Job DescriptionThe Executive Director, Patient Experience and Acceleration, leads the Patient Experience and Acceleration vertical within the Patient Support CoE, owning US market specific patient strategy execution along with the brand teams, and patient services innovation to aid brand teams. Accountable for translating patient and program data into actionable improvements across the care journey, and for piloting and scaling new patient-facing capabilities in partnership with brand teams and the Head of Patient Support CoE.
Key Responsibilities:- Set direction for patient experience acceleration, including translating patient journey insights into patient support program designs, operational requirements, and implementation plans along with the brand patient support teams
- Oversee agile pod delivery model, including ways of working, stakeholder management, dependencies, and timelines
- Serve as bridge between brand and CoE teams, including patient support strategy, access, affordability, adherence, FRM, DHH, legal, and compliance
- Support on execution of critical brand patient support priorities
- Define performance management routines, including KPI tracking, pull-through of insights, and operational improvement priorities
- Scale patient program solutions, including best practices, reusable playbooks, cross-brand learnings, capability deployment, and transition of proven models to relevant CoE teams
Points of Collaboration:- Head of Patient Support CoE: Reporting line and primary escalation path; aligning experience innovation priorities to CoE roadmap and wave sequencing decisions
- Patient Access, Affordability, Adherence, DTP, and SP&ID FRM Vertical Leads: Embedding patient experience insights and feedback loops into each operational vertical's program design and KPI tracking
- BU Commercial Patient Support Strategy leads (SP&ID, Oncology, Rare Disease): Aligning patient experience priorities and innovation pilots to brand and patient support strategy and timelines
- DHH (Data, Hub and Hub Technology): CRM platform, patient data infrastructure, and analytics dashboard buildout to support insights generation and experience measurement
- Legal, Privacy, and Compliance: Pilot approvals, patient communications review, data usage protocols for experience tracking and innovation programs
- Finance: Budget oversight for innovation pilots and acceleration programs within the vertical
Education:- Bachelor's Degree Required, Master's Degree Preferred
Necessary Skills and Competencies:- 12+ years in biopharma patient services, commercial operations, or hub/vendor management, with experience leading patient support organizations or CoEs at multi-brand across hub, access, affordability, adherence, and FRM
- Prior experience leading patient experience acceleration capabilities, including program design, agile delivery, performance management, and scaling of patient support solutions
- Demonstrated ability to bridge cross-functional stakeholders, including patient support strategy, access, affordability, adherence, FRM, DHH, legal, compliance, and brand teams
- Strong understanding of patient experience trends and external best practices, with experience developing innovative patient support offerings
- Strong understanding of patient support capability design, including access, affordability, adherence, FRM, and patient experience functions
- Experience leading and developing teams, including hiring, performance management, and talent development
#PCAS2026
Required Skills: Agile Methodology, Agile Methodology, Biopharmaceutical Industry, CiviCRM, Cross-Cultural Awareness, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software, Decision Making, Developing Pricing Strategies, Direct Marketing, Extensive Traveling, Healthcare Innovation, Human Diseases, Interpersonal Relationships, Latin American Markets, Market Research, Organizational Performance Management, Patient Assistance Programs, People Leadership, Pricing Processes, Product Development, Product Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Management, Strategic Thinking {+ 2 more}
Preferred Skills: Current Employees apply HERE
Current Contingent Workers apply HERE
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:Domestic
VISA Sponsorship:No
Travel Requirements:25%
Flexible Work Arrangements:Hybrid
Shift:1st - Day
Valid Driving License:Yes
Hazardous Material(s):n/a
Job Posting End Date:08/15/2026
*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. 
