Job Details
Associate Diretor, U.S. Patient Experience - Patient Support Strategy & Effectiveness | PAH/Rare Disease
**Job Description**
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 internal and external partners to ensure that people who need medicines have access to them. This is a terrific opportunity for a highly motivated individual to serve as a key team member on the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Patient Experience team in the PAH/Rare Disease Business Unit.
The **Associate Director, U.S. Patient Experience - Patient Support Strategy & Effectiveness** is responsible for supporting and executing the end-to-end patient support experience across the PAH/Rare Disease Business Unit, helping patients start and stay on the therapy. Reporting to the Director, U.S. Patient Experience, this role leads the continuous evolution of the patient journey by translating data-driven insights, customer pain points, and operational learnings into clear strategies and program enhancements. The Associate Director collaborates deeply with internal and external stakeholders to define measurable patient impact, guide market strategies for product changes and ensure enterprise decisions and investments are grounded in actionable insights and a comprehensive understanding of the patient experience.
The ideal candidate brings strong strategic thinking, deep understanding of patient support models for Rare Disease, and the ability to translate insights into recommendations that improve the patient journey design and effectiveness.
Key responsibilities for the Patient Experience role include, but are not limited to:
+ Patient Experience Strategy: Support strategy development by synthesizing patient insights into clear, prioritized experience improvements for team decision-making and drive cross-functional execution to realize tangible business results.
+ Collaboration- centric: Partner across the patient support hub/Our Company Access Program, data strategy/IT, distribution/specialty pharmacy, field access, market access, legal/regulatory, pharmacovigilance, and privacy to ensure optimal design integration, data ecosystem, and appropriate contractual agreements.
+ Performance Measurement Framework: Mobilize stakeholders to establish and oversee the patient experience measurement framework and dashboards that enable impactful decision making and continuous patient journey optimization.
+ Continuous Improvement: Monitor and maintain a comprehensive overview of the end-to-end patient treatment experience.
+ Patient Support Innovation: Identify and support execution on emerging capabilities, AI enhancements and unique platforms to enhance patient journey and future-state designs for Rare Disease.
+ Executional Excellence: Translate business objectives into clear, actionable execution plans. Develop and maintain project timelines, resource plans and risk logs
+ Oversee Budget: Manage budget and spend across agencies, vendors and execution while managing key AOR and vendor relationships
+ Insights Orchestration: Synthesize and translate complex data sets to identify drivers and opportunities to optimize the patient journey by uncovering patient barriers and generating actionable recommendations for improvement.
+ Governance, compliance, and risk: Ensure all programs and documentation are compliant with FDA, OIG, state laws, kickback statutes, patient privacy/HIPAA, and adverse event and product complaint reporting. Partner with Legal/Compliance/PV on guardrails, approvals, and monitoring; maintain audit-ready documentation.
+ Team and culture: Model inclusive leadership, psychological safety, and enterprise-wide collaboration. Challenge the status quo to elevate outcomes while maintaining compliance and patient centricity.
The successful candidate embraces a growth mindset, a willingness to tackle challenges, and a passion for learning, development, and greater team achievement.
