Market Access, National Account Director (Burn Care)

Vericel Corporation, a leader in advanced therapies for the sports medicine and severe burn care markets, has an exciting opportunity for a top performing Market Access professional looking to join and contribute to a commercial stage company with an established portfolio of unique advanced cell therapies and specialty biologics. Reporting directly to Market Access Management at Vericel, this is a great opportunity to join a high growth company with a strong balance sheet supported by a talented team of professionals who are committed to improving the lives of the patients we serve.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Market Access, National Account Director ( Burn Care) is responsible for leading and managing key market access relationships with regional burn and trauma centers as well as payers to ensure favorable access and pricing for our products.  This position has three major components.   The first is deploying pharmacoeconomic models, outcomes tools, clinical effectiveness and HEOR tools for Vericel’s US burn care brands including Epicel® (cultured epidermal autografts) and NexoBrid® (anacaulase-bcdb) to enable access commensurate with the value being delivered.  The second is managing contracting, contract negotiations, and contract adherence with key facilities.  The final component of the role is to serve as a subject matter expert to support NexoBrid account managers with market access strategies, best practices and addressing issues with key accounts related to market access and pricing.

This individual serves as a leader on the market access and burn teams and interfaces with peers in sales, marketing, finance, legal, medical and regulatory affairs providing the burn care franchises with field-based market access support for all key burn care facilities, trauma centers, and payers and will provide subject matter expertise to obtain favorable access and adoption into treatment protocols to broaden utilization of our novel burn care therapies.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions: 

• Develop and implement market access strategies and tactics to support access, adoption and reimbursement with key regional burn and trauma centers as well as payers.
• Establish access commensurate with value being delivered – continually improve access quality to reduce barriers to adoption.
• Effectively communicate value proposition and educate key centers on product value while displaying comprehensive understanding of therapeutic differentiation, hospital economics, treatment protocols and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). 
• Partner with sales team to develop and deploy account specific access plans while collaborating cross functionally with legal, medical affairs, compliance and market access teammates on contract negotiations.
• Collect facility landscape trends on coverage, utilization management, treatment protocols, economic value and best practices to share with key commercial leaders (sales, marketing, market access).
• Support both inpatient and outpatient strategies and identify and pull through unconventional access opportunities where applicable .
• Assist in training field partners on economic value, reimbursement and objection handling and field account-based market access escalations.
• Build and maintain relationships with key facilities, administrators and KOLs.
• Other projects and assignments as needed.

Leadership Responsibilities:

• Understanding, observing, and adhering to the goals and policies outlined in Vericel’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics as well as other applicable Vericel policies.
• Being honest and treating people with respect and courtesy. 
• Constantly striving to make Vericel a great place to work, and a company respected for the quality of its people and products. 
• Serving as role models for our fellow employees and business partners by acting responsibly, fairly, and honestly in our dealings and exercising sound judgment in performing our jobs.

QUALIFICATIONS, EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree (Advanced Degree in Science, Healthcare or Business Administration preferred). 
• Professional with 5-8 years’ experience in field-based market access in medical device, life sciences, biotech and/or pharmaceutical industries.
• Strong problem solving and critical thinking skills required.
• Experience working in burn/wound care preferred, HEOR medical science liaison experience desired though not required. 
• Minimum of 1-3 years working in hospital reimbursement. 
• Minimum of 1-3 years contract negotiations.  
• Strong understanding of medical reimbursement with hospitals (billing, coding, coverage, and payment) and health economics to overcome cost and formulary objections.
• Experience with DRGs, HEOR, utilization management, treatment protocols, payer engagement required.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Remote work environment - option to work-from-home. 
• Frequent domestic business travel (35 – 45%), tradeshows, sales meetings, educational programs and customer and partner meetings.