Associate Director, Patient Experience, Respiratory

Associate Director, U.S. Patient Experience - Respiratory

Our company is dedicated to delivering innovations that extend and improve the lives of patients worldwide. We are committed to ensuring that patients can access and benefit from our therapies through thoughtful, patient-centered solutions and strong cross-functional collaboration.

The Associate Director, U.S. Patient Experience - Respiratory will play a critical role in shaping and delivering a best-in-class patient experience across the end-to-end journeyfrom prescription through access, onboarding, and long-term adherence. This individual will serve as a key member of the Patient Experience team, operating within a highly integrated ecosystem across hub services, specialty pharmacy, field access, and data/analytics.

This role is responsible for translating the patient strategy into clear specifications, SLAs and enhanced service requirements for Hub, SP and other delivery partners, managing the day to day brand-side interface with internal and external partners on program activation, performance and issue resolution and helping drive the orchestration and continuous optimization of the patient journey. The Associate Director will combine strategic thinking, cross-functional leadership, and strong executional discipline to deliver measurable patient and business impact.

Key Responsibilities

End-to-End Patient Experience Strategy

• Support the operationalization, activation and optimization of the end-to-end patient experience strategy, spanning access, fulfillment, and adherence
• Translate operational insights into prioritized experience improvements and strategic recommendations
• Champion a test-and-learn approach to continuously enhance the patient experience including identifying digital/data driven opportunities

Journey Orchestration & Cross-Functional Integration

• Partner across hub services, specialty pharmacy, field access, market access, marketing, data/analytics, legal, and compliance to ensure coordinated execution
• Enable seamless integration across stakeholders, ensuring effective handoffs and alignment across all touchpoints in the patient journey
• Support a proactive, insight-driven model that enables early identification and resolution of patient access and adherence risks

Program Leadership & Execution

• Lead execution of key patient experience initiatives, translating strategic priorities into clear, actionable plans, deliverables, SLAs, requirements and enhanced services
• Drive disciplined execution across multiple workstreams, including timeline management, risk mitigation, and stakeholder alignment
• Support management of external partners and vendors, including agency and service providers, ensuring high-quality delivery and performance

Education

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent (BA/BS) required

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in pharmaceuticals or healthcare, with a background in patient experience, patient support programs, access/reimbursement, specialty pharmacy, or related areas
• Demonstrated experience supporting or optimizing end-to-end patient journeys and patient support models
• Strong strategic thinking and ability to translate insights and data into actionable business recommendations
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence without direct authority in a matrixed environment
• Experience managing multiple priorities and delivering results in a fast-paced, complex environment
• Strong communication and storytelling skills, including ability to synthesize insights for senior stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to leverage data analytics, customer insights, and operational learnings to inform decision-making
• High degree of integrity, attention to detail, and accountability

Preferred Skills

• Experience in respiratory, specialty therapeutics, or complex reimbursement/access environments
• Strong understanding of hub services, specialty pharmacy operations, and patient support ecosystems
• Experience with customer experience tools (e.g., journey mapping, CRM/case management systems, call analytics)
• Familiarity with business intelligence platforms (e.g., Tableau, Power BI)
• Experience managing vendors, agencies, and external partners, including contracts and performance management

Leadership Profile

The successful candidate will:

• Demonstrate a strong patient-first mindset and passion for improving real-world outcomes
• Thrive in ambiguity and complexity, bringing structure and clarity to evolving initiatives
• Balance strategic thinking with executional excellence
• Exhibit strong collaboration and influence skills, building alignment across multiple stakeholders
• Embrace a growth mindset, continuously seeking opportunities to learn, innovate, and improve

Required Skills: Adaptability, Agile Methodology, Brand Management, Collaboration, Decision Making, Digital Analytics, Leading by Influence, Market Access, Marketing, Marketing Budget Management, Market Research, Patient Access, Pharmaceutical Industry, Project Management, Strategic Thinking, Taking Ownership

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another's thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

The salary range for this role is $142,400.00 - $224,100.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at

You can apply for this role through (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

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: No relocation

VISA Sponsorship: No

Travel Requirements: 10%

Flexible Work Arrangements: Hybrid