The Payer Engagement Account Director will drive payer opportunities, build relationships with payer accounts, lead meetings, and translate interest into agreements. Requires navigating complex organizations, maintaining pipeline management, and collaborating across functions to support evidence and access requirements.
Our mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. We are working to change the trajectory of cancer mortality and bring stakeholders together to adopt innovative, safe, and effective technologies that can transform cancer care.
We are a healthcare company, pioneering new technologies to advance early cancer detection. We have built a multi-disciplinary organization of scientists, engineers, and physicians and we are using the power of next-generation sequencing (NGS), population-scale clinical studies, and state-of-the-art computer science and data science to overcome one of medicine’s greatest challenges.
GRAIL is headquartered in the bay area of California, with locations in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and the United Kingdom. It is supported by leading global investors and pharmaceutical, technology, and healthcare companies.
For more information, please visit grail.com
GRAIL is seeking a highly driven Payer Engagement Account Director to own and advance a pipeline of payer opportunities. This role is for a builder—someone who is motivated by creating momentum, opening doors, and converting payer interest into tangible coverage- and access-enabling outcomes.
The Account Director will be accountable for actively driving payer engagements forward, not simply maintaining relationships. Success in this role requires intellectual curiosity, persistence, and a strong bias toward execution, as well as the ability to navigate complex payer organizations and move opportunities from early conversations to concrete results. This individual will work closely with, and report to, the Senior Director, Payer Engagement, and will play a frontline role in shaping payer perception and adoption of the company’s products.
You are approved to work remotely from your City and State. While your primary workplace is your home, you may be required to travel occasionally to a GRAIL office or other locations to perform your work or attend team-related events.
The ideal location of the candidate could be in Connecticut, New York and/or surrounding east cost states.
Responsibilities:
- Own and actively drive a defined pipeline of payer opportunities, with clear accountability for progress, outcomes, and timelines
- Initiate, build, and expand relationships with assigned payer accounts, proactively identifying opportunities to advance discussions toward pilots, data evaluations, and access-enabling activities
- Lead payer meetings from initial outreach through follow-up execution, ensuring momentum is maintained and next steps are clearly defined
- Translate payer interest into concrete deliverables, including pilots, collaborations, or agreements, in close partnership with the Senior Director, Payer Engagement
- Navigate complex payer organizations to identify and engage key clinical, economic, and decision-making stakeholders
- Surface payer needs, objections, and decision criteria early, and work cross-functionally to address them efficiently
- Partner with Market Access, HEOR, Medical Affairs, Commercial, Government Affairs, and clinical development teams to support payer-driven evidence and access requirements
- Prepare and deliver compelling, compliant payer-facing materials that clearly articulate clinical and economic value
- Maintain disciplined pipeline management, including documentation of payer interactions, progress, risks, and next steps
- Represent the company with credibility, urgency, and professionalism in all payer interactions
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required
- 10+ years of experience in payer engagement, market access, managed care, or healthcare account leadership
- Demonstrated track record of successfully closing payer negotiations that resulted in meaningful, expanded insurance coverage
- This position will cover markets and institutions across the U.S., and candidates must be able to travel a minimum of 40% of the time
Preferred Qualifications:
- Advanced degree (MBA, MPH, PharmD, MD, PhD) preferred
- 15+ years of experience in payer engagement, market access, managed care, or healthcare account leadership
- Strong understanding of U.S. payer decision-making, medical policy, reimbursement, and access pathways
- Proven ability to operate independently, prioritize effectively, and maintain momentum across multiple active opportunities
- Comfort with ambiguity and experience working in growth-stage or evolving commercial environments
- Excellent communication skills, executive presence, and stakeholder management abilities
- Experience in biotech, diagnostics, pharma, or healthcare technology
- Exposure to payer pilots, value-based arrangements, or evidence-generation collaborations
- Familiarity with HEOR, real-world evidence, and clinical development processes
Physical Demands & Working Environment:
- Hours and days may vary depending on operational needs
- Standing or sitting for long periods of time may be necessary
- Some lifting (up to 25 pounds) may be required
- Ability to travel 40% as required
Expected full time annual base pay scale for this position is $168K-$231K. Actual base pay will consider skills, experience and location.
This role may be eligible for other forms of compensation, including an annual bonus and/or incentives, subject to the terms of the applicable plans and Company discretion. This range reflects a good-faith estimate of the range that the Company reasonably expects to pay for the position upon hire; the actual compensation offered may vary depending on factors such as the candidate’s qualifications. Employees in this role are also eligible for GRAIL’s comprehensive and competitive benefits package, offered in accordance with our applicable plans and policies. This package currently includes flexible time-off or vacation; a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match; medical, dental, and vision coverage; and carefully selected mindfulness programs.
GRAIL is an equal employment opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a workplace where every individual can thrive, contribute, and grow. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, status as a protected veteran, , or any other class or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws. Additionally, GRAIL will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in a manner consistent with applicable law and provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please contact us at [email protected] if you require an accommodation to apply for an open position.
GRAIL maintains a drug-free workplace. We welcome job-seekers from all backgrounds to join us!
Top Skills
Data Science
Next-Generation Sequencing (Ngs)
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