Associate Director, Health Equity & Partnership (L&MICs)
About this role
Job Description
Role purpose:
Inspired by our company’s purpose to save and improve lives, the Health Equity & Partnerships (HE&P) team within Intercontinental region is focused on expanding sustainable access to medicines and vaccines in low‑ and middle‑income countries (L&MICs) through commercially viable models and partnerships.
The Associate Director, Health Equity & Partnerships drives commercially viable, partnership‑enabled solutions that expand the reach and performance of prioritized assets in L&MICs, while ensuring pipeline planning translates into access‑ready strategies that support long‑term growth across both established and new products.
This role is designed for a strategic executor — someone who can move fluently between analysis, cross‑functional coordination, and external engagement, while maintaining a strong focus on commercial viability, scalability, and launch readiness.
Responsibilities
- 1. Commercial solutions & partnerships
- Design and advance commercially viable, partnership‑based solutions for prioritized assets in L&MICs, where affordability, delivery, or system constraints limit market reach.
- Drive Oncology initiatives, working with franchises and partners to unlock scalable, revenue‑relevant patient pathways.
- Contribute to structuring partnerships that strengthen market entry, uptake, and sustainability.
- 2. Pipeline & Lifecycle Planning
- Bring L&MIC market realities into pipeline and pre‑launch commercial planning, contributing analysis on opportunity size, access barriers, launch feasibility, and readiness.
- Translate insights into actionable recommendations that strengthen commercialization strategies across the lifecycle.
- 3. Business development & execution support
- Support development of commercial business cases for partnership initiatives, including value creation, risks, and sustainability.
- Coordinate cross‑functional execution across global, regional, and market commercial teams.
- Track progress and outcomes to ensure initiatives deliver measurable business and patient reach impact.
- 4. Cross‑Functional & External Engagement
- Support the identification, structuring, and day‑to‑day management of partnerships (e.g., private providers, financing partners)
- Work effectively across commercial, market access, regulatory, and medical teams in a matrixed environment.
- Contribute to repeatable ways of working that strengthen HE&P’s impact.
- Profile & Capabilities
- Experience in commercial strategy, partnerships, market access, or global health, with clear exposure to LMIC business environments.
- Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to turn insight into decision‑ready recommendations.
- Demonstrated commercial mindset, including comfort with trade‑offs, ROI, and prioritization.
- Proven ability to operate in ambiguity and deliver hands‑on execution in a matrixed commercial environment.
Requirements
- Direct working experience in L&MICs is required, including engagement with local, regional, or global stakeholders
- 7+ years' experience in the healthcare industry is required, with demonstrated prior experience in healthcare market access, commercial strategy, or global health roles
- Experience supporting early pipeline prioritization, pre-launch planning, and partnership enabled access models
- Required Skills:
- Driving Sales, Market Access, Market Development, Product Launch Support, Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking
- Preferred Skills:
- Current Employees apply
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- Current Contingent Workers apply
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- 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