Strategic Account Lead

Job Description

Position Overview

The Strategic Account Lead is responsible for implementing strategic, short and long-term access, policy and business plans for Key Strategic Accounts across multiple therapeutic areas. The role drives mutual value creation by aligning our company’s priorities and portfolio with account objectives to deliver improved patient access, outcomes and sustainable, profitable growth.

The Strategic Account Lead will act as the primary relationship owner and single point of contact for assigned key accounts, partnering closely with the External Affairs Director and Market Access Lead and with internal cross-functional teams (Marketing, Sales, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Policy) to deliver coordinated and impactful solutions.

Primary activities and Key Responsibilities

Stakeholder Engagement and Field Collaboration

Acts as Our Company’s field-level Access contact for hospitals, wellbeing services counties, and key decision-makers

Builds and maintains long-term relationships with hospital management, procurement, clinical decision-makers, and experts

Map account decision-making processes, funding mechanisms and guidelines; identify barriers to access and co-create solutions to overcome them.

Supports the roll-out and implementation of the Strategic Account / Access strategy in the field

Implementation of the Access Strategy

Translates national and regional market access strategies into practical field execution

Ensures patient access after reimbursement, mini-HTA, FIMEA/PALKO recommendation and/or tender decision

Supports products in pre- and post-launch phases from a field-level perspective

Identifies regional barriers, risks, and opportunities and escalates them to the Access Lead

Value Communication and Solution Selling

Communicates product value propositions (clinical, economic, and patient pathway) to decision-makers

Supports the use of value narratives and materials in customer interactions

Contributes to the development of tailored, regional solutions in collaboration with Access, Medical, and Commercial teams

Co-create and implement collaborative projects that improve patient pathways, patient access  and health outcomes (e.g., pathway redesign, pilot programs, data-driven value demonstration).

Tender and Procurement Environment Support

Supports tender and procurement processes from a field perspective (no pricing responsibility)

Collects and shares insights on regional procurement practices and decision-making

Collaborates closely with the Tender and market access Managers and policy lead

Insight and Knowledge Generation

Systematically collects field insights (customer needs, decision criteria, signals)

Feeds learnings into access strategy, forecasting, and prioritization

Supports local RWE and LDG thinking by identifying relevant needs from the field

Key KPIs:

1. Timely, equitable patient access with minimal regional variation and accelerated HTA and/or innovative solution outcomes.

Launch & lifecycle excellence, with hospitals ready, decision-makers engaged, and clear care pathways

Strong tender and procurement performance, with Our Company seen as a reliable, predictable partner

High-quality, institutional stakeholder relationships enabling early dialogue and fewer surprises

Clear, consistent value understanding (clinical, economic, pathway impact), reducing price-only discussions

Education, Background & Experience

Master’s degree (preferably in business, health economics, public health or related field) or equivalent experience.

Several years’ experience in the pharmaceutical/healthcare industry across commercial functions (sales, marketing, market access, policy) with progressive responsibility.

Demonstrated commercial and product management/project leadership experience.

Strong knowledge of market access, pricing and reimbursement systems and the national healthcare landscape.

Proven track record of managing large, complex accounts and negotiating agreements or multi-stakeholder partnerships.

Deep understanding of patient pathways and experience designing initiatives that demonstrate value to payers and providers.

Extensive network of healthcare stakeholders and decision-makers (well-being service counties, hospital management, payers, clinical leads, procurement).

Excellent relationship-building, influencing and stakeholder management skills to engage credibly.

Strategic thinker with a solutions-focused, innovative and results-oriented mindset.

Strong project management skills; experience leading cross-functional teams and delivering measurable outcomes.

Prior experience leading complex multi-year collaborations or public-private partnerships.

Commercial P&L awareness and ability to link account activities to profitable growth.

Preferred: Experience with health economics, outcomes research or real-world evidence generation.

Language: Fluent Finnish and English (written and spoken).

Office- and field-based role: time split to be determined, with significant customer engagement (approximately 35–50% of time with customers), travel 30–40%.

Role scope: May be split by geography; final territories to be defined.

Required Skills:

Account Management, Adaptability, Commercial Account Management, Creativity, Data Analysis, Data Management, Developing Pricing Strategies, Digital Marketing Analytics, Healthcare Policies, Health Economics Research, Interpersonal Relationships, Job Descriptions, Market Access, Market Research, Outcomes Research, Pharmaceutical Market, Strategic Planning, Strategic Thinking

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