We’re building a world of health around every individual — shaping a more connected, convenient and compassionate health experience. At CVS Health®, you’ll be surrounded by passionate colleagues who care deeply, innovate with purpose, hold ourselves accountable and prioritize safety and quality in everything we do. Join us and be part of something bigger – helping to simplify health care one person, one family and one community at a time.
Position Summary
CVS Health is one of the leading specialty pharmacies in the country, dispensing or managing more than $70B of specialty medications annually. Continued leadership in this space is a key fundamental priority for the organization. The Specialty Trade organization is a critical partner responsible for gaining access to drugs through either broad or limited distribution arrangements, negotiating product acquisition economics and selling in valuable services that differentiate us as a leading specialty pharmacy.
Do you want to make a large impact in your next role? Join CVS Health as a Lead Director Specialty Trade Relations, where you will be involved in the development and execution of key strategies and initiatives with specialty pharmaceutical manufacturers. Strategies will include procurement of products, distribution strategies, acquisition economics, specialty services such as data and reporting services, adherence programs and other performance services.
In this high impact role, you will have direct account responsibilities for established blood product manufacturers (hemophilia & IVIG), manage pharma relationships at a leadership level, be accountable for the cost of goods of pharmaceutical manufacturer products, and improvement in the reduction of these costs, while also identifying and executing new opportunities for current and new manufacturers.
Here, you are an integral member of the team. Your experience with market access and B2B, as well as your success effectively managing multiple manufacturer relationships will be key. You will utilize your creativity and skilled collaboration across multiple key business units as well as your strategic vision and critical thinking capabilities. You should be comfortable balancing multiple priorities at a time, such as when dealing with multiple contract negotiations and multiple manufacturer initiatives.
A Brief Overview
Facilitates the development and negotiation of contracts with pharmaceutical and medical supply manufacturers. Guides the development of manufacturer strategy, account relationship management, and cost management. Formulates strategies for procurement of product and supply arrangements, distribution strategies, tier and rebate-based performance arrangements, and formulary management.
What you will do
- Works to achieve operational, functional, and business targets with measurable impact on progress against goals for the Pharma Contracting area.
- Contributes to the development of complex strategies that encompass the organization's goals and position by utilizing project management tools, data analyses, and stakeholder feedback.
- Instructs account management and manufacturer negotiations to control drug and medical supply costs.
- Applies advanced knowledge of pharma contracting to ensure the successful establishment of pharma and medical supplier contracts.
- Devises negotiation strategy to drive financial and operational efficiencies.
- Acts independently to identify and evaluate new business opportunities to generate additional margin.
- Guides junior colleagues through consultation and mentoring in techniques and processes and provides functional (matrix) supervision.
Required Qualifications
- 10+ years work experience
- 8 years experience in specialty pharmacy, healthcare, contracting or pharmaceutical industry required.
- Successful experience in business development and contracting, experience effectively presenting in front of large, executive level customer audiences required.
- Ability to travel, up to 20% of the time, as needed, per business needs
- Adept at execution and delivery (planning, delivering, and supporting) skills
- Adept at business intelligence
- Adept at collaboration and teamwork
- Mastery of problem solving and decision making skills
Preferred Qualifications
- MBA Preferred
- 5 years experience in managing specialty/biologic manufacturer relationships preferred.
- 2 years experience with contract negotiations and successful completion of contracts strongly preferred.
Education
Bachelor's degree required; equivalent combination of experience and/or education may be considered.
Pay Range
The typical pay range for this role is:
$100,000.00 - $231,540.00
This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors. This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above. This position also includes an award target in the company’s equity award program.
Our people fuel our future. Our teams reflect the customers, patients, members and communities we serve and we are committed to fostering a workplace where every colleague feels valued and that they belong.
Great benefits for great people
We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families.
Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments.
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of work experience
- 8 years of experience in specialty pharmacy, healthcare, contracting, or the pharmaceutical industry
- Successful experience in business development and contracting
- Experience presenting effectively to large, executive-level customer audiences
- Ability to travel up to 20% of the time
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of experience and education
- 5 years of experience managing specialty or biologic manufacturer relationships
- 2 years of contract negotiation experience and successful contract completion
- MBA
CVS Health Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about CVS Health and has not been reviewed or approved by CVS Health.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage includes medical, dental, and vision with HSA-eligible options, free preventive care, virtual care, and access to MinuteClinic services. Mental-health resources such as counseling support are emphasized, and coverage is often considered solid for full-time colleagues.
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Retirement Support — A dollar-for-dollar 401(k) match up to 5% after one year and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan are consistently highlighted in Total Rewards materials. Feedback suggests retirement programs are a meaningful strength within the overall package.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Wellbeing offerings include up to 20 no-cost counseling sessions per issue, backup care, tuition assistance, and substantial in-store discounts, alongside broader wellness tools. These everyday perks expand value beyond base pay and can be especially meaningful for full-time schedules.
CVS Health Insights
What We Do
CVS Health is the leading health solutions company that delivers care in ways no one else can. We reach people in more ways and improve the health of communities across America through our local presence, digital channels and our nearly 300,000 dedicated colleagues – including more than 40,000 physicians, pharmacists, nurses and nurse practitioners. Wherever and whenever people need us, we help them with their health – whether that’s managing chronic diseases, staying compliant with their medications, or accessing affordable health and wellness services in the most convenient ways. We help people navigate the health care system – and their personal health care – by improving access, lowering costs and being a trusted partner for every meaningful moment of health. And we do it all with heart, each and every day.
