Job Description
The company operates on a hybrid working model to support cross-functional collaboration and development.

Short notice period will be preferred for this role.

Our company’s HTA & OR team is one of the largest and busiest teams in the UK. This is a leadership role within the team, offering profound development opportunities as well as making a meaningful difference to the patients’ and people’s lives by enabling national access to the company’s novel medicines and vaccines.

Our UK HTA team is responsible for submissions to NICE, SMC, AWMSG and the JCVI, as well as supporting the Irish affiliate with NCPE submissions. We support regional and local access through the development of tools and resources for payer customers. We also lead and support appropriate evidence generation activities. The team is made up of health economists, evidence-based medicine managers and real-world evidence generation experts.

A Team Lead at our company works within a global organisation, collaborating with colleagues around the world, to build and communicate the clinical and economic value of our company’s life-changing medicines. As a member of the HTA & OR team, you will be collaborating very closely with UK cross-functional colleagues, Global expert functions, as well as external stakeholders. Our company believes that cross functional teamwork - always with patients in mind - is core to the success of the UK team, underpinning every project we do.

What you will do:

• You will be responsible for all the national value assessments (HTA or JCVI) within a specified therapy area. Leading a team of three to four subject matter experts they ensure the delivery of high-quality dossiers reflective of the value of novel medicines.

National value assessment for medicines and vaccines

• Devise coherent, therapy-area level HTA strategies necessary to optimise success in national value assessment processes while ensuring economic models support individual HTA the strategies.
• Supervise the development of high-quality and robust HTA dossiers and/or documents supportive of national vaccine tenders and JCVI review. Ensure the entirety of the value assessment process (clarification questions, ACD responses etc) is well-managed and all relevant stakeholders engaged, particularly ensuring clinical and patient experts are part of the decision-making process.
• Ensure clear, concise and coherent dossiers are produced, with regards both the clinical and economic sections, including the accurate description of the methods, assumptions, results and uncertainties in the economic analysis.
• Lead internal stakeholder engagement and communication at the therapy area level, within the UK and with global colleagues. Ensure quality and completeness of dossiers and projects for final signoff. Ensure all projects run to time, through robust project management across the therapy area
• Ensure outsourced projects are well managed, budgets tracked and expectations are known as relate to necessary strategic and technical standards and timelines. Manage vendors providing UK deliverables, e.g., model adaptations, systematic literature reviews (SLR) and network meta-analyses (NMA) work
• Drive the global organisation’s pipeline preparation around trial designs, economic model development, evidence generation, evidence synthesis, and strategic positioning to ensure UK & Irish needs are accommodated
• Guide the development and design of UK cost-effectiveness and budget impact models for HTA submissions in line with high standards of accuracy, quality and clinical relevance, reflective of the value proposition of the medicine
• Represent our company in various settings including NICE Technology Appraisal Committee meetings, scoping meetings, advisory boards, as required
• Identify solutions to technical challenges in the development of HTA submission strategies and respond to any challenges that emerge during the process
• Work with global and UK strategic pricing colleagues as required
• Communicate regularly with cross-functional teams on appraisal risks and opportunities. Solicit input and feedback to ensure alignment with key stakeholders, including patient groups and clinical experts

Evidence generation

• Direct evidence generation activities that address gaps particularly of relevance to HTA/JCVI dossiers, ensuring all appropriate processes and best practices are followed
• Support the generation of economic evidence to support lifecycle management: uptake and implementation of novel treatments
• Contribute to and/or lead HTA and /or health economic methodological research initiatives (e.g. NICE Methods, key issues in oncology modelling, quality of life studies)

Lifecycle management

• Direct landscape assessments for products in the pipeline, focusing on HTA and health economic risks and mitigations
• Ensure New Product Planning colleagues are supported to anticipate HTA requirements in the development of UK launch plans
• Work with Team to ensure all necessary horizon scanning
• Contribute to cross-functional strategy sessions with medical, marketing, market access, and external affairs colleagues

Team Leadership

• Support team development and training needs, both technical and generic business capabilities, formally and informally. Provide coaching and feedback to support individuals’ development within your team
• Manage all required training, business and HR processes across the year
• Be an internal expert to other functions in the business, coaching and training on HTA, health economics, evidence assessment principles, processes and methodologies
• Stay up to date on key customer changes and developments and changes in the HTA and health economic environment that shapes the way we conduct our work
• Engage with UK industry groups and other external stakeholders, shaping future HTA evolution
• Keep up to date on best practice statistical and health economic methods, clinical trial design and reporting

Qualifications, Skills & Experience Required:

• Extensive HTA experience including having led HTAs (specifically NICE)
• Experience representing industry at NICE committee meetings
• Experience managing a technical team/team of subject matter experts
• Master’s degree in health economics, Evidence Based Health Care or related discipline
• Deep knowledge of NICE methods and processes, strong economic modelling, evidence synthesis and outcomes research methods knowledge
• A deep understanding of the NHS and payer systems in the UK

Ways of Working/Competencies:

• Teamwork
• Team management
• Prioritise and focus on what matters
• Strong analytical, statistical, and presentation skills
• Embrace diversity and inclusion

Required Skills:
Health Economics Research, Interpersonal Relationships, Outcomes Research, People Leadership, Strategic Thinking

Preferred Skills:
Current Employees apply HERE
Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

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.