Associate Director, Vendor Management

Position: Associate Director, Vendor Management  
Department: Patient Support Vendor & Program Operations
Location: Boston, MA (Hybrid – 3 days per week onsite)
Employment Type: Contract (12 months with potential for extension)

Position Summary

Key Responsibilities

Vendor Strategy & Oversight

• Provide strategic and operational oversight for vendors supporting patient support programs.
• Develop and maintain vendor governance models, including business reviews, performance scorecards, escalation processes, and service-level expectations.
• Ensure vendor performance aligns with contractual obligations, quality standards, compliance requirements, and business objectives.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to evaluate vendor capabilities and support vendor selection, onboarding, and transition activities.

Vendor Performance Management

• Establish, monitor, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs), service level agreements (SLAs), and operational metrics.
• Identify performance gaps, operational risks, and process improvement opportunities while leading corrective action plans.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on enhancing patient experience, operational efficiency, and program effectiveness.
• Conduct regular business reviews and present performance insights and recommendations to senior leadership.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the primary liaison between internal stakeholders and external vendors.
• Collaborate with Patient Services, Market Access, Commercial, Legal, Compliance, Privacy, Procurement, Finance, and Operations to ensure alignment on program objectives and deliverables.
• Translate business requirements into clear operational expectations for vendor partners.
• Support implementation of new programs, enhancements, and operational process improvements.

Contract & Financial Management

• Partner with Procurement, Legal, and Finance to support contract negotiations, renewals, amendments, and statement of work (SOW) management.
• Monitor vendor budgets, invoices, and financial performance to support forecasting and cost management.
• Evaluate vendor proposals and business cases to support operational and investment decisions.

Project Management & Program Implementation

• Lead cross-functional projects related to vendor operations, patient support enhancements, and new program implementations.
• Develop project plans, timelines, milestones, and communication strategies.
• Coordinate internal and external stakeholders to manage deliverables, dependencies, risks, and issue resolution.
• Track project progress, ensuring initiatives remain on schedule and within scope.
• Support change management activities associated with vendor transitions, program launches, and operational improvements.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure vendor operations comply with applicable healthcare regulations, privacy requirements, legal standards, and company policies.
• Support audit readiness and participate in vendor audits, inspections, and risk assessments.
• Escalate operational, compliance, and service issues as needed while driving timely resolution.
• Maintain documentation and governance practices that support effective vendor oversight.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Healthcare Administration, Life Sciences, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in vendor management, patient services, market access, specialty pharmacy, reimbursement support, or related pharmaceutical or healthcare operations.
• Demonstrated experience managing third-party vendors within a regulated healthcare or pharmaceutical environment.
• Experience supporting vendor transitions, operational transformation initiatives, and program launches.
• 3+ years of project leadership or cross-functional leadership experience.
• Strong understanding of patient support programs, including hub services, reimbursement support, patient access, and patient engagement models.
• Experience developing and managing KPIs, SLAs, and vendor performance scorecards.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, relationship management, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.

Preferred

• MBA, MPH, or other advanced degree.
• Experience supporting rare disease, specialty therapeutics, or other complex patient support programs.
• Knowledge of healthcare compliance, privacy, and regulatory requirements related to patient services and vendor oversight.