[Hiring] Patient Access Manager Lead @Acadia Pharmaceuticals

Role Description

The Patient Access Manager (PAM) Lead provides expert field-based leadership to a geographically aligned team of Patient Access Managers supporting an integrated access portfolio. This role ensures consistent execution of Acadia’s patient access strategy across all brands by coaching, developing, and aligning PAMs to deliver high-quality access and reimbursement support.

The PAM Lead serves as a primary escalation point for complex patient access issues, partners closely with cross‑functional stakeholders (Sales, National Accounts, Hub/Case Management, Trade & Distribution, Medical, and Market Access), and ensures that customers receive seamless, compliant, and patient‑centered service.

This is a non‑promotional, field-based leadership role that requires strong operational excellence, strategic thinking, and the ability to lead through influence in a dynamic and evolving access landscape. This position requires up to 60% travel.

Key Responsibilities

• Leadership & Team Management
  • Lead execution of strategic and tactical initiatives across the PAM team, ensuring consistent delivery regardless of brand or therapeutic area.
  • Coach, mentor, and develop PAMs to build deep product, reimbursement, and payer expertise across both franchises, including Medicare, Medicaid, commercial access, and specialty pharmacy pathways.
  • Conduct routine field coaching visits to evaluate PAM execution, provide real‑time feedback, and support continuous performance improvement.
  • Oversee personnel actions including hiring, performance management, corrective action, recognition, and promotions.
  • Support onboarding and ongoing training of new PAMs in partnership with Training, Patient Support, and Market Access leadership.
• Operational Execution & Issue Resolution
  • Serve as the primary escalation point for complex access challenges from PAMs, Sales, Case Management/Hub, and external customers.
  • Identify coverage, reimbursement, distribution, or HUB-related issues and lead cross-functional teams to timely resolution.
  • Ensure alignment and flawless execution across operational partners (Hub, SPs, Trade, Distribution, National Accounts).
  • Translate corporate access strategy into actionable execution plans tailored for field operations and customer environments.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Partner with Sales Leadership (RBLs/RSMs), National Accounts, Market Access, Training, and HUB leadership to ensure coordinated access support.
  • Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders to improve communication, insight sharing, and customer experience.
  • Represent the PAM team in cross‑functional forums, business reviews, strategic planning sessions, and launch readiness activities.
• Insights & Performance Management
  • Track, analyze, and communicate field insights around payer trends, workflow barriers, referral challenges, and customer needs; recommend solutions and improvements.
  • Develop, refine, and report performance metrics to measure team execution, quality, and impact.
  • Manage territory alignment, operational workflows, and resource allocation to optimize patient access support.
• Compliance & Culture
  • Ensure all team actions align with Acadia’s compliance standards, policies, and role‑specific Rules of Engagement.
  • Foster a culture of inclusion, collaboration, accountability, and coaching within the PAM team.
  • Model patient‑centric professionalism and maintain high ethical standards in all interactions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree (MBA, RN, MSN) preferred.
• 8+ years of experience in pharmaceutical access, reimbursement, patient support services, national accounts, specialty pharmacy, or related fields.
• Minimum 2–3 years of leadership experience in Access, Market Access, Patient Support, National Accounts, or Sales leadership.
• Deep knowledge of reimbursement processes including Medicare, Medicaid, commercial payers, specialty distribution, HUB operations, and payer policy.
• Demonstrated success in cross-functional leadership and leading without authority.
• Strong communication, presentation, organizational, and analytical skills.
• Ability to travel up to 60%.