Associate Director, Health Equity & Partnership (L&MICs)

Job Description

Role purpose: 

Inspired by our company’s purpose to save and improve lives, the Health Equity & Partnerships (HE&P) team within Intercontinental region is focused on expanding sustainable access to medicines and vaccines in low‑ and middle‑income countries (L&MICs) through commercially viable models and partnerships.

The Associate Director, Health Equity & Partnerships drives commercially viable, partnership‑enabled solutions that expand the reach and performance of prioritized assets in L&MICs, while ensuring pipeline planning translates into access‑ready strategies that support long‑term growth across both established and new products.

This role is designed for a strategic executor — someone who can move fluently between analysis, cross‑functional coordination, and external engagement, while maintaining a strong focus on commercial viability, scalability, and launch readiness.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Commercial solutions & partnerships

• Design and advance commercially viable, partnership‑based solutions for prioritized assets in L&MICs, where affordability, delivery, or system constraints limit market reach.

• Drive Oncology initiatives, working with franchises and partners to unlock scalable, revenue‑relevant patient pathways.

• Contribute to structuring partnerships that strengthen market entry, uptake, and sustainability.

2. Pipeline & Lifecycle Planning

• Bring L&MIC market realities into pipeline and pre‑launch commercial planning, contributing analysis on opportunity size, access barriers, launch feasibility, and readiness.

• Translate insights into actionable recommendations that strengthen commercialization strategies across the lifecycle.

3. Business development & execution support

• Support development of commercial business cases for partnership initiatives, including value creation, risks, and sustainability.

• Coordinate cross‑functional execution across global, regional, and market commercial teams.

• Track progress and outcomes to ensure initiatives deliver measurable business and patient reach impact.

4. Cross‑Functional & External Engagement

• Support the identification, structuring, and day‑to‑day management of partnerships (e.g., private providers, financing partners)

• Work effectively across commercial, market access, regulatory, and medical teams in a matrixed environment.

• Contribute to repeatable ways of working that strengthen HE&P’s impact.

Profile & Capabilities

• Experience in commercial strategy, partnerships, market access, or global health, with clear exposure to LMIC business environments.

• Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to turn insight into decision‑ready recommendations.

• Demonstrated commercial mindset, including comfort with trade‑offs, ROI, and prioritization.

• Proven ability to operate in ambiguity and deliver hands‑on execution in a matrixed commercial environment.

Qualifications

• Direct working experience in L&MICs is required, including engagement with local, regional, or global stakeholders

• 7+ years' experience in the healthcare industry is required, with demonstrated prior experience in healthcare market access, commercial strategy, or global health roles

• Experience supporting early pipeline prioritization, pre-launch planning, and partnership enabled access models

Required Skills:

Driving Sales, Market Access, Market Development, Product Launch Support, 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

Relocation:

No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Not Applicable

Shift:

Not Indicated

Valid Driving License:

No

Hazardous Material(s):

N/A

Job Posting End Date:

05/17/2026

*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.