Associate Principal – Vaccines Policy Practice

Avalere Health is seeking an Associate Principal to join their Policy Practice Vaccines Team. This role is critical in leading multiple projects and accounts, serving as a subject matter expert to execute projects and provide clients with actionable policy and business support. The ideal candidate will have direct experience in and enthusiasm for vaccine-specific market access, marketing, commercialization, and access-related lifecycle management.

Avalere Health’s Policy Practice relies on deep subject matter expertise and understanding of the business issues facing our clients to assess how the changing policy landscape impacts the pharmaceutical industry, managed care plans, providers, and patients. We provide analytic support and advisory services, including regulatory analysis, evidence generation/review support, policy analysis, legislative strategy, and modeling of proposed and enacted policies to a wide range of clients across the healthcare industry, using both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

• Serve as a key subject matter expert on policies that affect vaccine coverage, payment, and reimbursement, specifically as it may relate to acquisition and contracting, billing complexity, and payer-specific strategies.
• 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, including managing a project team, setting strategy, and ensuring quality and timely delivery.
• Develop new and creative offerings that respond to the changing needs of our clients.
• Participate in strategic and planning discussions to develop new business and create business development plans to 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 to raise the profile of your expertise and the practice’s capabilities.

Education Requirements:

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in health policy, public policy, public health, healthcare management, business administration, health economics, or biological sciences.

Minimum Requirements:

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in health policy, public policy, public health, healthcare management, business administration, health economics, or biological sciences.
• 6+ years of relevant experience in a healthcare consulting role, vaccine manufacturer, or similar company focusing on policy and market access, marketing, or commercialization for vaccine products.
• Established subject matter expertise on the U.S. vaccine policy and market access landscape at federal and state levels, including how vaccines differ from other medical benefit drugs; pricing, contracting, and reimbursement across Medicare, Medicaid, VFC, Section 317, Universal Purchase states, and Commercial markets; state provider scope of practice laws and vaccine purchasing policies.
• Experience reviewing vaccine reimbursement rates, payment analytics, and competitive information to identify and resolve payer-specific barriers for new and existing vaccines.
• Demonstrated experience managing primary market research projects, including IDIs and advisory boards with payers, IDNs, public health providers, and other healthcare decision-makers. Ability to translate findings into client-facing strategic recommendations.
• Hands-on experience developing market access resources and promotional/non-promotional materials, including managing MLR review cycles, incorporating stakeholder feedback, and clearing content through Veeva Vault submission and approval processes.
• Readiness to develop exceptional client-ready PowerPoint presentations and Excel-based analyses that turn complex policy, market, and data insights into clear, compelling narratives.
• Experience in project management and leadership, including developing and finalizing scopes of work, tracking budgets, managing development of client deliverables, adhering to timelines, and client engagement.
• 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 apply knowledge outside of one’s immediate functional area.
• Solid communication skills (written and verbal), including the ability to concisely explain complicated concepts to executives within and outside of the firm.

Preferred but not required qualifications:

• Knowledge of vaccine coding, including experience developing applications for the AMA CPT Staff and Panel.
• Ability to evaluate different channel options for pipeline immunization products and identify strategic opportunities based on a target product profile.