Manager, Market Access

Job Description

Job Description

At Vericel Corporation, we are pioneers in advanced cell therapies for sports medicine and severe burn care, transforming patient lives through cutting-edge regenerative medicine. Our commitment to innovation, patient-centered focus, and scientific excellence drives us to develop groundbreaking treatments including MACI (knee cartilage repair), Epicel and Nexobrid (burn care).  

Position Summary: 

The Manager, Market Access serves as the business owner of Vericel's patient support program, MyCartilageCare®, ensuring the program delivers an exceptional experience for patients, providers, and the commercial organization while supporting Vericel's business objectives.

The successful candidate is responsible for continuously evaluating and improving program performance through data analytics, operational excellence, vendor governance, and cross-functional collaboration.

This individual focuses on strengthening the overall operating model, establishing meaningful performance metrics, improving the patient and provider experience, simplifying workflows, and ensuring the vendor consistently delivers against contractual commitments and Vericel's expectations.

Reporting to the Vice President, Market Access, this position partners closely with Sales, Commercial Operations, Finance, Marketing, and the external patient services organization to drive measurable business outcomes through continuous improvement and effective program management.

Schedule:  This position is in-office from Monday – Thursday in our new Burlington, MA location, with flexibility to work remotely on Fridays.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Strategy & Continuous Improvement

• Serve as the business owner for the MyCartilageCare® program, ensuring alignment with Vericel's patient access, reimbursement, and commercial objectives.
• Continuously evaluate program performance and identify opportunities to improve the patient, provider, and customer experience.
• Develop and implement process improvements that simplify workflows, improve operational efficiency, and support commercial growth.
• Identify opportunities to leverage technology, automation, and standardization to enhance program performance.
• Lead implementation of approved program enhancements and operational initiatives.
• Develop business cases and recommendations supporting future program improvements.

Vendor Governance & Performance Management

• Serve as Vericel's primary business relationship manager for the MyCartilageCare third-party vendor.
• Establish, monitor, and continuously refine program Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and operational scorecards.
• Conduct regular business reviews to evaluate vendor performance, responsiveness, quality, productivity, customer satisfaction, and overall program effectiveness.
• Hold the vendor accountable for contractual commitments, operational expectations, and continuous improvement objectives.
• Partner with vendor leadership to identify innovative solutions that improve patient access, reimbursement support, case management, and provider experience.
• Review, approve, and monitor program invoices and contractual deliverables.

Program Analytics & Business Insights

• Develop meaningful dashboards, scorecards, and performance metrics that measure program effectiveness and business impact.
• Analyze patient access, reimbursement, case management, provider support, and operational performance data to identify trends, opportunities, and risks.
• Translate data into actionable business recommendations for senior leadership.
• Develop and present quarterly and annual program performance reviews.
• Utilize data to proactively identify operational issues and recommend corrective actions.
• Support strategic planning through forecasting, performance analysis, and business insights.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner closely with Sales, Commercial Operations, Marketing, Finance, Medical Affairs, and the patient services organization to optimize program performance.
• Design and implement operating processes that enable Sales and MyCartilageCare representatives to work directly together while ensuring appropriate governance, visibility, and accountability.
• Provide program expertise, operational guidance, and business insights to internal stakeholders.
• Facilitate effective communication and collaboration across cross-functional teams to support program success.

Operational Excellence

• Champion a culture of continuous improvement across all aspects of the MyCartilageCare program.
• Evaluate existing workflows and identify opportunities to improve speed, quality, scalability, and customer satisfaction.
• Lead cross-functional improvement initiatives using data, customer feedback, and operational insights.
• Ensure operational processes remain compliant with applicable regulations, contractual requirements, and company policies.
• Continuously evaluate industry best practices and recommend improvements that strengthen Vericel's patient services capabilities.

Qualifications, Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Healthcare Administration, Life Sciences, Public Health, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in patient services, reimbursement, specialty pharmacy, market access, healthcare operations, commercial operations, or related healthcare environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing third-party vendors and holding external partners accountable for contractual commitments, performance metrics, and service level expectations.
• Strong program and project management experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives.