Associate Director, Patient Recruitment & Retention

Role Summary

Disc Medicine is seeking an Associate Director, Patient Recruitment and Retention, reporting to the Executive Director, Clinical Development Operations. This role leads patient outreach, recruitment, and retention strategies for clinical studies and is a key member of the Clinical Development Operations team. The position focuses on developing and executing patient engagement strategies to improve study efficiency, data quality, and patient experience in a fully outsourced model. Strong patient engagement expertise and effective communication are essential to succeed in a collaborative, cross-functional environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of comprehensive patient recruitment and retention plans for US and global Phase 2/3 studies aligned with enrollment goals and timelines.
• Partner with Clinical Development and Clinical Operations Leads to design and implement study-specific recruitment and retention strategies; drive study-level strategies to engage participants with appropriate demographics; oversee development of recruitment materials and patient referral management plans; track KPIs; identify innovative approaches.
• Collaborate with study sites to develop tailored recruitment approaches based on local demographics; maintain relationships with patient engagement and advocacy organizations; manage external recruitment and retention vendors; partner with Clinical Operations, Regulatory Affairs, and Medical Affairs; present recruitment and retention strategies to investigators, patient advocacy groups, and at industry conferences.
• Ensure communications are compliant, culturally appropriate, and aligned with study objectives; share learnings and best practices across teams to drive process improvements; stay informed on emerging trends and innovative recruitment solutions; proactively educate internal stakeholders; perform additional responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

• 10–12 years in biotech, pharma, or CRO industry with a minimum of 8 years in patient recruitment and retention.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office programs and working knowledge of electronic data systems.
• Self-motivated, proactive, and able to prioritize and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Thorough knowledge of FDA and ICH GCP guidelines.
• Experience working on project teams and strong interpersonal skills to interact with investigators, vendors, and individuals at all levels of the organization.
• Self-driven with strong organization, relationship-building, and communication skills.
• Highly organized with a positive attitude and ability to adapt to changing priorities.
• Strong business acumen, including knowledge of multidisciplinary functions involved in drug development (data management, biostatistics, regulatory, pharmacovigilance) and the ability to integrate multiple perspectives into the clinical development process.
• Experience in orphan indications will be favorably considered.

Education

• BA/BS in a relevant field.

Additional Requirements

• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally.