Associate Program Integrity & Effectiveness Director (Plainsboro, NJ, US)

About the Department

Novo Nordisk’s Market Access and Public Affairs team engages diverse stakeholders across political and healthcare landscapes to forge solutions that drive patient access to innovative products.  We strive to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients with diabetes, obesity, growth hormone deficiencies and rare bleeding disorders through mutual wins for both Novo Nordisk and our Market Access customers.  Our passion for helping people live better lives and our award-winning product pipeline can only be as effective as our ability to provide information to healthcare providers, key stakeholders and policymakers. Our Market Access and Public Affairs professionals ensure that the latest therapies and products reach the people who need them most, by creating an environment where innovation and chronic disease management drive optimal health outcomes. Are you ready to realize your potential?

The Position

This position is responsible for leading the financial governance, performance measurement and fraud prevention efforts across Novo Nordisk's affordability portfolio. This role serves as the primary business partner to Finance, providing strategic oversight of affordability investments, forecasting, budget management, financial approvals and portfolio performance. The individual will leverage data, insights and analytics to optimize affordability programs, identify emerging risks and opportunities and ensure appropriate stewardship of affordability investments while advancing sustainable patient access. This leader will oversee financial planning, fraud prevention and detection strategies and portfolio performance governance across Novo Nordisk's Affordability initiatives. In addition, this role will manage and coordinate the overall PSS planning process, including annual operating plans, forecasting cycles, budget reviews, investment prioritization and resource allocation activities. The position will also drive enterprise-wide cost optimization initiatives, identifying opportunities to improve operational efficiency, maximize return on investment, reduce unnecessary spend and enhance the effectiveness of patient support services.

Relationships

Reports to the Director, Patient Support Enablement. Works closely with Market Access, Finance, Customer Call Center, Enterprise Insights, Supply Chain, Procurement, Public Affairs, Public Policy, Regulatory, Legal, IT, Trade, Patient Safety and Compliance. External relationships include affordability program vendors.

Essential Functions

Affordability Programs Financial Strategy and Forecasting

Serve as the primary business partner to Finance for affordability programs and investments

Lead affordability budget planning, forecasting and financial performance reviews

Monitor financial risks, utilization trends and forecast accuracy, providing actionable recommendations to leadership

Evaluate vendor investments and contract economics to ensure alignment with financial, operational and strategic objectives

PSS Budget Planning, Cost Optimization & Performance Governance

Lead the overall Patient Support Solutions budget and planning process, including annual operating plans, forecasting cycles, budget reviews, investment prioritization and resource allocation

Partner with PSS leadership and Finance to develop and manage operating budgets aligned with organizational priorities and business objectives

Coordinate financial planning activities across PSS functions and programs, ensuring consistency, visibility and accountability

Drive cost optimization across PSS by identifying efficiency opportunities, evaluating spend effectiveness, assessing vendor expenditures and recommending investment trade-offs

Develop and execute cost optimization plans that improve operational efficiency, reduce unnecessary spend and maximize the value of patient support investments

Lead cross-functional reviews to identify optimization opportunities, resource needs and potential investment adjustments across PSS

Support business case development, investment evaluations and strategic prioritization decisions across the PSS portfolio

Vendor Strategy, Negotiations & Value Optimization

Lead negotiation strategy for key PSS and affordability vendors in partnership with Procurement and relevant cross-functional stakeholders

Develop negotiation objectives, financial analyses, business cases, benchmarks and value levers to support contract renewals, amendments and new vendor engagements

Partner with Procurement, Legal, Finance, Compliance and business owners to optimize pricing structures, service models, performance guarantees and contractual terms

Identify opportunities to reduce costs, improve value realization, enhance service delivery and mitigate financial and operational risks through strategic vendor negotiations

Support vendor selection, RFI and RFP processes, contract evaluations, sourcing activities and renewal decisions

Monitor vendor spend, performance, market trends and industry benchmarks to inform negotiation strategies and investment decisions

Partner with program owners to ensure vendor commitments, pricing structures and performance expectations align with program objectives and patient needs

Support executive-level discussions with strategic vendors to drive accountability, continuous improvement and mutually beneficial outcomes

Fraud Prevention, Detection & Program Integrity

Lead affordability fraud prevention and detection strategy, governance and risk mitigation across the affordability portfolio

Oversee fraud monitoring programs, third-party vendor partnerships, investigations and relevant audit activities

Establish metrics, controls and reporting processes to proactively identify program abuse, diversion, suspicious activity and emerging fraud trends

Partner with Legal, Compliance, Security, Finance and vendors to assess risks and implement appropriate mitigation strategies

Evaluate new technologies, monitoring capabilities and analytical approaches to strengthen fraud detection and program integrity controls

Assess potential and realized financial exposure associated with suspected fraud, waste and abuse

Track the effectiveness of prevention and mitigation strategies, including avoided or recovered program costs where measurable

Provide regular leadership updates on fraud trends, financial impact, emerging risks and mitigation effectiveness.

Physical Requirements

10-20% overnight travel required.

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in related field of study from an accredited university required and a minimum of ten (10) years of pharmaceutical commercial operations, patient support, program/project management, a minimum of three (3) years of experience supporting patient affordability or offer related programs required

Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with demonstrated experience in financial oversight, budgeting and vendor management highly preferred

Proven track record of operational enablement and process improvement, with high attention to detail and strong execution discipline

Experience leading complex initiatives in a matrixed, cross functional environment, including the ability to influence without formal authority

Proactive problem solver who anticipates risks and mitigates issues before escalation

Excellent planning, prioritization, execution and follow up skills across multiple concurrent initiatives

Strong written and verbal communication skills

The base compensation range for this position is $153,000 to $267,000. Base compensation is determined based on a number of factors. This position is also eligible for a company bonus based on individual and company performance. Novo Nordisk offers long-term incentive compensation and or company vehicles depending on the position's level or other company factors.

Employees are also eligible to participate in Company employee benefit programs including medical, dental and vision coverage; life insurance; disability insurance; 401(k) savings plan; flexible spending accounts; employee assistance program; tuition reimbursement program; and voluntary benefits such as group legal, critical illness, identity theft protection, pet insurance and auto/home insurance. The Company also offers time off pursuant to its sick time policy, flex-able vacation policy and parental leave policy.

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.

At Novo Nordisk, we're not chasing quick fixes – we're creating lasting change for long-term health. For over 100 years, we've been driven by a single purpose: to defeat serious chronic diseases and help millions of people live healthier lives. This dedication fuels our constant curiosity and inspires us to push the boundaries of what's possible in healthcare. We embrace diverse perspectives, seek out bold ideas, and build partnerships rooted in shared purpose. Together, we're making healthcare more accessible, treating and defeating diseases, and pioneering solutions that create change spanning generations. When you join us, you become part of something bigger – a legacy of impact that reaches far beyond today.

Novo Nordisk is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal laws, rules or regulations.

If you are interested in applying to Novo Nordisk and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply, please call us at 1-855-411-5290. This contact is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.