Associate Director, Pharma Strategy & Market Access

Optum is a global organisation that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

About the role:

As an Associate Director, Pharma Strategy & Market Access, you will play a key role in shaping strategies that influence access and market positioning of medicines. Your work will involve analysing market trends, evaluating financial impacts, and developing data-driven strategies to optimise how medicines made available to members.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams – including Finance, Legal, Data & Analytics, and Industry Relations – to support strategic decision-making. By leveraging financial modelling, competitor analysis, and data insights, you will help refine prescription drug coverage approaches, assess business risks, and identify opportunities for optimisation. Ultimately, your work will help ensure medicines are accessible at the right cost and reach the people who need them. 
We welcome applicants from a broad range of backgrounds. This position is well-suited for individuals with experience in financial modelling, market access, pricing, strategy, or similar data-driven strategy roles – whether in pharma, life sciences, healthcare, consulting, or other relevant industries. A background in pharmaceuticals is preferred but not required, as training and development will be provided.

Careers with Optum offer flexible work arrangements and individuals who live and work in the Republic of Ireland will have the opportunity to split their monthly work hours between our Dublin or Letterkenny office and telecommuting from a home-based office in a hybrid work model.

Primary responsibilities of the Associate Director, Pharma Strategy & Market Access:

•    Lead the strategic development of coverage and cost-management approaches to ensure affordability, access, and quality care for a large United States-based commercially insured population.
•    Develop and refine coverage strategies, using data-driven insights to balance cost, clinical effectiveness, and member and provider experience.
•    Collaborate with internal teams (e.g., Finance, Clinical, Legal, Industry Relations) to inform decision-making on pricing and access.
•    Collaborate with Analytics teams to assess trends and forecast financial impact, ensuring formulary strategies align with business goals.
•    Leverage comprehensive understanding of market trends to innovate and implement novel programs and management strategies to deliver value to clients and members.
•    Advise and support senior leadership by providing insights on market trends, competitor strategies, and policy changes affecting pharmaceutical access.
•    Monitor industry developments, including US healthcare policies, therapeutic innovations, and cost-containment strategies to inform business decisions.
•    Develop an in-depth understanding of key therapeutic areas to support evidence-based decision-making in formulary strategies.

You will be rewarded and recognised for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role, as well as providing development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required qualifications of the Associate Director, Pharma Strategy & Market Access:

•    Experience leading initiatives that contribute to measurable financial impact, especially cross-functional efforts involving multiple business units.
•    Experience using data to drive commercial decision-making and strategic initiatives.
•    Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
•    Strong interpersonal skills, history of establishing rapport and working well with both internal and external colleagues.
•    Proven ability to work collaboratively with multiple teams or departments to problem-solve and support achievement of business goals.
•    Intermediate MS Office Excel skills (e.g. V-lookups and Pivot tables).

Preferred qualifications of the Associate Director, Pharma Strategy & Market Access:

•    Experience in strategy development and proficiency in performing financial impact analysis using financial, forecasting and other data analysis tools.
•    Experience being the end-user of data visualisation tools such as Tableau or Power BI.
•    Advanced degree (MBA, PharmD, MS) and/or bachelor’s degree in pharmacy.
•    Experience working in managed health care, pharmacy benefit management, and/or pharmaceutical industry.

Please note you must currently be eligible to work and remain indefinitely without any restrictions in the country to which you are making an application. Proof will be required to support your application.
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All telecommuters will be required to adhere to the UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy.

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone–of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income–deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalised groups and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes — an enterprise priority reflected in our mission
Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: Optum is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, disability, religion, age, race, and membership of the Traveller community, or any other characteristic protected by law. Optum is a drug-free workplace. © 2025 Optum Services (Ireland) Limited. All rights reserved.