Education:
Bachelor's degree or equivalent (BA/BS)
Requirements:
+ 5+ years in pharma patient support, patient innovation, CX, coverage, access, distribution or consumer marketing (rare disease experience strongly preferred)
+ Proven success in optimizing the patient experience (hub/SP operations, adherence, innovative patient solutions, affordability models, enhanced patient support)
+ Experience implementing advanced technological capabilities and next-generation solutions with policy and compliance guardrails
+ Strong analytics fluency; ability to define KPIs, requirements, and partner with data/IT to build dashboards and data pipelines
+ Demonstrated cross-functional leadership and vendor management (contracts, SOWs, SLAs, performance)
+ Working knowledge of FDA promotional regulations, HIPAA, pharmacovigilance, product complaints, and OIG guidance affecting patient support
+ Demonstrated strategic thinking, problem-solving, analytical critical thinking and planning skills
+ Demonstrated ability to leverage data analytics and/or customer and market insights to make business decisions
+ Strong written and verbal communication skills, demonstrated through experience in strategy and marketing business case communication, sales interface, direct customer engagement and/or field presentations
+ Strong leadership, experience influencing without direct authority, navigating complex or matrix organizations and working successfully with cross-functional teams
+ Demonstrates high degree of integrity and ethics
+ Adaptability and comfort with change
Preferred Skills:
+ Agency and vendor management
+ Experience with PAH or specialty pharmacy-distributed therapies
+ Hands-on with CX tools (journey mapping, call analytics, service design), CRM/case management, and BI platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
**Required Skills:**
Adaptability, Adaptability, Agile Principles, Brand Marketing, Business Communications, Business Strategies, Communication, Continuous Process Improvement, Creativity, Customer Engagement, Customer Insights, Data Insights, FDA Regulations, Financial Analysis, Human Diseases, Leadership, Market Access, Market Research, Performance Measurement, Pharmacotherapeutics, Pharmacovigilance, Pricing Strategies, Problem Solving, Product Management, Project Execution Plan {+ 5 more}
**Preferred Skills:**
Current Employees apply HERE (https://wd5.myworkday.com/msd/d/task/1422$6687.htmld)
Current Contingent Workers apply HERE (https://wd5.myworkday.com/msd/d/task/1422$4020.htmld)
**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 (https://survey.sogosurvey.com/r/aCdfqL) 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:
EEOC Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/22-088\_EEOC\_KnowYourRights\_10\_20.pdf)
EEOC GINA Supplement?
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.
Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts (https://www.msdprivacy.com/us/en/CCPA-notice/)
**U.S. Hybrid Work Model**
Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as "remote".
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:**
Remote
**Shift:**
Not Indicated
**Valid Driving License:**
No
**Hazardous Material(s):**
N/A
**Job Posting End Date:**
02/11/2026
***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.**
**Requisition ID:** R382979
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 internal and external partners to ensure that people who need medicines have access to them. This is a terrific opportunity for a highly motivated individual to serve as a key team member on the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) Patient Experience team in the PAH/Rare Disease Business Unit.
The **Associate Director, U.S. Patient Experience - Patient Support Strategy & Effectiveness** is responsible for supporting and executing the end-to-end patient support experience across the PAH/Rare Disease Business Unit, helping patients start and stay on the therapy. Reporting to the Director, U.S. Patient Experience, this role leads the continuous evolution of the patient journey by translating data-driven insights, customer pain points, and operational learnings into clear strategies and program enhancements. The Associate Director collaborates deeply with internal and external stakeholders to define measurable patient impact, guide market strategies for product changes and ensure enterprise decisions and investments are grounded in actionable insights and a comprehensive understanding of the patient experience.
The ideal candidate brings strong strategic thinking, deep understanding of patient support models for Rare Disease, and the ability to translate insights into recommendations that improve the patient journey design and effectiveness.
Key responsibilities for the Patient Experience role include, but are not limited to:
+ Patient Experience Strategy: Support strategy development by synthesizing patient insights into clear, prioritized experience improvements for team decision-making and drive cross-functional execution to realize tangible business results.
+ Collaboration- centric: Partner across the patient support hub/Our Company Access Program, data strategy/IT, distribution/specialty pharmacy, field access, market access, legal/regulatory, pharmacovigilance, and privacy to ensure optimal design integration, data ecosystem, and appropriate contractual agreements.
+ Performance Measurement Framework: Mobilize stakeholders to establish and oversee the patient experience measurement framework and dashboards that enable impactful decision making and continuous patient journey optimization.
+ Continuous Improvement: Monitor and maintain a comprehensive overview of the end-to-end patient treatment experience.
+ Patient Support Innovation: Identify and support execution on emerging capabilities, AI enhancements and unique platforms to enhance patient journey and future-state designs for Rare Disease.
