Vaccine Key Customer Leader - Los Angeles, CA

Job Description

Under the guidance of the Director, Commercial Operations-Vaccines, the Vaccine Account Executive (VAE) is the primary Vaccine point of contact for our Company with assigned Integrated Delivery Systems (IDS), Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), State and City Immunization Projects, Department of Defense (DoD), and Veterans Affairs (VA) within their designated market. The VAE engages with C-/D-suite customers in assigned accounts and collaborates with the extended our Company's field team to ensure implementation and pull-through at the individual clinic/hospital/provider level.

• The VAE will be accountable for the Vaccines business performance, business relationship and customer experience with assigned customers, coordinating our Company's appropriate resources and personnel to meet the needs of the customer

• Actively develops, enhances and applies a deep understanding of assigned customers, the local market healthcare / vaccination ecosystem, and ensuing interplay and translates into potential business opportunities

• With IDS customers, the VAE will serve as the account lead for Vaccines and will closely coordinate with our Company's Account Executive who maintains overall “quarterback” responsibilities for these accounts

• Account interactions include, but are not limited to, key decision makers in the following functional areas: Medical / Clinical, Pharmacy, Quality, Medical Information/IT, Procurement, Finance.

• Serves as the state point person for Public Sector, VA and Military customer issues and opportunities related to vaccines; responsible for ensuring our Company vaccines are represented on assigned State/City VFC, VA and Military formularies

• Responsible for demonstrating strong collaboration and coordination with all our Company's customer-facing roles. With all assigned accounts, the VAE will be responsible for building a Vaccines account strategy focused on increasing appropriate use of our Company vaccines and coordinating the account team execution consistent with the strategy and customer needs

• Works collaboratively with our Company's other personnel to appropriately address customer needs and ensure that our Company delivers on its objective of becoming a trusted resource in demonstrating value and improving patient health outcomes

• Demonstrates commitment to compliance through understanding of regulations and policies that govern customer interactions and consistent focus on ensuring compliance with them

Primary Activities & Responsibilities will include and are not limited to the following:

Market Management:

• Acts as the market-based account leader for the local private and public healthcare ecosystem; continuously identifies emerging healthcare trends, impacts to market and customers, and enhances organizational learning

• Actively develops, enhances and applies a deep understanding of: regional and local health care delivery and payer landscapes, stakeholders and influencers (including understanding of key interdependencies and interplay), quality initiatives, reimbursement and government programs that impact the delivery of health care by the customer, the impact market dynamics have on decisions made by customers

• Translates deep understanding of entire marketplace and trends into potential business opportunities for the team

• Conducts internal business strategy discussions and performance reviews routinely to ensure that the extended team understands the customer's business strategy and appropriately supports it at all levels

• Identifies strategic customers within region/geography that afford our Company's differentiated business opportunities and prioritizes their importance

Sales Acumen/Vaccination expertise:

• Demonstrates and applies in-depth knowledge of the vaccination landscape including:

• ACIP-recommended vaccination schedule, quality measures affecting vaccines, reimbursement processes

• Local/regional vaccination initiatives and goals (e.g. immunization registries, coalitions, school requirements)

• Key factors affecting vaccine uptake, implementing vaccination processes, enabling resources (such as Health Information Technology)

• Best practices on approaches to improve vaccination rates

• Applies expertise to help customers design and implement processes that effectively increase vaccination rates

• Provides approved disease, product and unbranded information and resources to key decision makers and stakeholders within accounts

• Stays abreast of competitor approaches and our Company's customer contracting strategy; engages appropriate our Company's account team members (field and HQ) to capitalize on opportunities to grow/defend the Vaccine business; maintains working knowledge of customer contracting options and opportunities

Customer Segmentation and Targeting:

• Actively develops a deep understanding of public and private sector customer accounts (e.g., business model, relevant business metrics, unique challenges, culture, internal organizational design and relationships, pressures, capabilities, strategic goals) and related internal and external environmental factors

• Navigates complex organizational dynamics to identify key vaccine decision-makers and influencers, understands their concerns and priorities, builds trusting relationships that differentiate our Company

• Leverages deep market, customer, and vaccine understanding to identify trends, anticipate customer needs, and identify areas of mutual opportunity; partners with HQ team to share trends / customer needs and to develop solutions

• Demonstrates persuasive, balanced dialogue, gains agreement and changes the customers’ beliefs and behaviors resulting in appropriate utilization of our products to improve patient outcomes

• Collaborates with internal and customer stakeholders to formulate approach and develop solutions to complex and ambiguous situations

Account Management:

