Head, Market Access & External Affairs, Thailand

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We're seeking passionate individuals who thrive in dynamic environments, embrace new ideas and aren't afraid to take intelligent risks. People who act with unwavering integrity and are deeply committed to making a tangible impact.

Working Environment and Location

• This position is based in Thailand (Bangkok areas) and will require on-site work.
• At Astellas we recognize the importance of work/life balance, and we are proud to offer a hybrid working solution allowing time to connect with colleagues at the office with the flexibility to also work from home. We believe this will optimize the most productive work environment for all employees to succeed and deliver. Hybrid work from certain locations may be permitted in accordance with Astellas’ Responsible Flexibility Guidelines.

Working Hours

Purpose and Scope

Reporting to the General Manager (GM), the Head, Market Access and External Affairs plays a critical role in leading market access, pricing, and government/external affairs strategy and execution for Astellas, translating regional strategies to local realities to secure and sustain patient access for in-line and pipeline products and initiating policy-shaping efforts with cross-functional support aligned to the priorities of the company & CSP26 goals.

The Head, Market Access and External Affairs is responsible for developing and executing local reimbursement and pricing strategies that ensure sustainable patient access to the company’s portfolio while strengthening relationships with key external stakeholders, including government agencies, healthcare payers, policymakers, HCOs, patient groups and trade/industry associations.

Role and Responsibilities

Healthcare System Knowledge 

Possesses expert understanding of how political, economic, social, and legal contexts shape health-system design and operation. 

• Deep proficiency in pricing, reimbursement, funding, and local procurement mechanisms (processes, evidentiary standards, regulatory/legal principles). 
• Understands decision rights, governance flows, and trends in healthcare financing and policy. 
• Understands how health system(s) incentivize and dis-incentivize payer and stakeholder behaviour and decision making.  
• Identifies opportunities to shape the environment to improve pricing, reimbursement, and access, delivering system improvements enabled by Astellas’ value offerings. 
• Positions local systems within global/regional/national archetypes (payer types, funding sources, HTA approaches). 
• Anticipates shifts in stakeholder power and articulates implications for access (e.g., rising influence of non-prescribing stakeholders; pricing decision shifts from MPP to RP committees at each stage of product life- cycle). 

Market Access Strategy 

• Develops end-to-end pricing and access strategies across the product lifecycle (MPP/RP negotiation, reimbursement, stakeholder engagement, access expansion in out-of-pocket segment). 
• Crafts and deploys payer-tailored materials that anticipate objections and present solution pathways. 
• Identifies and addresses access barriers across the healthcare system.
• Collaborates with other Value Delivery Team members to design value-creation strategies beyond clinical evidence (e.g., integrated care, patient support programs) to secure, optimize, and sustain access and uptake.
• Delivers successful subsidy/listing outcomes (e.g. OCPA, CSMBS, UCS benefit package) for relevant products.
• Monitors reimbursement policies, healthcare reforms, and payer trends.

Data & Analytics 

• Understands how evidence is generated, appraised, and applied by payers and stakeholders (providers, patients, health systems). 
• Translates data into payer-relevant insights that inform funding, procurement and policy.
• Establishes dashboards to monitor pricing, OCPA listing, PAI program and other relevant KPIs where appropriate. 
• Integrates full P&L considerations into pricing proposals (list/net price, COGS, rebates/RSAs, FOC, VAT charge, IRP exposure, PAI cost, transition cost, volume/channel mix, OPEX and OP), supported by scenario and sensitivity analyses to ensure optimal margin and sustainability. 

Strategic Pricing & Contract Strategy 

• Designs and implements innovative pricing and value-based procurement models for in-line and pipeline assets to maximize timely, equitable patient access. 
• Understands compliance considerations and risks of pricing practices (competitive law, antibribery regulations) and flags pricing practices which conflict with compliance requirements (competitive law, anti- bribery regulations).  

• Manages cross-border dynamics (IRP exposure, MFN policy impact/implication, parallel trade, cross-indication referencing) to optimize country strategies within corporate constraints. 

• Develops managed-entry and risk-sharing arrangements (price-volume, expenditure caps, performance-linked schemes) with clear risk mitigation and performance management. 

• Oversees pricing and tender management with cross-functional partners; defines post-award performance metrics and reconciliation processes. 

Continue:Role and Responsibilities

External Stakeholder Management 

• Leads comprehensive mapping, engagement, and communications planning for payers and government authorities. 

