Associate Director D&A Strategy

Merck•Rahway, NJ

9d•$156,900 - $247,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Associate Director, Specialty Pharmacy Data Strategy, Contracting & Enablement reports to the Director, Commercial Data Solutions, within the Data Strategy, Products and Innovation organization. The role leads the strategy, acquisition, contracting, and enablement of Specialty Pharmacy and patient-level data assets that support commercial operations, reporting, analytics, and decision-making. It connects business processes, patient journeys, reporting needs, and KPIs to the data required to support them, and ensures requirements are included in vendor agreements and operationalized successfully. The position sets the Specialty Pharmacy data strategy and roadmap; translates business and analytical needs into contract-ready data requirements; partners with sourcing, legal, privacy, compliance, technology, analytics, and business teams; and manages relationships with Specialty Pharmacies, data aggregators, PSS providers, and other data partners. It also oversees vendor governance, data licensing and usage rights, service levels, FMV evaluations, implementation of data feeds, data quality standards, data governance, and compliance with patient-level data requirements such as HIPAA and PHI safeguards. The primary location is Rahway, New Jersey, with a hybrid work arrangement and 10% travel. The role is regular employment, with no relocation offered and no visa sponsorship. The salary range for the primary location is $156,900 to $247,000, and the successful candidate will be eligible for an annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

Requirements

BA/BS with 10 or more years of relevant experience, or MBA/MS with 7 or more years of relevant experience, in pharmaceutical/biotechnology data, Specialty Pharmacy, Patient Support Services, Market Access, analytics, or related disciplines.
Deep understanding of the Specialty Pharmacy and patient data ecosystem, including dispense/inventory, patient status/referral, BI/BV, PA/ePA, copay, PAP/free goods, and adherence data.
Ability to translate business processes, patient journeys, reporting requirements, and KPIs into data requirements and contractual deliverables.
Experience developing and managing data agreements and external data partnerships, including Specialty Pharmacies, data aggregators, Hub/PSS vendors, or other commercial data providers.
Experience partnering across Sourcing, Legal, Privacy, Compliance, Analytics, Technology, and business teams to acquire and operationalize external data.
Understanding of FMV assessments, data licensing, usage rights, SLAs, data quality, and vendor governance.
Strong understanding of patient-level data governance, PHI/HIPAA considerations, and data quality management.
Strong strategic thinking, stakeholder management, problem-solving, and communication skills, including the ability to influence internal and external stakeholders.
Advanced Analytics.
Business Analysis.
Data Aggregation.
Databricks Unified Data Analytics Platform.
Data Quality Control.
Data Science.
Demand Management.
HIPAA Compliance.
Influencing Skills.
Patient Access.
Patient Support Programs.
Product Rollouts.
Requirements Management.
Sourcing and Procurement.
Speciality Pharmaceuticals.
Stakeholder Relationship Management.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting specialty/rare disease or other patient-support-intensive therapeutic areas.
Working knowledge of data and analytics environments such as SQL, Databricks, Redshift, or equivalent platforms.
Familiarity with commercial and patient-level data sources such as IQVIA, Symphony Health, MMIT, Precision, or similar providers.
Experience supporting product launches, Specialty Pharmacy network changes, Hub/SP implementations, or major data/vendor transformations.

Responsibilities

Define the Specialty Pharmacy data strategy and roadmap, identifying data needed for patient journeys, operational processes, reporting, KPIs, and advanced analytics.
Lead Specialty Pharmacy data contracting by translating business and analytical needs into data requirements, including critical data elements, business rules, file specifications, delivery frequency, quality expectations, and SLAs.
Partner with Sourcing/Contracting, Legal, Privacy, and Compliance to include data requirements, usage rights, and delivery expectations in new agreements, renewals, and amendments.
Establish traceability from business needs and KPIs through data requirements, vendor commitments, data delivery, reporting, and analytics.
Manage strategic relationships with Specialty Pharmacies, data aggregators, PSS providers, and other data partners, aligning capabilities, deliverables, performance, and evolving business needs.
Oversee data aggregator engagements, including data scope, licensing and usage rights, service levels, renewals, commercial considerations, and vendor governance.
Lead or support Fair Market Value evaluations for data and data-related services, aligning investments with business needs, data utility, and value.
Drive end-to-end implementation and enablement of new or enhanced data feeds, partnering with vendors and internal technology teams on design, testing, validation, production deployment, and stabilization.
Establish and monitor data quality and delivery standards, resolving gaps involving contracted requirements, vendor delivery, downstream ingestion, and reporting.
Embed data strategy and requirements early in product launches, Specialty Pharmacy onboarding, network changes, PSS transformations, and vendor transitions.
Develop scalable data standards, dictionaries, specifications, data maps, and governance frameworks for Specialty Pharmacy and patient-level data assets.
Identify opportunities to enhance, consolidate, or rationalize external data assets to improve business value and reduce duplication and complexity.
Ensure patient-level data acquisition and enablement align with applicable HIPAA, PHI, privacy, tokenization, data usage, and enterprise governance requirements.