Associate Director, Market Access – Germany

Purpose of the Function

The Field-Based Associate Director, Market Access – Germany is responsible for the development and implementation of regional market access strategies to secure and optimise reimbursement, pricing, and access conditions for a specialist pharmaceutical portfolio.

The role acts as a key interface between the organisation and regional stakeholders, including statutory health insurance funds, healthcare authorities, hospitals, key opinion leaders, and other relevant decision-makers.

The successful candidate will ensure alignment between regional implementation and national market access strategies, build trusted partnerships with key stakeholders, and help establish sustainable reimbursement and funding pathways across the German healthcare system.

Close collaboration with Commercial and Medical Field teams will be essential to the success of the role.

Roles and Responsibilities

Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Management

• Establish and maintain long-term relationships with regional payers, statutory health insurance funds, KV associations, hospital purchasing groups, medical societies, and other key market access stakeholders.

• Act as the field-based point of contact for regional reimbursement, pricing, and market access discussions.

• Develop and maintain a strong external network across the German healthcare and reimbursement landscape.

Regional Market Access Strategy & Execution

• Lead regional market access initiatives and support contracting negotiations and the implementation of managed entry agreements where relevant.

• Identify and act on regional access opportunities, policy developments, and potential barriers to patient access and product adoption.

• Ensure effective alignment and coordination with national Market Access, Medical Affairs, and Commercial teams.

• Translate national access strategies into effective regional execution.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Commercial and Medical Field teams to support appropriate product uptake and address regional access challenges.

• Provide insights and intelligence from the field to national Market Access and Brand teams to inform strategic decision-making.

• Represent regional market access considerations in brand planning, launch readiness, and lifecycle management discussions.

• Contribute to cross-functional initiatives and projects as required.

Tender & Hospital Market Support

• Monitor and support tender submissions, contracting activities, and negotiations where applicable, particularly within hospital markets.

• Engage with hospital pharmacies, purchasing departments, and relevant reimbursement and funding stakeholders.

• Support the organisation in navigating hospital financing and reimbursement processes.

Training & Knowledge Sharing

• Provide internal training and guidance on regional market access processes, payer expectations, and relevant healthcare policy developments.

• Act as an internal subject matter expert on the German regional healthcare, reimbursement, and market access environment.

• Share relevant market intelligence and stakeholder insights with internal teams.

Skills & Competencies

• Deep understanding of the German healthcare system, particularly statutory health insurance structures, hospital financing, and outpatient and inpatient access pathways.

• Strong knowledge of German market access processes and the regional implementation of national reimbursement and pricing decisions.

• Familiarity with national health technology assessment and reimbursement processes and their impact on regional market access.

• Demonstrated track record of successful negotiations involving payer contracts and/or rebate agreements.

• Excellent stakeholder management capabilities with an established external network across relevant payer, KV, hospital, pharmacy, and healthcare stakeholders.

• Strong strategic thinking, negotiation, influencing, and communication skills.

• Hands-on mentality with the confidence and willingness to take ownership and lead initiatives.

• Self-driven, highly organised, and capable of working autonomously in a field-based environment.

• Ability to collaborate effectively within cross-functional teams and broader stakeholder networks.

• Strong communication skills and the ability to operate effectively within a multicultural and multilingual global organisation.

• Agile and adaptable, with the ability to operate effectively in situations of ambiguity and change while building trust and maintaining resilience.

• Comfortable working in a dynamic, complex, fast-paced, and evolving business environment.

• Demonstrated project management capabilities, including proactive planning, prioritisation, and stakeholder alignment.

• Strong results orientation with a clear focus on delivering measurable outcomes.

• Ambitious, naturally inquisitive, and a fast learner, with a genuine commitment to continuous learning, self-development, and improvement.

• Comfortable giving and receiving constructive feedback and working effectively within a diverse environment.

• Passionate about contributing to a collaborative culture driven by innovation, empowerment, excellence, and humility.

Education & Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience within the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industry.

• At least 6 years of experience in a German field-based Market Access role, ideally complemented by experience working with statutory health insurance funds and/or KV organisations.

• Advanced degree or postgraduate-level training in a relevant discipline, such as natural sciences, medicine, business, engineering, finance, or a related field.

• Fluency in German and English.