Job Description

The Executive Director, Direct-to-Patient Platform, owns the day-to-day operating model for the Direct-to-Patient (DTP) Platform vertical, including DTP fulfillment, telehealth integration, specialty pharmacy connectivity, and patient communication workflows.

The Executive Director leads vendor strategy and governance, defines operational readiness and performance management approaches, and scales proven DTP capabilities across brands without redesigning the model each time. Partners across specialty pharmacy, fulfillment, digital, legal, and compliance to keep channel operations running and the patient experience consistent.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define direct-to-patient platform operating model, including DTP fulfillment, telehealth integration, specialty pharmacy connectivity, and patient communication workflows

• Lead DTP platform vendor strategy and governance, including vendor selection, contracting, performance management, and day-to-day operational oversight — issue resolution, performance monitoring, and patient escalation handling

• Define DTP platform operational readiness, including SOPs, fulfillment workflows, and launch requirements

• Define DTP platform performance management approach, including patient utilization, fulfillment timelines, drop-off rates, and patient satisfaction metrics

• Scale proven direct-to-patient capabilities across brands, including graduated innovation pilots, standardized operating models, deployment playbooks, and channel expansion without redesigning the model each time

• Partner across specialty pharmacy, fulfillment partners, digital, legal, compliance, and brand teams, including channel operations, patient communications, and service continuity

• Escalate operational issues to the vertical lead when channel performance degrades or patient experience is at risk

Points of Collaboration:

• Head of Patient Support CoE: Reporting relationship; strategy alignment, budget, and vertical performance reporting

• Patient Experience and Acceleration Lead: Receiving graduated DTP capabilities, understanding original design intent and success criteria

• Brand Patient Support Strategy Leads: Brand-specific DTP program configuration, patient support strategy alignment, and launch coordination

• Acceleration and Insights by TA: Transition planning for new capabilities moving to operations

• Adherence Operations Lead: Alignment with companion app and adherence operations for DTP-enabled patients

• IAM: Ensuring DTP operations align with SP contracting decisions and network coverage

• DHH (Data, Hub and Hub Technology): Channel performance data integration into CoE dashboards

• Legal, Privacy, and Compliance: DTP fulfillment compliance, patient data handling, and state-level regulatory requirements

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree Required, Master's Degree Preferred

Necessary Skills and Competencies:

• 12+ years in biopharma patient services, specialty pharmacy operations, or channel/fulfillment operations — or equivalent experience in direct-to-consumer logistics, e-commerce fulfillment, or telehealth operations — with prior experience leading platform capabilities: operating model design, vendor governance, and performance management

• Direct experience managing DTP, home delivery, or emerging fulfillment channel operations in a production environment

• Vendor management experience, including setting SLAs, monitoring performance, running vendor business reviews, and escalating issues

• Strong understanding of direct-to-patient fulfillment models and vendor landscape, including home delivery, telehealth, specialty pharmacy integration, and emerging access channels

• Strong understanding of patient fulfillment ecosystems, including channel performance, patient communications, operational dependencies, and regulatory requirements — including state-level compliance around direct-to-patient drug delivery

• Ability to scale a proven model across multiple brands without redesigning it each time

• Experience leading and developing teams, including hiring, performance management, and talent development

​#PCAS2026

Required Skills:

Cross-Cultural Awareness, Cross-Cultural Awareness, Decision Making, Developing Pricing Strategies, Direct Marketing, E-Commerce, Extensive Traveling, Human Resource Management, Interpersonal Relationships, Latin American Markets, Logistics Management, Market Research, Medical Records Management, Operating Models, Operational Performance Management (PM), Organizational Performance Management, Patient Assistance Programs, People Leadership, Pharmacy Operations, Pricing Processes, Product Development, Product Management, Regulatory Requirements, Retail Pharmacy, Strategic Thinking {+ 2 more}

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:

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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

$255,800.00 - $402,700.00

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 https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

You can apply for this role through https://jobs.merck.com/us/en (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:

Domestic

VISA Sponsorship:

No

Travel Requirements:

25%

Flexible Work Arrangements:

Hybrid

Shift:

1st - Day

Valid Driving License:

Yes

Hazardous Material(s):

n/a

Job Posting End Date:

08/15/2026

*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.