Retail Program Manager Jobs in Durham, NC (NOW HIRING)

Protecting our tomorrow

Job Title: Manager, Retail Contracting

Location: US Remote

Department: Commercial

Reports To: Senior Director, NA Access, Pricing and Contracting

Salary Range: $120k - 155k

About Bavarian Nordic

At Bavarian Nordic, we are dedicated to protecting lives and advancing global health through innovative vaccines. As a global leader in smallpox and mpox vaccines, our growing portfolio includes market-leading vaccines against rabies, tick-borne encephalitis, cholera, typhoid, and Ebola. Our mission is simple: to improve quality of life worldwide by preventing infectious diseases. We are headquartered in Denmark and have offices across Europe and North America.

Position Overview

This is a highly visible, hands-on role. The Manager, Retail Contracting, will be expected to independently manage strategic contracting decisions and the operational execution of contracts through manual tools (e.g., Microsoft Word, SharePoint), without administrative support.

The Manager, Retail Contracting, will be responsible for developing, negotiating, and managing contract structures that support vaccine access and pull-through within the retail pharmacy channel, translating strategic objectives and pricing guidance into actionable and compliant agreements. This role partners with Retail Sales, Legal, and Brand teams to evaluate retail program proposals ensuring timely, accurate, and strategic contracting terms that align with business needs, contracting governance, and regulatory requirements. The position collaborates with internal pricing and operational teams to ensure contract terms are feasible and accurately reflected in contract documents, The role requires a proactive self-starter and subject matter expert in retail pharmacy dynamics, capable of navigating complex contracting environments and influencing stakeholders across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

• Contract Development & Execution (Retail Channel)

  • Draft, negotiate, review, and route retail contract structures and pricing programs aligned with U.S. Commercial retail strategies in partnership with Legal, Compliance, and Pricing leadership

  • Translate strategic objectives and pricing guidance into contract terms tailored to retail pharmacy business models

  • Evaluate program proposals from Retail Sales and Brand teams, recommending contract structures that support access, pull-through, and compliance with contracting governance

  • Develop retail-specific contract language, incentives, and program mechanics that address channel needs while maintaining policy and regulatory compliance

  • Ensure accurate transition of executed agreements to the Contract Administration team and support downstream implementation

• Strategic Contracting & Business Judgement

  • Provide retail-specific insights, assumptions, and program mechanics that feed into business case modeling performed within Pricing & Contracting

  • Collaborate with key stakeholders during business case review to ensure alignment on financial expectations, operational feasibility, and strategic intent

  • Design contract terms consistent with pricing guidance, gross-to-net expectations, and established governance frameworks, ensuring that retail programs can be operationalized and monitored

  • Apply sound business judgment to access trade-offs, financial implications, and strategic fit of proposed retail contract scenarios, ensuring terms support sustainable access and protect pricing integrity

  • Provide consultative guidance grounded in channel knowledge and contracting experience to help stakeholders anticipate risks, unintended consequences, and operational considerations

• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

  • Partner closely with Retail Sales to align contracts with customer strategies, seasonality, and pull-through initiatives

  • Work with Brand/Marketing to ensure contract structures support promotional plans, campaign timelines, and channel strategies

  • Assists with the development of pricing committee materials

  • Collaborate with Legal to ensure agreements follow regulatory, legal, and policy requirements

  • Coordinate with contract administration and master data teams to confirm operational feasibility of contract terms and ensure clean, accurate contract documentation

• Risk Management & Performance Awareness

  • Maintain awareness of active agreement performance and collaborate with cross-functional partners to initiate contract amendments or escalations when business, operational, or compliance triggers are met

  • Maintain visibility into retail performance trends and assess implications for contract clauses such as volume commitments, price reversion triggers, claw-back mechanisms, and renewal criteria

• Governance & Compliance

  • Maintain strict adherence to governance processes, approval workflows, contracting policies, and delegated authority requirements

  • Maintain documentation of contracting decisions and support audit-readiness across contract processes

  • Ensure contracts comply with internal policies, government regulations, and applicable industry codes, escalating issues to Legal/Compliance as needed

• Contract Process Optimization

  • Identify opportunities to improve the contracting process, documentation standards, and decision timelines

  • Collaborate with stakeholders to strengthen planning around contract lead times and minimize last-minute negotiations that jeopardize business continuity

  • Respond to emerging business needs by developing flexible and scalable contract language that supports evolving retail strategies and minimizing contractual inefficiencies

Skills & Capabilities Required

• Strategic Contracting Judgement

  • Evaluates retail contract proposals with strong commercial judgement, balancing access objectives, pricing integrity, and operational feasibility

  • Applies deep understanding of retail pharmacy dynamics, vaccine channels, and customer purchasing behavior to inform contract design. Interprets policy and regulatory guidance appropriately and escalates issues when proposals deviate from established frameworks or precedent

  • Maintains composure and sound judgement in complex, high-pressure negotiations with large retail customers

• Business Acumen & Analytical Thinking

  • Understands how contract structures influence pricing outcomes, gross-to-net dynamics, and broader commercial strategy

  • Identifies financial, operational, and contractual risks embedded in proposed deal structures

  • Connects market behavior and retail channel trends to contract implications and decision-making

• Collaboration & Stakeholder Influence

  • Builds alignment across cross-functional teams by clearly articulating options, risks, and recommendations in business terms

  • Partners effectively with Legal/Compliance, Pricing Strategy, Sales, and Brand teams to refine contract structures

  • Influences outcomes without formal authority, ensuring early engagement and proactive issue resolution

• Execution & Accountability

  • Manages multiple contract priorities and deadlines with strong organizational discipline and attention to detail

  • Ensures accuracy and completeness of contract documentation to support downstream processing and audit readiness

  • Maintains awareness of contract timelines, dependencies, and escalation triggers to support timely execution

  • Ensures adherence to structured workflows and governance requirements in a low-automation environment

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required. Advanced degree (e.g., MBA or related field) is a plus

• Practical experience in retail pharmaceutical contracting is strongly preferred

• Minimum 5+ years of pharmaceutical experience in pricing, contracting, market access, or commercial operations

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment

• Experience managing end-to-end contract lifecycle activities, including renewals, amendments, and coordination of downstream implementation

• Familiarity with government pricing considerations and experience with vaccines or retail pharmaceutical products preferred

• Familiarity with contract lifecycle management tools (e.g., Model N, iContracts) and understanding of downstream operational processes such as pricing execution, chargebacks, and compliance reporting

Preferred Experience

• Experience supporting the full contract lifecycle, including renewals, amendments, escalations, and coordination of implementation activities.

• Experience in pharmaceutical or vaccine contracting, or other channel-based commercial contracting models preferred.

• Experience contributing to business case development by providing contract-level insights, assumptions, and program mechanics to support financial modeling.

• Experience leading or participating in cross-functional contracting discussions involving Sales, Brand, Pricing, Legal/Compliance stakeholders.

• Exposure to other commercial contracting models (e.g., GPO or channel-based purchasing organizations) preferred.

Why Join Us

Join a passionate, mission-driven global biotech committed to protecting lives. At Bavarian Nordic, you'll find a collaborative culture, flexible work environment, and opportunities for ongoing professional development and growth.

Bavarian Nordic is a global vaccine company with a mission to improve health and save lives through innovative vaccines. We are a preferred supplier of mpox and smallpox vaccines to governments to enhance public health preparedness and have a leading portfolio of travel vaccines. We are headquartered in Denmark and have manufacturing, research, and sales offices across Europe and North America.

Bavarian Nordic is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applications will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

For more information, visit www.bavarian-nordic.com

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