Director, Pricing and Contracting

Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing and delivering novel therapies for the management of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. The Axsome team is a lean, dynamic group of individuals committed to addressing unmet needs for patients with CNS disorders. Axsome is based in New York City.

About This Role:

Axsome Therapeutics is seeking a Director, Pricing and Contracting to support our growing commercial portfolio and Market Access team. Reporting to the Senior Director, Pricing and Contracting, this role will interact with colleagues in Market Access and cross functionally with Executive Leadership, Finance, Legal and Compliance and Brand teams. This position will also interact with key third party partners, including Third Party Rebate Processors, Government pricing partners, Commercial GPOs and PBMs, State Medicaid, CMS, HRSA, and others as needed.  

The Director, Pricing and Contracting is a strategically important role that will drive successful execution of Market Access strategies for Axsome’s inline and pipeline products. This role will lead Axsome’s Market Access contract administration and compliance efforts, including rebate administration, payment workflows, state Medicaid invoice processing, etc. 

This role is based at Axsome’s HQ in New York City with an on-site requirement of at least three days per week. We are unable to consider candidates who are looking for fully remote roles.  

Job Responsibilities and Duties include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Lead Axsome’s Contract Operations function, leading appropriate execution of terms and conditions for Managed Care Rebates, Medicaid, 340B, FSS/VA contracts, etc.  

• Lead Axsome’s Government Pricing Compliance efforts, collaborating with internal team members and external service providers. Ensure accuracy and timely completion of reported prices (AMP, BP, PHS, NFAMP, etc.) 

• Ensure appropriate execution of approved and finalized payer/PBM contracts, including working with internal and external partners to validate adjudicated rebates, fees, price protection, and other price concessions 

• Establish internal processes for Contract Compliance by working collaboratively across the organization 

• Establish audit plan to review top contracted formularies across Commercial, Medicare Part D and Managed Medicaid segments  

• Partner with Trade and Distribution function to establish and implement 340B rebate compliance strategy across distribution/payer/PBM customer segments  

• Assess and implement oversight over revenue leakage risk through contracting and contract compliance efforts, including duplicate discount and chargeback mitigation, rebate non-compliance, price calculation and reporting, and other areas of gross-to-net risk  

• Lead Government Channel contracting strategy across VA, DoD, PHS, Medicaid, and Medicare segments 

• Strong project management skills. Demonstrated experience of working with third-party partners, transitioning third-party partners, and implementing large scale, high-impact projects. 

• Act as subject matter expert and fulfill all Federal and State Reporting requirements for Axsome, including but not limited to AMP, URA, PHS Ceiling Price, NFAMP, FCP, BP, WAC changes, etc 

• Act as subject matter expert and lead accurate and appropriate implementation of Government Pricing Calculations, Reporting obligations, Class of Trade Schema determination, Federal & State reporting requirements, Chargeback and Rebate Processing, Government Claims Processing, and Managed Care Rebate Processing 

• Lead Government Price (GP) Reporting vendors and ensuring processes and procedures are well-documented 

• Collaborate with Finance to develop, inform and maintain Gross-to-Net calculations, forecasts, and reviews with internal and external stakeholders 

• Keep abreast of industry updates; provide pertinent updates to the broader team through weekly newsletter and monthly regulatory meetings 

• Participate in CMS/government agency calls related to policy updates such as the IRA implementation, Medicare rule-making updates, etc. 

• Provide feedback/information related to business impacts of policy/regulation changes, pending lawsuits, pending legislation, etc. to company at large through formal summits, informal lunch & learns, etc. 

• Review regulation/legislation impact to industry/product line (e.g., mental health parity regulations/comments on regulations, state mental health exemptions, etc.) 

• Stay up to date on Medicaid landscape (e.g., FFS, state PDLs, carve-outs, etc.) 

• Stay up to date on Medicare landscape (e.g. Benefit designs, patient co-pay smooth up-take, etc.) 

• Work with Legal to update internal policies to reflect changes to regulations, legislation, etc. 
• Provide data analysis related to impacts of pending/passed legislation and/or regulations (e.g. estimated financial liability due to Part D inflation penalty, operational costs of implementing new policies/programs, etc.)  

Requirements / Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree Required. Master’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration or data analytics preferred 

• 7+ years’ experience of Market Access contracting, pricing, contract administration, and contract compliance 

• Excellent Project Management skills with demonstrated history of implementing large scale projects, and transitions 

• Zero-to-One experience of building teams, internal and external stakeholder partnerships, comprehensive processes, and knowledge of industry best practices
• Ability to work on site Monday, Tuesday & Thursday. We are unable to consider candidates who are looking for fully remote roles 

Experience and Knowledge 

• In-depth knowledge of pharmaceutical pricing, stakeholder incentives, reimbursement practices and regulatory requirements 

• Experience of auditing PBMs, GPOs, and other external contracted partners  

• Advanced knowledge of Commercial, Medicare, Medicaid, VA, DoD, 340B, and other programs and payer policies 

• Strong understanding and knowledge of Government price calculations and compliance regulations 

• Prior experience in Managed Care Rebate processing, GP reporting and methodologies, claim adjudication highly preferred 

• Strong problem-solving skills, including incorporating framework driven thinking and data driven analytics; ability to collate data and insights from disparate data sources and recommend understandable solutions to complex problems 

• Strong team player with demonstrated ability to work in a deadline driven and fast paced environment, managing multiple priorities and workstreams simultaneously 

• Proactive, intellectually curious, willing to learn and adapt, strong analytical thinking, framework driven approach to problem solving, strong communication and presentation skills, solid team player 

• Ability to interact and communicate with all levels in the organization and influence in a matrix environment 

Salary and Benefits:

The anticipated salary range for this role is $190,000 - $215,000. We encourage candidates of all levels to apply as there may be flexibility on final job title and responsibilities. The salary offer will be based on a variety of factors, including experience, qualifications, internal equity and location. Axsome offers a competitive employment package that includes an annual bonus, significant equity and a generous benefits package.

Axsome is committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. We value and encourage diversity and solicit applications from all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. 

Axsome Therapeutics does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or third-party recruitment agencies and will not pay placement fees for unsolicited candidates that are sent to hiring managers, the HR team or other Axsome team members. Only approved vendors who have been explicitly asked to support a specific search will receive access to our Applicant Tracking System to submit candidates for consideration.