Sr Director Market Access

When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we fuel bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working gives us the platform to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions. That’s why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn’t mean we’re not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our unique and ambitious world.

The Senior Director, Market Access will be responsible for leading, developing, championing and overall execution of reimbursement, negotiation and pricing strategies for Alexion Canada and managing the relevant relationships with public payers, government officials, hospital pharmacies, private payers, and other external partners across the Alexion portfolio. 

Reporting to the General Manager of Alexion Canada, the Senior Director, Market Access is a member of the Canadian leadership team and is responsible for leading, developing and coaching the market access and pricing team, including head office and regional staff. They will be responsible for all Alexion Canada’s HTA files with CADTH, INESSS and private payors, providing strategic direction for HTA files and working collaboratively with local and global teams to develop comprehensive submissions that demonstrate the need for rare and ultra-rare treatments in Canada.  Additionally, they are also responsible for successful negotiations enabling broad access to our portfolio of medicines.

You will be responsible for:

• Determine the reimbursement strategy including optimal pricing, HTA strategy, negotiation & pricing strategy for Alexion’s  product portfolio.
• Work in effective partnership with the Global Value, Access & Policy team to identify and prioritize Local Country requirements and align on overall strategy
• Lead, coach and develop Market Access team members to support growth and development and development of robust talent pipeline.
• Work with the Global Government Affairs and Pricing & Reimbursement teams to ensure that value tools are customized appropriately when relevant for the local Country (e.g. GVD, Budget Impact & Pharmacoenomic Models)
• Create and deploy impactful value propositions for all Products
• Identify process-related and price negotiation hurdles to product launch and uptake and participate in negotiations with payers
• Work closely with Franchise Leads to inform the business of key planning reimbursement assumptions
• Ensure the broad health economy decision making processes and influencers are fully understood throughout the organization, educate and empower the wider business teams to enhance engagement strategies
• Develop, implement and influence collaborative plans for key payers and support efforts related to the development or implementation of any coverage policies for Alexion products
• Lead the development and maintenance of constructive corporate relationships with selected key budget-holders
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with federal, provincial, and territorial drug plan directors and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with Canada’s HTA bodies (CADTH, INESSS)
• Oversee the development of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) submissions by managing consultants and building and managing broad, cross-functional internal teams
• Lead the development of local business cases based on HTA and market assumptions
• Collaborate frequently and effectively with global HEOR colleagues to develop best-in-class submissions
• Design and manage HEOR projects with internal and external collaborators to facilitate market access
• Develop best-in-class capability for RWE generation and collaborative research projects, seeking opportunities to partner and publish
• Develop and execute strategies to support access for Alexion products with key decision makers within hospital segment
• Coordinate efforts with Sales, Marketing and Medical to support patient access with 3rd party payers
• Engage Medical, Research and Development and Regulatory colleagues to ensure effective and meaningful HTA data is collected throughout the product development process and in post-marketing situations where needed
• Coordinate activities with Alexion’s Global Government Affairs and Pricing & Reimbursement teams in order to ensure alignment with national strategies and negotiations, as well as global policies and objectives
• Represent Alexion on industry association committees, at local market meetings and key conferences
• Coordinate with marketing to integrate branding in collateral materials designed to facilitate appropriate access for hospital, outpatient, and 3rd party payers

You will need to have:

• University degree in science, major in Pharmacoeconomics / Health Economics degree
• 10+ years experience in pharmaceutical industry, biotech/rare disease experience preferred with experience in HTA assessments to INESSS, CADTH and private payors
• Thorough understanding and experience with HEOR and relevant health economic methodologies
• Thorough understanding of payer policy development and experience working with public and private payers on reimbursement.
• Strong demonstrated people management skills
• Cross-functional experience in other commercial roles, such as Sales, Marketing, Commercial Operations, Medical Affairs, Publications, National/Corporate Accounts, Managed Markets, Hospital Markets, etc.
• Previous experience with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance / Extensive expertise in contract negotiation and implementation
• Effective verbal and written communication skills and organizational abilities
• Clinical, technical and scientific knowledge and aptitude in complex disease states
• Effective administrator who efficiently manages time, resources and workload

• Travel 20% of the time

We would prefer for you to have:

• An  MBA
• Bilingual

At Alexion, you will find a collaborative culture that encourages innovation and a diverse environment where your contributions are valued. You will have the opportunity to be at the forefront of rare disease research and make a meaningful difference in patients' lives.

Alexion embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We follow all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.

Ready to lead and inspire? Apply now and take the first step towards an exciting career at Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease.

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.