliant implementation, operational readiness, and successful execution of patient support and affordability programs.

Benefits

• medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family)
• retirement benefits, including 401(k)
• paid holidays
• vacation
• compassionate and sick days

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level