Market Access Lead

Job purpose & Strategic context:  

The Market Access Lead is a pivotal role within Sanofi Korea, responsible for driving strategic pricing and reimbursement initiatives across both new and existing products. This position ensures that innovative therapies reach patients in a timely and sustainable manner by navigating complex regulatory and payer environments.

Key strategic objectives include:

• Strategic Market Access Leadership: Drive end-to-end market access strategy for new product launches and lifecycle management, securing optimal pricing and reimbursement through sophisticated pharmacoeconomic studies and evidence-based value demonstration that resonates with Korean payers.

• Expert Negotiation & Value Realization: Lead high-stakes negotiations with HIRA, NHIS, and key payers on pricing, volume, and risk-sharing agreements, leveraging deep analytical capabilities and strategic insights to achieve favorable outcomes that balance patient access with commercial objectives.

• Strategic Planning & Portfolio Excellence: Develop comprehensive market access plans across the portfolio and provide critical strategic input on pipeline assets, shaping future launches through early identification of access opportunities and proactive barrier mitigation.

• Cross-functional Leadership: Orchestrate seamless collaboration across Marketing, Communications, Public Affairs, Sales, Finance, Medical, Regulatory Affairs, Legal, Trade, and global/regional stakeholders to ensure integrated execution of market access strategies and organizational alignment.

• The role reports directly to the Head of MCO Market Access and manages a team of Market Access Specialist(s), providing strategic direction and development opportunities to build a high-performing team that delivers excellence in the Korean market access landscape.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership in Market Access: Demonstrate end-to-end ownership of market access strategy development and execution for both new product launches and mature brands. This includes conducting landscape assessments, identifying access barriers, and designing tailored strategies that align with business objectives and regulatory frameworks. The role requires a proactive approach to anticipate payer expectations and policy shifts, ensuring sustainable access and commercial success.

• Access Policy Shaping/Engagement: Actively engage with national health authorities such as HIRA, NHIS, MOHW(+NA) to influence healthcare policy and reimbursement decisions. This involves participating in policy consultations, contributing to industry forums, and building trusted relationships with key decision-makers. The role demands a deep understanding of the political and regulatory environment and the ability to advocate for patient-centric access solutions.

• Cross-functional Influence: Lead cross-functional collaboration across internal teams including Marketing, Communications, Public Affairs (Corporate Affairs), Sales, Finance, Medical, Regulatory Affairs, Legal, Trade, SMC, and global/regional stakeholders. Serve as the strategic connector between global/regional functions and local execution, ensuring alignment and integration of access strategies. Influence internal stakeholders by articulating the value of access initiatives and securing buy-in for complex projects. This role collaborates transversally across units, actively participates in the Sanofi Market Access community at MCO level in defined strategic projects, sharing best practices.

• Early Access Strategy Development as a Portfolio Lead: Design and implement early access pathways for high-priority assets, including pre-launch planning, managed entry agreements, and real-world evidence generation. Collaborate with global teams to identify opportunities for accelerated access and shape innovative models that meet both payer and patient needs. This responsibility requires strategic foresight and agility to navigate evolving access mechanisms.

• Negotiation Expertise: Lead pricing and RSA negotiations with payers, leveraging strong analytical capabilities and evidence-based arguments. Develop pricing rationales that balance commercial viability with payer expectations and manage complex multi-stakeholder discussions to secure favorable outcomes. Experience in risk-sharing models, volume-based agreements, and value-based pricing is essential.

• Team Development: Build and nurture a high-performing market access team by providing strategic direction, coaching, and development opportunities. Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and collaboration. Empower team members to take ownership of projects and grow their expertise in pricing, reimbursement, and stakeholder engagement.

• Global Alignment: Ensure local market access strategies are aligned with global and regional priorities. Act as a key liaison between Korea and global market access teams, contributing local insights to global planning and adapting global frameworks to local realities. This includes participating in global governance forums, sharing best practices, and influencing portfolio-level decisions

People development requirements

• Actively participates in clear and timely communication, roll-out, and training of the strategies, tools, and tactics.

• Have in depth knowledge of legislation related to pricing, reimbursement, rebates, prescription of medicines, etc.

• Anticipate and live the culture of leadership and work with leaders and GTMC, P&C to ensure all technical capabilities are adapted in the function. 

About you

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, Public Health, Statistics, or Science, Master’s degree e.g. in health economics, Public Health, pharmacology or similar preferably complemented with an MBA

• Languages: fluency in English and Country language (Korean) required

Technical skills

• Knowledge of existing and emerging market access stakeholders and influencers for Pharma products (e.g. recommendation decision-making and process, tenders, public or third-party financing) and understanding of the evolutions/implications for business

• Experience in scenario analyses (e.g., target patient population options, price/access trade- offs, co-payment sensitivity and portfolio optimization modelling into price and launch sequence recommendations) related payer value proposition, evidence requirements, pricing and access potential for each scenario to maximize commercial potential.

• Profound knowledge of the success metrics of how the value proposition are delivered to payers (i.e., requirements to command certain benefit ratings, P&R outcomes, reimbursement coding)

• Strong understanding of Korea’s pricing and reimbursement environment and stakeholder landscape

• Understanding of Payers value drivers and anticipation of Payers objections

• Learning agility in development of integrated market access & Payer’s strategies and plans, aimed at delivering the product differentiation most relevant to payers

• Track record of delivering payers relevant tools with positive measurable impacts

• Experience of health economics analysis and how the value proposition is delivered to key recommending bodies and payers

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills

• Ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously