Associate Director, MAI Contracting & Operations

Job description

Job Description Associate Director, Market Access & Insights – Contracting & Operations, DHH India Capability Hub Our Digital Human Health (DHH) organization is redefining how we understand patients, providers and markets, leveraging digital, data, analytics and AI to drive more precise, faster and impactful decisions across the product lifecycle. As part of this ambition, we are entering a phase of heightened complexity and scale in Market Access & Insights (MAI), driven by multiple upcoming launches, evolving access and pricing dynamics, MFN implications and emerging customer models. This requires MAI to evolve to an integrated, AI-enabled, insight‑driven and transformation‑enabled capability. The Associate Director, MAI – Contracting & Operations (India Hub) will lead the end‑to‑end build and scale‑up of a critical in‑house capability across contracting, operations and systems, enabling greater integration, governance and scalability in support of evolving Market Access & Insights priorities. This role will work in close partnership with the MAI Leadership to establish a structured, future‑ready operating model, supporting increasing complexity in pricing, contracting and access workflows in a launch‑intensive environment. The position reports to the Director, Market Access & Insights, DHH India Hub Delivery and would be based out of Hyderabad with international and domestic travel as required by business. Key responsibilities: Lead the end‑to‑end setup of the MAI contracting & operations capability, covering contract management, operations, data reporting, analytics management, systems operations, customer contracting and trade contracting Partner closely with the Director to define the structure, governance model and ways of working for this capability within the broader MAI organization Own talent strategy, hiring and team build‑out, ensuring the right mix of domain expertise, operational rigor and analytical capability Design and operationalize scalable workstreams, processes, operating rhythms and system interactions, ensuring efficiency, consistency and control Establish standardized frameworks for contracting and operations workflows, aligned with MAI priorities across pricing, reimbursement and access Build and drive training, enablement and capability development programs, ensuring sustained performance and integration with BU‑aligned MAI teams Ensure strong connectivity with MAI portfolios and DHH capabilities, enabling seamless support for pricing, contracting and access‑related initiatives Required Experience and Skills: Required : BA/BS in Business / Marketing / Healthcare Preferred : Advanced degree (MBA, PharmD, PhD) 8+ years of experience, with relevant expertise in market access, pricing, advanced analytics, market research, strategic planning, marketing or related roles within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry 4+ years of people leadership experience, with a proven track record of managing dynamic and high performing teams Significant experience in leading transformation and change management Understanding of payer landscapes, pricing & reimbursement dynamics and contract execution workflows Strong experience in contracting operations, pricing strategy support or commercial/access operations Demonstrated experience in building or scaling operational or capability teams, including defining structure, processes and governance Experience working with data, reporting systems and analytics platforms supporting access, contracting or commercial operations Deep therapeutic area (TA) knowledge in Oncology, Rare Diseases, Vaccines and Pharma, including strategic implications across launch and pipeline products Ability to translate global franchise business needs into digital, data and insight-driven solutions Understanding of how digital/data and analytics functions collaborate with enterprise stakeholders Experience shaping and implementing global engagement models within commercial digital organizations Demonstrated success deploying global capabilities and tailoring them for regional or local execution Proven track record of leading globally distributed teams to deliver aligned, enterprise-wide solutions Required Skills: Biopharmaceutical Industry, Biotechnology, Business Decisions, Business Intelligence (BI), Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM), Contract Management, Database Design, Data Engineering, Data Modeling, Data Science, Data Visualization, Digital Analytics, Human Diseases, Machine Learning (ML), Market Access, Market Pricing, Pricing Strategies, Software Development, Stakeholder Relationship Management, Strategic Management, Strategic Planning, Waterfall Model Preferred Skills: Current Employees apply HERE Current Contingent Workers apply HERE 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: VISA Sponsorship: Travel Requirements: Flexible Work Arrangements: Hybrid Shift: Valid Driving License: Hazardous Material(s): Job Posting End Date: 07/31/2026*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.