• Directs KEE strategies to build credible advocacy around unmet need, value, and appropriate use. 

• Leads and owns Patient Access Initiative Program (PAI) planning and design end-to-end; establishes governance with Medical and Compliance; defines eligibility, documentation, distribution/dispensing controls, KPIs, and monitoring/audit plans. 

HEOR & Evidence Generation / Submission 

• Leads the affiliate HEOR strategy and roadmap (burden of illness, treatment patterns, RWE, PROs) with endpoints tied to payer decisions, listings, renewals, and indication expansions.
• • Liaise with medical affairs and health economic KEEs to ensure optimized model structures and key data input for reimbursement applications and contribute to the advancement of new methodologies.
  • Leads and owns the end-to-end HTA pathway including dossier development and localization /submission, HTA agency timeline control, and coordinated internal and external stakeholder engagement. 
  • Value negotiation strategy: Integrates full financials (list/net, P&L drivers, IRP exposure, rebate/RSAs constructs, contract terms) with a clear value narrative (clinical benefit, HEOR/RWE, budget impact, implementation feasibility) to tailor proposals to HTA criteria and decision frameworks, set KPIs/renewal terms, ensure competition-law compliance, and align positions for HTA agencies, payers and healthcare professionals. 
  • Ensures robust and consistent methods for SLRs, NMAs, BIAs and CEAs, in line with local HTA standard 
  • Leverages RWE partnerships (registries, universities, payer/ PAI data) to inform and integrate with HEOR and evidence generation. 
  • Translates technical outputs into payer-ready evidence (concise narratives, policy briefs, objection-handling materials). 

Government Affairs & Policy 

• Long-term partnerships: Builds enduring, trust-based relationships with MOPH & TH FDA divisions, HTA agencies, regulators, healthcare professionals, clinical societies, patient groups, NGOs and industry associations (e.g. PReMA, EABC) to advance sustainable access. 
• Policy agenda & engagement model: Sets a proactive GA roadmap aligned to portfolio priorities; maintains stakeholder maps and engagement plans with defined cadences (executive sponsorships, policy roundtables, annual strategy summits). 

• Sets a proactive government affairs roadmap aligned to portfolio and access priorities (e.g. subsidy frameworks, procurement modernization, pooled-tender policy if applicable). 

• Systematically engages MOPH & TH FDA divisions, HTA agencies, and healthcare professionals to inform and shape policy and funding decisions. 

• Coordinates evidence-based responses to public consultations; convenes roundtables, white papers, and MoUs with clinical societies/NGOs to address system gaps  

• Anticipates policy risks and manages issues/crises in alignment with anti-bribery and anti-corruption, competition law, and industry codes, in close partnership with Legal and Compliance.

Essential Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in pharmacy, medicine, natural science, business administration.
• Minimum 10 years in ethical pharmaceutical industry and minimum 5 years’ experience in market access & pricing or reimbursement experience in Thailand. 
• Knowledge of OCPA reimbursement/NLEM listing processes, exposure and knowledge of HTA

       systems in Thailand (HITAP) and processes for submissions

• Government Affairs experience (policy consultations, MOPH/HTA engagement, long-term stakeholder partnerships) 
• Strategic Thinking & Planning & Agility. 
• P&L integration into pricing proposals; strong scenario/sensitivity analysis. 
• Robust product pricing & tender management and MPP/RP negotiation experience 
• Proven leadership ability with a vision of team success and make plans to motivate others to work hard to achieve the vision and leading without authority. 
• Excellent communication, interpersonal skills and good understanding of how matrix corporate environments work. 
• Cross-Functional Capability - affiliate, regional and global teams. 
• Fluent in English. 

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA and/or MSc preferred
• Executive presence, prior experience with engaging senior leaders. 
• Ability to make decisions and response to solve problems immediately and effectively.
• Good Self-control and able to work under pressure.
• Oncology or high-cost products experience preferred.  
• Partner with insurance companies experience preferred.
• Pre-launch excellence and niche therapeutic area best-in-class launch experience preferred.  
• Strong capabilities with established key principles of success including:

1. Focus outcome over task orientation
2. Think about enterprise over individual function
3. Act with urgency

Why Astellas

• We're seeking passionate individuals who thrive in dynamic environments, embrace new ideas and aren't afraid to take intelligent risks. 
• People who act with unwavering integrity and are deeply committed to making a tangible impact. 

Learn more at Astellas.com