+ Executional Excellence: Translate business objectives into clear, actionable execution plans. Develop and maintain project timelines, resource plans and risk logs
+ Oversee Budget: Manage budget and spend across agencies, vendors and execution while managing key AOR and vendor relationships
+ Insights Orchestration: Synthesize and translate complex data sets to identify drivers and opportunities to optimize the patient journey by uncovering patient barriers and generating actionable recommendations for improvement.
+ Governance, compliance, and risk: Ensure all programs and documentation are compliant with FDA, OIG, state laws, kickback statutes, patient privacy/HIPAA, and adverse event and product complaint reporting. Partner with Legal/Compliance/PV on guardrails, approvals, and monitoring; maintain audit-ready documentation.
+ Team and culture: Model inclusive leadership, psychological safety, and enterprise-wide collaboration. Challenge the status quo to elevate outcomes while maintaining compliance and patient centricity.
The successful candidate embraces a growth mindset, a willingness to tackle challenges, and a passion for learning, development, and greater team achievement.
Education:
Bachelor's degree or equivalent (BA/BS)
Requirements:
+ 5+ years in pharma patient support, patient innovation, CX, coverage, access, distribution or consumer marketing (rare disease experience strongly preferred)
+ Proven success in optimizing the patient experience (hub/SP operations, adherence, innovative patient solutions, affordability models, enhanced patient support)
+ Experience implementing advanced technological capabilities and next-generation solutions with policy and compliance guardrails
+ Strong analytics fluency; ability to define KPIs, requirements, and partner with data/IT to build dashboards and data pipelines
+ Demonstrated cross-functional leadership and vendor management (contracts, SOWs, SLAs, performance)
+ Working knowledge of FDA promotional regulations, HIPAA, pharmacovigilance, product complaints, and OIG guidance affecting patient support
+ Demonstrated strategic thinking, problem-solving, analytical critical thinking and planning skills
+ Demonstrated ability to leverage data analytics and/or customer and market insights to make business decisions
+ Strong written and verbal communication skills, demonstrated through experience in strategy and marketing business case communication, sales interface, direct customer engagement and/or field presentations
+ Strong leadership, experience influencing without direct authority, navigating complex or matrix organizations and working successfully with cross-functional teams
+ Demonstrates high degree of integrity and ethics
+ Adaptability and comfort with change
Preferred Skills:
+ Agency and vendor management
+ Experience with PAH or specialty pharmacy-distributed therapies
+ Hands-on with CX tools (journey mapping, call analytics, service design), CRM/case management, and BI platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).
**Required Skills:**
Adaptability, Adaptability, Agile Principles, Brand Marketing, Business Communications, Business Strategies, Communication, Continuous Process Improvement, Creativity, Customer Engagement, Customer Insights, Data Insights, FDA Regulations, Financial Analysis, Human Diseases, Leadership, Market Access, Market Research, Performance Measurement, Pharmacotherapeutics, Pharmacovigilance, Pricing Strategies, Problem Solving, Product Management, Project Execution Plan {+ 5 more}
**Preferred Skills:**
Current Employees apply HERE (https://wd5.myworkday.com/msd/d/task/1422$6687.htmld)
Current Contingent Workers apply HERE (https://wd5.myworkday.com/msd/d/task/1422$4020.htmld)
**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 (https://survey.sogosurvey.com/r/aCdfqL) 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:
EEOC Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2022-10/22-088\_EEOC\_KnowYourRights\_10\_20.pdf)
EEOC GINA Supplement?
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.
Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts (https://www.msdprivacy.com/us/en/CCPA-notice/)
**U.S. Hybrid Work Model**
Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as "remote".
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:**
Remote
**Shift:**
Not Indicated
**Valid Driving License:**
No
**Hazardous Material(s):**
N/A
**Job Posting End Date:**
02/11/2026
***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.**
**Requisition ID:** R382979
Job #NLX287165433