Director, Patient Support Operations

Main Responsibility

The Director is a member of the US Patient Support Operations Leadership Team and is the leader of Affordability operations. The Director is responsible for operational services of Affordability including strategy, management, legal and compliance adherence. This role will design, implement and enhance the operations for best-in-class affordability support programs. He/she will build and lead a team focused on affordability support activities. He/she provides market access and affordability program acumen to cross-functional teams to ensure US Patient Support view of affordability support strategy is represented.

Essential Job Functions

• Lead a team of resources comprised of Patient Access Managers, Supervisors, Associates and Specialists within the AZ US Patient Support Operations and at vendor partners focused on patient and provider affordability service delivery across multiple channels.
• Ensure operations staff adhere to AstraZeneca legal and compliance policies to minimize AstraZeneca risks relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), Anti-Kickback Statute, and Food and Drug Cosmetic Act, Product Liability, and State Prescription Laws.
• Manage multi-million dollar budget, accurate and timely headcount, and expense forecasts, regular financial reporting to senior leadership, and driving efficiencies to optimize resource needs.
• Responsible for hiring decisions, effectively assessing and coaching managers.
• Responsible for affordability program operations, design, and execution.
• Interact with management and internal customers to provide knowledgeable input regarding the factors that need to be considered as market and product strategies are developed.
• Share best practices across programs and brands, identifying common areas of improvement.
• Effectively integrate business process and technology offerings with key external partners ensuring seamless support through the patient journey.
• Responsible for brand program Key Performance Metrics (KPI), Service Level Agreements (SLA), and superior customer experience.
• Develop and implement efficient operating model with streamlined business processes, work instructions, and technology efficiencies.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree
• 10+ years of experience in healthcare, including a pharmaceutical company role
• Contact center operations experience
• Understanding of market access, patient affordability solutions, and healthcare delivery
• Analytical skills including problem solving, forecasting, contract development and financial modelling
• Proven negotiation & relationship building skills
• Proven ability to lead teams in a matrixed organization