Job Description
The position
Reporting to the Director of External Affairs, the Market Access Lead is accountable for securing timely, sustainable, and compliant access to Company’s medicines and vaccines in Finland across the full product life cycle.
The role provides strategic leadership across Finnish HTA, pricing, and procurement pathways, and decision-making structures at national and regional level. It combines market access strategy, people leadership, and senior external engagement.
The position acts as Company’s strategic owner of payer and hospital-facing access agendas, including strategic accounts, value demonstration, and innovative access models—working closely with Policy, Access, Medical, Commercial, and Patient Engagement teams.
Authority, Scope & Decision Rights
Accountable owner for national and regional market access strategies and execution recommendations.
Leads strategic access input into:
- HTA dossiers and access submissions
- Tender and procurement strategies
- Lifecycle and portfolio prioritization decisions
Owns access-related scenario planning and escalation to leadership on major access risks, affordability challenges, or policy shifts.
Agency/vendor oversight for market access activities.
Represents Our Company in senior-level access and strategic account engagements within approved governance.
You are expected to conduct business in full adherence to applicable laws and regulations, industry codes, and company policies and procedures. This includes, but is not limited to, acting with integrity, maintaining accurate and complete records, protecting confidential information and personal data, and promptly seeking guidance when requirements are unclear. We encourage employees to speak up and report potential misconduct, compliance concerns, or suspected violations through appropriate channels without fear of retaliation and fully cooperate with any related reviews or investigations."
Key Responsibilities
Market Access Strategy & Lifecycle Leadership
Develop and execute national and regional market access strategies aligned with Finnish HTAs, pricing, and procurement frameworks.
Lead access planning across the full product life cycle, including:
- Pipeline and early asset strategy (strategic input on evidence needs, access feasibility, and positioning)
- Launch and post-launch optimization
- Late-lifecycle and loss‑of‑exclusivity (LOE) strategies, including portfolio prioritization and sustainability considerations.
Identify access-related risks and opportunities and drive mitigation plans in collaboration with cross‑functional teams (Medical, Policy, Communications, Commercial).
Strategic Accounts Leadership (Clarified)
Lead The Company’s Strategic Accounts approach within the hospital and regional healthcare system.
Act as The Company’s primary liaison with Regional Health Enterprises and senior hospital leadership together strategic account manager.
Together with strategic account manager develop account strategies that reflect:
- Decision-making structures and governance
- Portfolio-level value and affordability
- Long-term partnerships beyond single products
Ensure consistent, value-based engagement across regions and key institutions.
Tender, Procurement & Contracting Environment
Shape the access environment within hospital procurement and tender systems at national and regional level.
Provide strategic leadership on:
- Tender strategies and participation decisions
- Contracting approaches and access mechanisms
- Trade-offs between access, value, and sustainability
Ensure all approaches are compliant with applicable regulations and The Company’s policies.
Evidence, Innovation & Affordability-Based Access
- Lead local evidence generation strategies aligned with Finnish HTA and payer requirements.
- Translate clinical, health economic, and real-world data into clear, decision-relevant value narratives.
- Provide governance and accountability for innovative and affordability-based access models, in collaboration with Policy, Medical, and Global teams.
- Support piloting and evaluation of new access approaches while ensuring transparency and compliance.
Policy & Cross-Functional Engagement
- Work closely with Policy to ensure access strategies are aligned with evolving policy priorities and system reforms.
- Contribute market access insights to policy shaping through structured cross-functional collaboration, not lobbying.
- Partner with Patient Engagement to ensure patient and societal perspectives inform access strategies and value propositions.
People Leadership & Capability Building
Lead and develop the Market Access team and strategic account manager, including recruitment, performance management, and coaching.
Set clear priorities and ways of working in a matrix environment, influencing across functions.
Build future‑ready access capabilities, including:
- Advanced HTA and economic skills
- Strategic account management
- Digital, data, and analytical capabilities
Ensure strong compliance culture and continuous development.
Data, AI & New Technologies
- Leverage data, analytics, AI, and digital tools to enhance access planning, scenario modelling, stakeholder insights, and decision support.
- Drive adoption of new technologies that improve effectiveness, insight generation, and strategic decision-making within Market Access.
Required and preferred qualifications
- Degree in business, life sciences, health economics, or related field.
- Minimum 5 years’ experience in pharmaceuticals or healthcare with demonstrated success in Finnish market access and HTA.
- Strong understanding of Finnish SOTE structure, hospital procurement, and outpatient and hospital financing systems.
- Strategic, analytical, and financially astute, with strong senior stakeholder management skills.
- Proven people leader with experience working in complex, cross‑functional environments.
- Fluent in Finnish and English, written and spoken.
Success Metrics
- Sustainable access outcomes across lifecycle stages
- Quality and robustness of HTA and tender outcomes
- Strategic account performance and stakeholder trust
- Portfolio and lifecycle value optimization
- Team capability, engagement, and compliance standards
**Required Skills: **
Customer-Focused, Data Analysis, Developing Pricing Strategies, Direct Marketing, Healthcare Policies, Interpersonal Relationships, Job Descriptions, Market Access Strategies, Market Research, Operational Marketing, People Leadership, Pricing Processes, Product Management, Stakeholder Management, Strategic Thinking, Transfer Pricing Documentation, Writing Job Descriptions
**Preferred Skills: **
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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:
Domestic
VISA Sponsorship:
No
Travel Requirements:
10%
Flexible Work Arrangements:
Hybrid
Shift:
Not Indicated
Valid Driving License:
Yes
Hazardous Material(s):
n/a
Job Posting End Date:
05/18/2026
***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. **