Job Abstract

Job Description

Rare Disease Account Specialist

Our Sales team supports our customers by providing appropriate clinical information about our Company products, educational information, and resources. We strive to support healthcare providers and healthcare systems in their efforts to help meet the goals of the patients in their communities.

We are looking for dynamic individuals who thrive in a team environment and are driven to succeed. The Rare Disease Account Specialist serves as a key point of contact to customer accounts for our Company’s Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) business. This role will be critical in establishing our presence in PAH and our commitment to supporting the efforts of PAH healthcare providers in improving patient health outcomes. This role will generate demand for our Company products, build and maintain a strong rapport with providers and office staff, engage and support account executives who help secure formulary access, and design account strategies to meet local customer needs.

• This is a field-based sales position that will serve as the Southwest Region Overlay and be responsible for the Los Angeles County and Orange County territory. Additional territory coverage may be required as needed.

• The selected candidate would ideally need to reside in LA County or within commuting distance.

• Travel (%) depends on the needs of the territory and where the selected candidate resides, and overnight travel may be required about 25% of the time.

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

Account Management:

• Responsible for the overall customer experience of all stakeholders within target accounts; builds relationships with providers and staff, as appropriate, and acts as cross-functional point of contact

• Develops deep understanding of account objectives, strategies, unique challenges, and stakeholder influence networks to generate strategic insights

• Plans & conducts quarterly strategic planning sessions for key accounts with our Company's relevant stakeholders to create shared understanding of market context, account, & stakeholder needs and refine account strategy, including objectives, strategic imperatives, and tactics

• Our Company's relevant stakeholders includes both customer-facing and HQ roles

• Coordinates the execution of account strategies, tracks progress against objectives, and refines plans as needed to deliver on goals

• Proactively solicits feedback from account stakeholders to better understand needs and become a trusted resource

Care Team Engagement:

• Provides approved disease and product information and resources to approved members of the patient care team, including MDs, NPs, PAs, and other provider roles

• Shares information on target profiles to support the identification of appropriate patients for therapy

• Supports the education of and responds to questions from approved providers on the care team on the appropriate administration of our Company products

• Provides information and education to appropriate providers using approved resources on our Company’s patient support program to help address patient access and coverage issues

• Acts as the primary point of contact for all care team stakeholders and coordinates with our Company's other customer-facing roles to ensure customer needs are met in a compliant, orchestrated fashion

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

Ecosystem Management:

• Partners with internal colleagues to plan and host medical education events within designated territory

• Attends and supports our Company's presence at national & local congress/society events

• Proactively creates connections across care teams within designated territory to build appropriate provider-provider relationships

• Partners with HQ role(s) to plan and execute events with key thought leaders practicing within a designated territory

Key capabilities & competencies:

Scientific/Clinical Proficiency:

• Deep understanding of clinical and scientific aspects of PAH, competitor products, and our Company products:

  • Disease state knowledge

  • Standards of care and emerging clinical trends

  • Relevant diagnostics and testing

  • Patient demographics

Ecosystem Understanding:

• Deep understanding of regional and local health care networks: stakeholders and their relative level of influence, referral dynamics, payer controls, patient demographics, specialty pharmacy activity, etc.

• Understanding of access & insurance coverage processes in PAH, specifically those of payers most active in designated territory

Business Acumen:

• Ability to understand and define customer business models and infer strategic objectives

• Ability to create account strategies that deliver on both our Company and customer objectives

• Understanding of customer business operations and PAH practice management standards

Collaboration:

• Ability to effectively and efficiently partner with our Company's appropriate cross-functional stakeholders to develop and execute customer strategies & tactics

• Ability to lead without authority across individuals in different reporting structures to ensure execution against objectives

• Ability to partner with other Rare Disease Account Specialists to share best practices, peer-coach new team members, and create an environment of continual learning

Qualifications:

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree with 8 years Sales experience OR a minimum of high school diploma with at least 10 years of equivalent experience

• Equivalent experience can be: Professional sales experience, work experience in the healthcare/scientific field (including pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical devices) that is not sales related, professional marketing experience, or military experience

• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in the healthcare industry

• Keen interpersonal skills, including abilities to interact with individuals from a variety of backgrounds and to influence senior levels of management, key thought leaders, and customers

• Strong presentation and communication skills, including the ability to understand, distill, and convey complex scientific and public health-related concepts to diverse audiences

• Strong prioritization skills and ability contextualize decisions into broader corporate strategies

• Technologically proficient (e.g., MS Office Suite, iPad)

• Valid Driver's License and ability to drive a vehicle

• Legally authorized to work in the United States

Preferred Education, Experience, and Skills:

• Advanced degree (e.g., MBA, PharmD)

• Minimum of 2 years current/recent experience in the PAH market

• Minimum of 2 years current/recent experience with rare disease products

• 2+ years of account management experience in the healthcare industry

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.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.  For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, 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.

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

U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, generally Tuesday, Wednesday and either Monday or Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.  This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as “remote”.

Under New York State, 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.

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):