Associate Principal – Medicare, Medicaid, and Drug Pricing Policy

About the Role

Avalere’s policy practice is seeking an Associate Principal with a focus primarily on Medicare, Medicaid, and drug pricing policy. We are seeking a policy professional who loves to generate creative solutions to complex problems, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and is energized by working collaboratively with highly motivated and knowledgeable colleagues.

The Policy Practice focuses on a range of issues including ongoing federal and state discussions around drug pricing policy; the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, Medicare Parts B and D policy and payment; evolving benefit designs and coverage in public and private payers; Medicaid; and other state health policies.

Clients include major pharmaceutical companies, emerging biotech companies, health plans and payers, patient advocacy and other non-profit healthcare organizations, and many other healthcare stakeholders.

We rely on deep subject matter expertise and understanding of the business issues facing our clients to assess how this changing policy landscape impacts the pharmaceutical industry, managed care plans, providers, pharmacies, PBMs, and consumers. We provide analytic support and advisory services, including legislative strategy, regulatory analysis, and quantitative modeling of proposed and enacted policies to a wide range of clients across the healthcare industry.

What You’ll Do

• Serve as a key subject matter expert on Medicare, Medicaid, and drug pricing policy issues impacting the pharmaceutical/biotech, health insurance, pharmacy, and PBM industries.

• Generate both strategic and tactical recommendations for clients that are responsive to their policy and business needs.

• Lead the day-to-day execution of projects and engagements with clients, under the direction of executive leadership, which include managing a project team, setting the strategy to execute the objective of the project or engagement, and ensure quality and timely delivery to the client.

• Develop new and creative offerings that respond to the changing needs of our clients.

• Participate in strategic and planning discussions across the firm to develop new business and create and execute business development plans to meaningfully contribute toward the Policy Practice’s annual sales and revenue goals.

• Supervise, train, and mentor staff members within the practice and across the firm.

• Author thought leadership that raises the profile of your expertise and the practice’s capabilities.

About You

Education Requirements:

• A degree in public health, public policy, political science, healthcare management, health policy, public administration, economics, business administration, or a relevant discipline.

• A graduate degree in a relevant field is strongly preferred.

Skill Requirements:

• Significant experience analyzing policy proposals, legislation, and/or regulation and conveying findings and implications to clients, colleagues, and the public.

• Sophisticated understanding of the policy issues impacting the healthcare sector, business dynamics in the marketplace, and how policy changes affect unique stakeholders.

• Experience overseeing and supervising work of colleagues.

• Proven situational leadership skills and the ability to motivate and generate enthusiasm with individuals across all levels of the organization.

• Exemplary interpersonal skills that translate into positive relationships with colleagues and clients.

• Commitment to working in a team environment with an emphasis on collaboration and maintaining positive relationships with colleagues and clients.

• Outstanding problem-solving and analytic skills with the ability to interpret and communicate complex analytic project methodologies and findings internally and to clients.

• Thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced, and intellectually stimulating environment.

• Advanced Microsoft Office skills, including PowerPoint, Excel, Teams, and Word.

Experience Requirements:

• Minimum of 7 years of relevant work experience, with a strong preference for prior employment by a pharmaceutical/biotech company, life sciences consulting/advisory services firm, or a federal government executive branch agency (e.g., CMS, FDA, etc.).

• Other relevant experience, such as past employment with a health insurance company, PBM, relevant trade group, advocacy organization, a healthcare-focused financial services firm, or Congress is highly desired.

• Deep knowledge of Medicare and Medicaid policy, including Medicare Part D, the Inflation Reduction Act’s Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, and other key drug pricing reform policies.

• Prior project management and/or leadership experience.

• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal), including the ability to concisely explain complicated concepts to executives within and outside of the firm.