Payer Engagement Account Director; Market Access

Overview

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.

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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 coast states.

• 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

• 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

• Advanced degree (MBA, MPH, Pharm
  
  D, 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

• Prove…