• Coordinates input from matrixed internal/external extended teams and customer to develop a prioritized, measurable, and comprehensive multi-year account plan that is aligned with the customer’s needs and our Company’s business objectives including short & long term objectives, strategy, tactics, and areas of collaboration

• Through interactions with the customer organization, gains an understanding of the customer’s prioritized needs in order to develop an account plan that meets the mutual goals of both the customer and our Company

• Engages account team in planning and execution, including pull-through, to support a coordinated One our Company approach to the marketplace and customer

• Engages the Health Science Consultant and/or Region Medical Director for the account to support relevant medical/scientific customer needs

• Clearly communicates account strategy, business priorities and desired customer experience with team ensuring alignment with organizational objectives

• Develops and executes measurement plan; regularly re-evaluates and adapts plan

For all employees, please initiate a discussion with your next level Manager to review your interest in this opportunity and to determine whether or not it is aligned (readiness/availability) with your Employee Development Plan.

*Territory includes Los Angeles County and other surrounding metro areas.

Qualifications:

Education:

• Required: BA/BS

• Preferred: Masters degree (business, marketing, science, healthcare, public health)

Required Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years experience in Sales leadership, Key Account Management / Client Service Management, Marketing, and/or Strategy preferably in the healthcare industry

• Minimum of 2 years experience working in Sales leadership or Strategic Account Management with key thought leaders or high influence customers in public health, large group practices, hospitals/systems, or managed care organizations

• Ability to build and develop customer relationships, including the ability to influence senior levels of management and key thought leaders

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with ability to interact with individuals from a variety of cultures, and disciplines

• Strong peer leadership and ability to collaborate with and coordinate activity among individuals in different reporting structures within the organization

• Self-motivated with the ability to perform with a high level of independence

• Innovative thinking and exceptional business acumen, analytical and problem-solving skills

• Fluent in conversational and written English

• Minimum 25% travel depending on specific territory

• Valid Driver's License

Preferred Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years experience working in/with vaccines; strong understanding of vaccination (products, processes, marketplace)

• Recent local market and customer knowledge

• Experience in a strategic or management role in public health or health system/medical group

• Strong understanding of compliance-related concepts including the laws and regulations that govern pharmaceutical/vaccine marketing and sales activities

• Proficient in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Outlook

Our Human Health Division maintains a “patient first, profits later” ideology. The organization is comprised of sales, marketing, market access, digital analytics and commercial professionals who are passionate about their role in bringing our medicines to our customers worldwide.

Who we are …

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for …

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving, so if you are among the intellectually curious, join us—and start making your impact today.

NOTICE FOR INTERNAL APPLICANTS

In accordance with Managers' Policy - Job Posting and Employee Placement, all employees subject to this policy are required to have a minimum of twelve (12) months of service in current position prior to applying for open positions.

If you have been offered a separation benefits package, but have not yet reached your separation date and are offered a position within the salary and geographical parameters as set forth in the Summary Plan Description (SPD) of your separation package, then you are no longer eligible for your separation benefits package. To discuss in more detail, please contact your HRBP or Talent Acquisition Advisor.

Employees working in roles that the Company determines require routine collaboration with external stakeholders, such as customer-facing commercial, or research-based roles, will be expected to comply not only with Company policy but also with policies established by such external stakeholders (for example, a requirement to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to access a facility or meet with stakeholders). Please understand that, as permitted by applicable law, if you have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 and an essential function of your job is to call on external stakeholders who require vaccination to enter their premises or engage in face-to-face meetings, then your employment may pose an undue burden to business operations, in which case you may not be offered employment, or your employment could be terminated. Please also note that, where permitted by applicable law, the Company reserves the right to require COVID-19 vaccinations for positions, such as in Global Employee Health, where the Company determines in its discretion that the nature of the role presents an increased risk of disease transmission.

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.

For more information about personal rights under Equal Employment Opportunity, visit:

EEOC Know Your Rights

EEOC GINA Supplement​

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination

We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing diverse, talented, and committed people together. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when diverse ideas come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Under New York City, Colorado State, Washington State, and California State law, the Company is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the salary range for this job. Final determinations with respect to salary will take into account a number of factors, which may include, but not be limited to the primary work location and the chosen candidate’s relevant skills, experience, and education.

Expected salary range:

Available benefits include bonus eligibility, health care and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, paid holidays, vacation, and sick days. For Washington State Jobs, a summary of benefits is listed here.

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

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:

Relocation:

VISA Sponsorship:

Travel Requirements:

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Shift:

Valid Driving License:

Hazardous Material(s):

Requisition ID:R242039